Broadcast Music of Coming Week

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 44, 17 May 1929, Unnumbered Page

Broadcast Music of Coming Week

Br

Bolton

Woods

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

Shelley

A Long Career. ENRY VIEUXTEMPS was born in Belgium in 1820, and died in Algiers in 1881. He was one of the foremost of French violinists, and toured Hurope and America with great success. He made his debut at the early age of eight years, and was from that time on and off the stage until 18738, when his retirement was enforced by paralysis. He was solo violinist to the Czar, and violin teacher at the St. Petersburg Conservatory from 1846 until 1852. He wrote a number of works for violin, and violin and piano. The studio orchestra at 1YA will play: Vieuxtemps’s ‘Reverie’ as violin solo with orchestral accompaniment (soloist, Miss Ina Bosworth), on Thursday, May ’ Beethoven’s Rival. PUPIL of Mozart, Haydn, Saliere and Clementi Johann Hummell_was said to rival Beethoven in improvising at the piano. He was a great friend of the composer, and though they quarrelled once, they became friends again during Beethoven’s last illness. He was born in 1788, and in 1824 wrote a "Piano School" advocating a new method of fingering. He composed quantities of piano music, and several Masses. He was at one time chapelmaster to Prince Esterhazy, and while there conducted Beethoven’s Mass in C. The 1YA Studio Trio will play "Rondo," from Hummell’s Trio Op. 35 on Friday, May 24.

Music in Nature. NE of Liszt’s most successful descriptive pieces is his "Rustling Woods." Exquisite in the play of light and shade, and lovely in the suggestion of the pleasant sounds of the forest, it is a fine example of its type of musical picture, and like most of Liszt’s works, is bristling with technical difficulties. It employs every device of the pianist and all the resources of the piano to produce the effect the composer intended. Liszt’s own playing of his compositions of this character was, we are told, something unapproached by any other contemporary pianist, so graphic and poetic did he make them. "Rustling Woods" has been chosen by Mr. Eric Waters as his pianoforte solo at 1YA on Friday, May 24. A Czech Mix-up. "MNHE Bartered Bride" is the second of eight operas written by Smetana on national subjects. Begun in 1868, it was completed in 1866, and is undoubtedly his masterpiece. The opera is not planned on a large scale, but is perfect as regards proportions, and as a national poem, it reflects rural Bohemia and the Czech character, just as clearly as the passion and the picturesque qualities o* the Spanish are reflected in Bizet’s "Carmen." The story deals with the pretty peasant girl, Marenka, who is not allowed to marry her lover as he is a poor unknown orphan. The professional village matchmaker arranges her marriage with Vasek, who stutters very badly, and is next door to an idiot. Vasek is prevailed

upon to sell the contract, and in the end is appears that the purchaser is no other than Marenka’s lover. The 1YA Orchestra will play’ the Overture to "The Bartered Bride" on Saturday, May 25. American-Indian Music. (CHARLES Wakefield Cadman’s "Four American-Indian Songs’ were the first result of his interest in the music of the Indians. He received his musical education entirely from American teachers and held various posts as musical critic and church organist. He has travelled much as lecture-recitalist, being assisted in recent. years by an Indian mezzo-soprano, Princess Tsianina Redfeather. His lecture on American-Indian music was given in 1910 in Paris and London. His compositions are numerous, but not all are in the category of Indian music. The Melody Four and Orchestra will give the Song Suite, "Four AmericanIndian Songs," at 2YA on Saturday, May 25. Critic and Composer. ORN at Copenhagen, Charles Kjerulf gained wide notice as a critic and as a composer. He wrote several biographies and an autobiography in two volumes, which gives a vivid description of musical life in Copenhagen. His interest in the theatre gave impulse to the composition _of several operettas. He also wrote music for several dramas, and translated Bellman’s Swedish Songs into Danish. He died at Elsinore in 1919. -Continued on page 2.

Broadcast Music (Continued from Cover.)

Miss Evelyn Robinson, contralto, will sing "Last Night,’ by Kjerulf, at 2¥A on Monday, May 20. An Illustrious Englishman. "((OME If You Dare" was one of the songs in H. Purcell’s ""Masque of King Arthur," the words of which were by Dryden. It was first produced in 1691. Henry Purcell was born in 1658 and died in 1695, at the early age of thirty-seven. Most of his songs were published after his death in "Orpheus Britannicus: a collection of Ayres, composed for the theatre, and on other occassions, by the late Mr. Henry Purcell, London, printed for Frances Purcell, executrix of the author, 1697." "Come If You Dare" will be sung by Mr. W. Bradshaw and chorus at 8YA on Friday, May 24. One of the "Five." CESAR CUI, who ranks with the ‘best of modern Russian composers, was by profession a military engineer, being a recognised authority on fortifications. He composed operas, songs, chamber music .and orchestral music. One of his most popular works is his ‘"Orientale." Plaintive, but exceedingly sweet, a sad little song runs through this wonderful piece of Oriental tone colour. It is said by some to be a little maid bewailing her faithless lover, and by others to be a woman singing of her longings and hopes. However, whatever the picture intended to be conveyed, it is a charming composition. The studio orchestra at 3YA will play "Orientale" on Wednesday, May Haydn on Mozart. "TF DECLARE to you, before God and on the faith of an honest man, that your son is the greatest com-

