HAYDN'S TOY SYMPHONY
Sir.-Your correspondent Phyllis M. Short rightly states that "we should allow ourselves to laugh at a symphony concert as elsewhere, wherever we meet humour." But she, too, has missed the point. Like many others who have written in, she seems to think that, Haydn’s Toy Symphony is a masterpiece which can stand on its own feet as a fine, though humorous, work of art, whefeas in truth it is nothing of the sort. Let us be under no illusions: this so-called "symphony" is _ practically worthless musically. Haydn himself wrote 104 real symphonies, most of which are incomparably better (I should recommend some of your correspondents to try to hear some of these sometime). No "serious music lover" with a speck of musical experience and a glimmer of critical sense would give a brass farthing for the Toy Symphony as music-in fact, it would be difficult to think of any "classical" work more trivial and uninteresting. What, then, is the reason for the popularity of the piece? Simply, that it is a musical frolic, a relaxation, something ridiculous and laughable, Goodness knows what your correspondent means by a "true" performance of. the Toy Symphony-I fancy it would be one where the audience sits "solemn, earnest and owl-like,’ as she puts it. But whether the piece is played well or badly matters not the least, so long as everybody enjoys the fun, and I should be inclined to the view that, judged in this light, the performances of the Toy Symphony were a great success.
J.R.
B.
(Wellington).
Sir,-This account of a concert which took place at Queen’s Hall in 1918 may be of interest to some of your readers, I am quoting from Percy Young’s work on Elgar: "This was a sensational affair in which George Robey ‘conducted’ (with great effort) the Pizzicato from Delibes’s Sylvia, and in which the orchestra, containing Elgar as cymbalist, Irene Scharrer, Myra Hess and Muriel Foster as nightingales, Albani, Ada Crossley. and Carrie Tubb as cuckoos, Moiseiwitsch as triangle player, and Mark Hambourg with castenets, played Richard Blagrove’s Toy Symphony. Elgar, growing tired of cymballing, made his way to the first fiddles and seizing Max Mossel’s instrument, gave an impromptu cadenza."
A.C.
F.
(Wanganut).
. (This correspondence is now closed,--Ed.)
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19560427.2.12.3
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 34, Issue 873, 27 April 1956, Page 5
Word count
Tapeke kupu
377HAYDN'S TOY SYMPHONY New Zealand Listener, Volume 34, Issue 873, 27 April 1956, Page 5
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in