TRICKS OF THE TRADE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 761, 19 February 1954, Page 13

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

SINGER AND ACCOMPANIST, the Performance of Fifty Songs, by Gerald Moore; Methuen, English price 25/-. O be able to do something well and, in addition, to be able to explain convincingly how it is done, is a rare accomplishment. Gerald Moore’s analytical advice on the performance of fifty songs will throw new light on music that most singers and song-lovers will know and whet the appetite for some. that may not be so familiar, Mr. Moore’s writing is as authentic as his playing. Ten years ago, in The Unashamed Accompanist, Gerald Moore wrote a lucid account of the fundamentals of good accompanying, the approach that has made him one of the most eminent practitioners of an art which

is something much more than just "at the piano." In his new book he gives away many of the tricks of the trade. He begins each’ song-essay by sketching the mental picture the song suggests to him, and then he goes on to describe how each song might be interpreted and the musical and poetic evidence that determines the interpretation. It is all very good musical common-sense. While Gerald Moore emphasises the importance of good accompanying, he always contrives to make it one of the most delightful if not one of the easiest things to do. For instance, after an imaginative description of how Schubert’s "Erl-King" should be _ interpreted, he goes on to suggest that the (continued on next page) —

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"honest" accompanist allow himself a little "dishonesty" in order to overcome, or rather, by-pass he difficulty presented by the high-speed repeated chords, and proceeds to indicate the nature and extent of the alleged dishonesty. Singer and Accompanist is illuminated by the author’s good humour and sly wit. The repertoire of songs discussed starts at Beethoven and passes | through the Jieder writers to Ravel, Debussy, Falla and Vaughan Williams. Recordings are recommended for each song. Accompanists will find this book an inspiration and a help’ in time of trouble. To singers it should be an eye (or ear) opener, and listeners should appreciate it as a source of enjoyment in the new ideas it offers about the

| Sones they listen to,

O.

J.