poser that ever lived." These were words addressed by Haydn to the father of Mozart. Unfortunately this young man died at the early age of thirty-five. Reading his letters it is interesting to note that in contrast to his lighter moods, there was a deep undertone of seriousness. He was always assuring his father, in his letters, that he was attending church, and on one occasion wrote: "Friends who have no religion cannot long be my friends." As this time he was still very young, and he wrote the greater number of his masses before he was twenty-three. } The 3YA Studio Orchestra will play Mozart’s "Ave Yerum" on Wednesday, May 22. "Gentlemen! The King!" HE National Anthem dates from about 1742, when it appeared in a collection of songs entitled "Harmonia Anglicana." It has been pointed out that the tune is in the form used for the galliard, a lively dance in triple time. Dr. John Bull wrote such a galliard and it is thought that the hymn was founded on this. It was first sung at Merchant Tailors’ Hall on July 7, 1607, by the gentlemen and children of H.M. Chapel Royal, when King James I was present at a dinner given by that company on his escape from the Gunpowder Plot. There have been many claims put forth for the origin of the "National Anthem," but this is now generally accepted as the one which can give the best proof. It is said that Charles Lamb, the essayist, on one occasion_said that he has such a bad ear for music that he could not tell the difference between, "Pop Goes the King" and "God Save the Weasel’’!! The Valencia Quartet will commence the Empire Day programme at 8YA with Elgar’s arrangement of "God Save the King."

"Incomparable Artists." ANTONIN DVORAK first went to London to conduct his Stabart Mater in 1884. He came over from Prague at the invitation of the Novellos, and was tendered a reception by Henry Littleton, the head of the firm. During the evening the famous tenor Edward Lloyd sang "Songs My Mother Taught Me." The rendering was so wonderful that the composer wept, and later, after the performance of the Stabat Mater, when Madame Patey created a sensation with the wonderful ‘Inflammatus," he remarked: "I reckon myself fortunate to have had my music sung by two such incomparable artists as Patey and Lloyd." The 8YA Trio will play an arrangement of "Songs My Mother Taught Me" on Monday, May 20. Almost a Benediction. (CHOPIN'S "Nocturne in F Sharp" is full of details of ravishing beauty. It has an almost Oriental atmosphere, as one writer says: "The palm and the cypress, the rose thicket and the great stars burning low in the southern sky." The ovnening melody occurs at the end, and its indescribable calm touches one like a benediction. Miss Edith Harrhy has included this Nocturne in her numbers from 4YA on Tuesday, May 21. A Great American. DWARD McDowell is one of the greatest composers that America has the privilege of claiming as her own. His musical education was received chiefly abroad, and the influence of the various masters under whom he studied, and his enthusiasm for certain composers, is reflected in his music. He gave considerable study to the folk music of America, especially to the music of the American Indians. His compositions seem more beautiful the more they are heard, and they well repay a familiarity that comes of repeated hearing. He was born in New York in 1861, and died in Peterboro, New Hampshire, in 1908. Miss Edith Harrhy will play McDowell’s "Etude in A Minor" at 4YA on Tuesday, May: 21. A Cumberland Huntsman. OHN PEEL was a tamous Cumberland fox-hunter. He was over six feet tall, and whenever fox-hunt-ing was toward, he would be seen striding along in his long grey homespun coat, with leather breeches and a tall hat, and with his hunting horn in his hand or to his mouth. "Ranter and Ringwood, Bellman and True" were the names of Peel’s dogs, and they are Cumberland dog names to this day. One night John Peel was visiting his friend John Graves, and as they sat talking they could hear the old granny upstairs singing a child to sleep to an old, old song, "Bonnie Annie." Graves’ little daughter could not catch the words and asked her father what they were. He hardly knew, so he sat down there and then and wrote some verses in praise of his old friend. Then he sang them through and John Peel smiled with pleasure, but the tears came too, as he thought of the friendship and love that lay

EE Se SSS Oe = Sa SS oe eo behind the of the verses. The verses became very popular and the choirmaster of the Cathedral: at Carlisle, not far awev ant hala af them and wrote a piano accompaniment to the old tune, aj: wt it was sung all over the world. The Majors Quartet will sing "John Peel" at 4YA on Friday, May 24.