Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 776, 4 June 1954, Page 24

Open Microphone

NEWS OF BROADCASTERS, m)N AND OFF THE RECORD,

By

Swarf

ISTENERS who are interested in the sea and the early history of New Zealand will find pleasant and informative narratives in The Log of the Victoria, to be broadcast from Station 2XP New Plymouth, starting on the evening ' of Monday, June 7, and continuing once a week for the following three weeks. Written by the Rev. W. C. Comber, who has made a study of ships which have sailed round the New Zealand coasts, the series is based on the log book of the brig Victoria. The stories concern the years between December, 1839, and June, 1843, when the Victoria played an important part in such incidents as the transportation of the then Governor, Captain. Hobson, his staff and Government officers from Russell to Auckland; the apprehension of smugglers; visits to the French at Akaroa, to troublesome Maoris at Tauranga, and to Nelson at the time of Te Rauparaha’s massacre. y

PERCHANCE TO DANCE

a "BEAVER" (Christchurch): I commend to you the following jingle: There was a young girl from Lansing

Who said "I’m sure I can sing": Her teacher Herr Harry Hur

Decided to marry her, And now they live happily with their seven children, and Mrs. Hur doesn’t sing any more, but occasionally indulges in dancing. a.

GRANITE GIRL

snd a BE the "first lady of the air," Gladys Young, was asked what she

liked apart from broadcasting, she said: "Preferably mountains, then

| hills-bare hills. I'm a _ great granite girl." als

TOUGH LIP

-" "Vf OUTHPIECE" (Lyttelton) is anxious to have "as much information as you can give me about Harry James, the trumpeter." This request reminds me of a timid young man who visited New Zealand with a travelling variety show a few years ago, and blushingly admitted that

he was the "hottest trumpeter that ever threw a lip around a mouthpiece."

And who should have known better?

Harry James, I _ think, would have been amused at that one. James (right) was born, in Albany, Georgia, in 1916. His father was Everette James, musical director of the Haag Circus and one of the most renowned of circus bandmasters. A year later the Christy Brothers’ Circus engaged James Sen., and for the next 13. years Harry toured the country with his parents. He learnt to play the drums and to do a_ contortionist act which, earned him the billname of the "Human Eel." When he was eight Harry took lessons from his father on the cornet and soon joined the circus band. A year later he took all the

trumpet solo parts, and at the age of 12 he was leading a band of his own. Such early and vigorous training in which he had to play loud and fast circus tunes is responsible, no doubt, for the tough lip and amazing technique he developed. Even top trumpeters of modern times have often had bad spells of lip trouble; but not James. Eventually he joined Ben Pollack, who is credited with having started more young musicians on the way to nameband success than any other leader. When he achieved fame James revolutionised trumpet style, and is still a firstclass musician. He is known particularly well in New Zealand for his recordings of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and "Chiribiribim," which became best sellers.

DAGGERS FOR ALL

| WOULD be grateful indeed if you would inform me of the story behind the Natoma ‘Dagger Dance,’ " writes G. A. Southen, of Napier.

The text of the opera Natoma is by Joseph D. Redding, and the music is by

Victor Herbert. When, in Act II, the usual operatic cloak and dagcer business reaches a

certain point, there is a dance, the "Panuelo," a dance of: declaration, in which each man places his hat on the head of the girl he loves. One girl gaily flicks her lover’s hat into the crowd. The incensed owner demands that she shall dance with him the fiery "dagger dance." He plunges his dagger into the ground and dares any girl to throw another beside it. Then, to a wild, barbaric rhythm begins the now famous "Dagger Dance." Natoma was first produced by the Philadelphia-Chicago Opera _Company at the Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, in 1911. The scene is California and the period is under the Spanish regime, 1820. John McCormack took the tenor role of Paul Merrill, Lieutenant of the U.S. Brig Liberty.

