Broadcast Music for Coming Week

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 37, 28 March 1929, Unnumbered Page

Broadcast Music for Coming Week

-- --- ‘Tis the deep music of the rolling world, Kindling within the strings of the waved airAeolian modulations." -NShelley. _

By

Bolton

Woods

MacDowell and Nature.

NE of the greatest composers that America ever produced, MacDowell’s education was received chiefly abroad, and the influence of the various masters under whom he studied and his enthusiasm for certain composers .are reflected in his music. He gave much study to American Indian and other folk music of his native country, which finds expression in his "Indian Suite’ for orchestra. In the compositions of the smaller musical forms MacDowell has shown himself to be a master. It is difficult to name one of his works that does not seem to be the ideal expression in music of the mood of its subject. One finds them more and more beautiful the oftener one hears them, and they well repay a familiarity that comes of repeated: hearing. He was a lover of the simple beauty of the New England country in which he ‘lived, and gives us in his works the moods awakened: by things, rather than the things themselves, which he chooses for the subjects of his compositions. MacDowell, who was born in New York, December 18, 1861, and died at Peterboro, New Hampshire, January 23, 1908, was at one time Professor of Music at Columbia University in New York City. The com‘poser loved the woods and the sea, and the tones with which he painted his lovely "Sea Pictures," leave no doubt as to the justice of his own claims that they are "suggestive music." The two number: selected for broadcasting from 1YA next Friday (April 5), by Mr, Sam Brentnall "In Changing Moods," and "From the

Depths (the latter of which was one of the composer’s special favourites) are products of that style of ‘‘native communion" that Macdowell made his own. This lovable man with a poetic soul left a rich legacy of music to posterity and his memory is honoured in consequence. Another "Magic Flute." PROM 4YA on Tuesday next, will be broadcast the Finale to -Mozart’s "Flute Concerto," by John Amadio, flautist, with orchestral accompaniment. To be born to the instrument is half the battle, and this is Amadio’s good fortune, who as a little chap set his heart on being a flautist. After hearing this record who could withhold respect from the "Wizard of the Flute" and his instrument, which will be an eyeopener to most people. There is not a dull bar on either side of the record and the finale is especially thrilling. Amadio’s lip must be eminently suitable to the instrument of his choice, which makes the expression "born to the instrument" literally true: When he was but eleven he made his debut in Wellington at an orchestral concert, playing the flute part in a concerto ! He soon was taken to Australia where he studied hard, and his chance came when he was appointed principal flute in the Italian Opera Orchestra! Here is a prodigy that made good. Melba, Calve, and others would have none other to play their obbligatos on tour. Tettrazini met him when he went to Europe for ‘experience and a wider scope for his exceptional powers. And so the new Zealander grew to become one of the world’s foremost flautists, and going from strength to strength holds a posi-

tion that is unique in the annals of Dominion music. He is happily married to Florence Austral, one of the many Australian Queens of Song, and a dramatic soprano of wide attainments. "1812" UT twenty years old when he composed his "Prelude in © Sharp Minor," Sergei Rachmaninoff brought to light one of the most celebrated of modern piano works. He is, of ‘course, a pianist of outstanding brilliance and. vifts, and it is the great bug-bear of his eoncert life to be brought back wherever he may be performing to play the Prelude of Preludes. Of course, to each enthusiastic audience it is unthinkable that a dispersion should occur without hearing this piece, and willy-nilly he simply HAS to oblige. On the strength of it, however, he has earned the worldwide fame he at present enjoys. The work is certainly one of extraordinary power, deeply emotional and thrilling. Although Rachmaninoff gives no hint as to the source of his inspiration, and even says that it presents no musical picture, it has been attached to the accounts of the burning of Moscow during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. It is winter, stark and bleak. Moscow lies in the midst of a frozen plain. Her desolate streets resound to the tread of Napoleon’s invading army. Suddenly the great bells of the Kremlen sound. The city is aflame, the torch applied by the inhabitants themselves who, with breaking hearts and mingled triumph and despair, glory in their heroic sacri+ fice. The deep-throated bells boom on, -Continued on page 3.

Broadcast Music

‘(Continued from front page.) ‘Sounding above the rush and roar of the flames, the cries of the fleeing populace, the shrieks of the dying and all the confused terror and frenzy of destruction. Napoleon’s dream of winter quarters for his army is vanising before his eyes. In the closing chords one hears the dying sigh of spent fury, and hush of utter darkness and desolation." Mrs. Hrnest Drake will play this famous piano solo at 4YA on Friday next (April 5). Herrick and Hatton. "TNO ANTHEA," which will be sung by Mr. Arthur Lungley at 4YA on Friday (April 5), was first published in 1850, in a volume of Herrick’s songs set to music by John L. Hatton. In the preface he says:. "The songs forming the contests of this volume were written at different times and under various circumstances. Some few of them were composed previous to my departure for America in the autumn of 1848, and presented as little souvenirs to my friends on leaving England, The rest, with one exception, I wrote entirely for my own amusement during the time I was away; and all of them were composed without any view to their publication." Urged by a friend to make a complete collection of the songs, Hatton found the owners of the MSS. willing to restore the songs to him to enable them to be published and among these was the lovely "To Anthea." In 1669, Henry Lawes set the verses to music, a fact that must have escaped Hatton. Lawes and his version are almost unknown, but Hatton’s setting is one that will be sung so long as English is spoken. His humility is characteristic of a man of genius. "The Silver Bullet." "DER FREISCHUTZ," or "The Silver Bullet," was first produced by Weber in Berlin in 1821, with enornm-

