Broadcast Music for Coming Week

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 3, 2 August 1929, Page 15

Broadcast Music for Coming Week

By

Botton

Woods

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

Shelley

"Made Rich Gay, and’ Gay Rich." . "YH Beggar’s Opera," the forerunner of English operz, made. its first appearance at the Theatre Royal, London, in 1728, , It was written by MiyGay, and Dr. Pepusch, and the theucte was. at that time under the management of. Mr. Rich. It had a hitherto unprecedented run of 62 nights, and was séon described as the opera which "made Rich gay, and Gay rich," The many charming tunes which Pepusch adapted to Gay’s verses, were drawn from a fund of English, Irish and Scottish popular melodies, some of them contemporary, and some of them dating from an earlier period. The Bohemian Quintet will play "Five Interludes," from "The Beggar’s "Opera," at 3YA, on Wednesday, August 7. "The March King." UNDOUBTEDLY one of the most -guecessful. American composers, bandmasters and musical litterateurs, is John Philip- Sousa. ‘The son of a Spanish trombonist, he studied harmony and composition when a boy, and at the age of seventeen, was leading a varied- existence as conductor of itin-

erant theatrical companies. In 1877 he was chosen as one of the violinists of the crehestra assembled by Offenbach for his American tour, and later conductor of the Philadelphia church choir "Pinafore’ company. He has written a popular novel, six other books on his travels, and instruction books for various instruents. He has produced eight successful comic operas, and his many marches: are known the world over, -The 2YA Orchestra wll play "The Gladiator," by Sousa, on Saturday, August 10, "The Spirit of Russia." Most of the older listeners will remember the war between Turkey and Serbia, which was raging in 1876. The great Russian pianist, Nicholas Rubinstein, organised a charity concert for the relief of the wounded, and for the oceasion, Tschaikowsky wrote the Slavonic March. The opening of the March is very. sombre, "in the manner of a funeral march." Later, the Russian National Hymn is heard, and the .whole ends brilliantly and joyously. Perhaps it was the sombre opening and the joyful ending which

made the March such a tremendous ‘success, for people considered that it foretold the victory of the Slavs. A record of the "March," played by "the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, will be used at 1YA on Friday, August 9. A Lively Opera, ICOLAI’S opera; "The Merry Wives. of Windsor," follows closely the well-known adventures of Falstaff, Mrs, Ford, and Mrs. Page, of: Shakespeare’s play. It was first produced in German at Berlin in 1849, and was afterwards translated into Italian, French and English, Only the overture is heard nowadays, as a concert piece, the opera in its entirety being a thing of the past. , A record of the ever-popular "Overture" will be used at 4YA on Friday, August 9, The Survival of Overtures. ALTHOUGH there has never been anything in music quite like the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, of which. Sngland is so justly proud, the association. of Auber as composer and Seribe as librettist was as nearly a parallel .as it is possible to imagine. There are several points of difference as well as resemblance, notably that the two produced quite a number of serious as well as comic operas. But it is the latter alone which survive, and these only in such fragments as the overtures, "The Crown Diamonds," "The Black Domino" and "Fra Diavolo." Auber had a deft hand in sketching the personalities of the characters in the music hé gave them to sing. His music is so full of brightness and good humour that it is a real -misfortune that it is not heard more often. ~ . The 2YA orchestra will play the overture "Fra Diavolo" on Friday, August 9, and it will be rebroadcast by 3YA. "Money from Home." AMON G the composers who ran away from home to make a start in life is Count Boieldieu, whose overtures, "Oaliph of Bagdad" and "Blanche

Dame," are still played, though’ the operas are seldom heard. He first rain away when a child, having upset the inkpot on his master’s manuscript. He ran away again at the age of twenty, arriving in Paris with eighteen francs, the score of an opera, and his good looks, Things went very badly and he had made up his mind to drown himself, when money and letters came from home and he secured a position tuning pianos. This lead to his singing his own songs at the receptions given by the piano firm, and soon he was one of the most popular young men in the capital, . : The 1YA Orchestra will play the overture, "La Blanche Dame," on Saturday, August 10. "A Precious Memory." [Ty the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, "Tolanthe," Phyllis is an Arcadian Shepherdess and a ward in Chancery; while Strephon is an Arcadian shep"herd, half fairy and half mortal, a fairy ‘down to the waist, who finds his mortal latter-end an insurmountable obstacle to creeping through keyholes and following other fairylike whims. They. are daintily attired in costumes a ta Watteau, and one of the most precious themories of the opera, is their love duet. It is the best of its kind in all the operas, and in beautiful imagery it is a matchless piece of writing. In the refrain the two voices answer one ‘another tenderly, and the accompaniment fits the sentiment admirably., ’ ‘Miss Gretta Stark and Mr. Will Hancock will sing "None Shall Part Us" at. 2YA on Friday, August 9. "In League with Satan!" HE best known pianoforte music made of Paganini’s violin studies. is, of course, the series of-transcriptions by Liszt. He and Paganini roused the world to astonishment by their amazing feats of technique, that it was usual to bracket their names together as twin magicians. Paganini, indeed, was thought by many to be in league with the devil, so wonderful were the things he did with his violin. Liszt’s interest

in the violinist caused him to tran_seribe a number of his most difficult studies, which he dedicated ‘to: Schu--maann’s wife, herself one of the great pianists of history. .Schumann’s versions.are less brilliant and showy than Liszt's, but.are invested with more of poetry and romance. They are really more. Schumann than Paganini. >: Mrs. Ernest Drake will play one. of -the- Studies on a Caprice of Paganini, -by..Schumann, at 4YA, .on Monday, -August 5. , In Lighter Vein. WVHOLLY unlike the melancholy "> " which Tschaikovsky: reveals in so ‘many of his other works, especially in the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, his "Chant Sans Paroles" (Songs Without Words) is.a light-hearted, melodious piece, with no great: depth of feeling, but with a charm of its own. which amply accounts for its popularity in "the many different arrangements in which it is played. The St. Kilda Band will play the "Chant Sans Paroles" at 4YA on Tuesday, August 6. "Sorrow,:- a. Source of. Song." FINLAND is the land of magic song; and has given. birth. to many noble sens who have richly added to the music of the world. Armas Jarnefeldt (1869) is a composer of many eharming songs and symphonies. Like all descendants of the Slav race, who have taken up music as a profession, he bases his conceptions on the ancient folk songs of his native land. The people of this land have from the earliest days suffered, and from this suffering has come their beautiful music~ "Sorrow is the source of singing.’’ The "Praeludium" is a highly favoured item on the concert platform. In conception it is quaint and humorous, with a beautifully expressive plaintive phrase. e- 3 A recozd of the "Praeludium" will be sed at 3YA on Wednesday, August 7. "Trees." ‘THE poem by Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," set to music by Rasbach, is of such beauty that we quote it in its entirety. That the music is a perfect setting for its exquisite lines is saying much: , "I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree; 4 tree whose hungry mouth is prest Agat\st the earth’s sweet flowing breasts

A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in, summer wear A.nest of robins in her hair, Upon whose bosom snow is lain, Who intimately lives with rain, Poems are made by fools like mes But ‘only God ‘can make a tree." -~ Miss Vera Martin will sing "Trees" at 3YA on Sunday, August.4,