CONDUCTOR AND LEADER

x ‘ A STUDENT OF THE VIOLIN" "" (Mokotoa, Invercargill): (a) Sir Malcolm Sargent, aged 59, is one of the outstanding figures in the musical life of Britain. He is an active man-here, there and everywhere. He probably

makes more train journeys than many commercial travellers. He be-

came a conductor by accident. The conductor’ who was to have taken charge of a rehearsal of The Gondoliers did not turn up. Sargent took his. place and has. as it were, been on the rostrum ever since. He claims that the technique of conducting is simple. There are only two instruments in the orchestra which are easier, he says-the cymbals and the triangle. He explains his power over an orchestra thus: "Complete concentration. This means that one must be unselfconscious. A person who is unselfconscious always attracts attention. Another thing-is sincerity. If a person is convinced of what he tells you,. he will make an impression on you.’ > Sir Malcolm. Sargent is slim, wiry, with black glossy hair and dapper in dress. By day

he wears a red carnation; in the evening a white one. He often starts work on his scores in bed before he gets up, reading them as another man reads his newspaper. (b) The leader of an orchestra will demonstrate on his instrument how certain awkward passages are to be played gnd decide knotty points of fingering and

bowing when called upon by wise conductors to do so, says Thomas Russell in his book Philharmonic. In such matters he will have the final word in any consultation which may be held between him and other string departments. He must also be a man of tact for he is in effect liaison officer between the orchestra and his conductor. . . The leader does not make his entry until the orchestra is comfortably seated and in tune. At the conclusion of the performance he will, on behalf of his colleagues, receive the thanks of the conductor which are often bestowed in public by one or more handshakes. "Personally," says Russell, "I consider these exhibitions of mutual congratulation in public to be out of place... ." »

LAST WORD ON HEUGHAN

"~ READERS have shown a great deal of interest in the Scottish bass William ‘Heughan since A. M. Johnson (Christ‘church) asked for information about him. Here is something about Heughan’s activities since he visited New Zealand.

it comes from A. Talbot (Mt. Eden, Auckland), who was organising manager

for Heughan and his concert party on their world tour of 1928-30. The party called at New Zealand en route to Canada, where they gave concerts in the main western cities. Owing to the depression of 1930 hitting the concert world pretty badly, Heughan decided to try his luck in Hollywood, where he stayed for eight months doing concert and/radio work; then he went on to New York to fulfil concert engagements. Later he went to England to appear in concerts and films. Mr. Talbot was in England last year when Heughan ’ gave a luncheon-party for the company that toured in 1928-30. It consisted of Heughan, Gladys Sayer, pianist (Mrs. Heughan); Maud Bell, ’cellist; Andrew Broom, manager; and Mr. Talbot and his wife. That was the first time they had all been together since the world tour, and Heughan and all the company paid glowing tributes to New Zealand and the many friends they had made here. In his job as head trustee for the large Scottish estates of Lady MacRoberts, Heughan is particularly interested in the breeding of fine pedigree cattle. Quite a number of the animals had been shipped to New Zealand, he told my correspondent. Mr. Heughan did not make any recordings. Many thanks, Mr. Talbot. Ys

WE KNOW IT

" CONCERT report in a New Zealand newspaper included this: "Miss

A Sang very feelingly ‘There’s nae luck about. the horse." I

met that horse at the Hutt Park Trots. *

BEAUTY, BRASHNESS AND BRILLIANCE

ARTURO TOSCANINI, who recently retired as conductor of the National Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in New York, has been hailed in many American newspapers as a world musical leader. The New York Herald-Tri-bune said that his farewell was accom-

plished with the "same mixture of beauty, brashness ‘and

brilliance that have characterised his musical deeds since he began his career in 1886. What the virtuoso. singer was to the 18th Century and the virtuoso pianist to the 19th, Toscanini has been to us." Toscanini led the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for several seasons. He returned to his native Italy in 1915, but re-entered the United

States in 1921 to tour the country with the.La Scala Orchestra. In 1926 he became director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and was its conductor for 10 years. He refused to return to Italy as lohg as Mussolini was in power.

GEORGIE STERLING IN VARIETY

* RICHARD MURDOCH has signed a 17-weeks’ contract with the Australian Broadcasting Commission to present a show called Much Murdoch. This contract has been described as a Mur-

doch rather than a Binding one. An allAustralian variety cast includes

Georgie Sterling (the New Zealand radio actress, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Sterling, of Wellington), Neva Carr Glynn, Ray Barrett and Harvey Adams, with Jim Gussey (who was in New Zealand four years ago). and the ABC Dance Band. A few years ago Georgie Sterling was well known in Wellington in radio and amateur theatrical work, and it was not long after she had gone to Australia that she became popular as a radio actress. She has appeared in several Australian films. Her most recent radio successes have been patts in such shows as The Laughing Woman, The Troubled Air and To Dorothy, a Son.