ous success, and proved to be the turning point in the history of German music. Opera in Germany had previously been a foreign importation, but Weber unlocked the long-closed treas--ure house of national folk-lore and tune. He founded, one might say, German national and romantic opera. But his service to music did not end with this, for his influence upon the art has been tremndous. The Romantics, Mendelssohn and. Wagner in particular, owe an incalculable debt to Weber. The fairies of Mendelssohn’s ‘""Midsummer Night’s Dream" music; the Wagnerian dramatic monologues-to mention but two things-have their prototypes in Weber’s works. The first few bars of the overture to this epochmaking opera, strike a note never before heard in music-a note of mystery intensified, later, by the tremolo of the strings, the solitary drum beats, and the sinister phrase for the ’cellos. We are in a strange world of the supernatural, a world of demons, goblins, and infernal pacts, to be disclosed in the famous wolf glen scene in the opera. Before this passage is reached, however, and immediately after the first bars for the strings, comes the exquisite tune for the French horns one of the most famous tunes in music-which epitomises the peculiar atmosphere of the whole opera. It expresses better than any words could the full significance of what is meant by the romantic movement in music. Weber’s son, in the biography of his father, wrote: "Weber did not compose ‘Der Freischutz,’ he allowed it to grow out of the rich soil of his heart, and to expand, leaf by leaf, blossom by blossom, fostered by the hand of his talent." The story of the opera is one of the supernatural and follows the conventionall taste ofthe day (and since, for that matter) in that virtue is triumphant over evil in the end. To have nine different productions of "Der Freischutz’ running simultaneously in London, at one and the same time, indicated the amazing popularity of the opera 100 years ago, The opera is seldom heard to-day, but the overture is as great a favourite as

ever, and will be broadcast from 1YA on Wednesday next, being played by the Coldstream Guards Band. A Violin Prodigy. FROM, 2YA on Sunday (April 7) two violin solos will be broadcast by a quite remarkable musical prodigy in the person of Master Yehudi Menuhin, violinist. Accompanied by his teacher, Louis Persinger (himself a brilliant violinist, pupil of Ysaye, and one-time concert master of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), he plays two solos on an H.M.V. record (DA1003), namely, Floceo’s "Allegro," and "La Capricciosa," by Ries. It is hardly believable that these are played by a twelve-year-old boy. On January 22 this year (his twelfth birthday) he was offered a choice of some rare violins for a birthday present from his patron and patroness, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Goldman, and the boy instinctively selected the Prince Khevenhueller Stradivarius, which cost his friends £12,000. Some of the most precious "Strads" were available for selection, and the boy’s choice greatly pleased Zimbalist, his friend and guide since he was six years old and first appeared in San Francisco. Convalescing from a recent operation, Zambalist sat on the sofa between Mrs. Goldman and Yehudi’s father, while Yehudi played one piece after another, to the accompaniment of his beloved teacher, ending with Handel’s "Sacred and Solemn Prayer." Zimbalist could contain himself no longer. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he exclaimed, "Yehudi is right in his choice. This is one of the most marvellous Strads on earth, but Yehudi is the most marvellous violinist of the age." Made by Stradivarius when he was in his ninetieth year (in 1733), the fiddle is full-sized and perfect in form, arch, workmanship and tone. The varnish is a gleaming dark red. It is one of the few works of Stradivarius that has been preserved in its original state. In the body is inscribed, "In my ninetieth year," and a black seal which stands for the combined coat-of-arms of Prince Khevenhueller and his wife, who lived in Vienna in the eighteenth century. About 1820 the violin became the property of Josef Bohm, who, as a professor of violin at the Vienna Conservatory, taught Joachim and Ernst. From the Bohm family the instrument finally passed into the possession of Mr. Hermanu, the international violin dealer, from whom the Goldmans purchased it for Yehudi. A limited number of concert engagements is being taken by the boy’s agents to finance his future tuition, but every precaution is being taken to safeguard his best interests. Yehudi regards the engagements as so much fun, and whilst’ awaitir~ his debut

with the New York Philharmonic Oxchestra in the Beethoven "Concerto" he played with his toys in the artists’ room. His future seems assured, and the record under review is certainly an historic one, When the listeners hear it they will not be able to detect any immaturity in style or finish. One of the Twenty-four. HOPIN wrote twenty-four Preludes for the piano, No. 23 of which will be broadcast from 3YA on Thursday (April 4) by Miss Merle Miller. For delicate graciousness and airy charm this Prelude is hardly to be matched in all music. . Pxquisite happiness colours the beautiful work. A touch of vagueness and elusiveness is brought to it in the concluding bar, which "floats off as to infinity," }gaving a sense of suspense and antiGpation. Huneker describes the Prelude as "like a sun-shot spider web oscillating in the breeze of summer, its hucs changing at every puff."