Broadcast Music for Coming Week

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 8, 6 September 1929, Page 11

Broadcast Music for Coming Week

By

Bolton

Woods

Tis the deep minie of the rolling world, Kindling within the strings of the waved airAeolian modulations." . -Shelley.

‘A Classical Jazzist. RAE. DA COSTA, a brilliant pupil of Tobias Matthay,.is a recent recruit to variety. She went to England from South Africa .with the imy tention of displaying ‘her exceptional abilities on the concert platform. Thedifficulties were heart-breaking so she decided to pack ip her traps and return to Cape Town. On the verge of departure, she composed a song for Layton and Johnstone, appropriately entitled "When I Say Good-bye to You." It was an immediate hit and the disappointed pianist. turned her’ ,thoughts in the direction of the "halls." One good thing led to another. Her decision to forget Bach’ and Beethoven for the nonce and apply her nimble fingers to jazz, resulted not only in music-hall engagements; her work found favour and straightway she became a gramophone celebrity, known sto millions as "The Parlo-. phone Girl." os Two of the items during the dinner session at 1YA on Saturday, September 14, are records played by Raie da Costa. \ , Tolstoi on Wagner. TPOLSTOI and Wagner had nothing in common, and, the great Russian was merciless in his, criticisms of the equally great German, Here is an account of a performance of "Siegfried" taken from Tolstoi’s "What is Art?’-"When I arrived, an actor in tight-fitting byeeches was seated before an object that was meant jto represent an anvil. He wore'a wig and a false beard; his white and manicured hands had nothing of the workman about them; and his easy air, -prominent belly, and flabby muscles readily betrayed the actor. . With an absurd hammer he struck-as no one else would strike-a fantastic-looking sword blade. One guessed he was a dwarf because when he walked he bent his legs at the knees. He cried out i great deal, and opened his mouth in a queer fashion. ‘he: orchestra also emitted peculiar noises like several beginnings that had nothing to do with one another, Then another actor appeared with a horn in his belt, leading a man dressed up as a bear, ‘who walked on all fours. He let loose the bear on the dwarf, who ran away, but forgot to bend his knees’ this time. The actor with the human face represented Siegfried. He cried out for a long time, and the dwarf replied in the same way. ‘Then a traveller arrived -the god Wotan, He hada wig, too; and, settling himself with his spear "in a. silly attitude, he told Mime all about things he already knew, but of which the audience was ignorant. . Then Siegfried seized some bits that were supposed to represent piéces of a sword, and sang, ‘Heaho, heaho, hoho, Hoheo, haho, haho, hoho. And that was the end of the first act." A re-

cord of "Siegfried-TIire Music" will re used at ¥YA on Friday, September 3. "3 The Soldiers’ Hymn. THE composer of the tune "Hventide’ to "Abide With Me" was W. H. Monk, editor of one edition of "Hymns, Ancient and Modern." His life was devoted to the seivice of church music, and for forty years, duxing which time he held the post ‘of organist ‘both at King’s College in the Strand, and at St. Matthias, Stoke Newington, "he devoted himself to the advancement of good congregational singing. In writing of this tune, Mrs. Monk said: "It was written at a time of great. sorrow-when together we watched, as we did daily, the glories of the setting sun.. As the last golden rays faded he took up some paper and pencilled that tune which has gone over All.the earth." The ist Battalion Wellington. Regiment Band have included "Abide With Me" in their programme in commemoration of the Battle of the Somme (1916), to be broadcast from 2YA on Thursday, September 12, Two Different Egmonts. HEN in 1809 it was decided to perform Goethe’s "Rgmont" in Vienna, Beethoven was commissioned to write for it the introductory and incidental music, which finely matches the dramatic.story. Beethoven’s sympathy was always readily enlisted in favour of any cause which held out-a promise. of relief to the downtrodden and oppressed, and the heroic figure of the young Egmont in Goethe’s play, struggling for the freedom of the Netherlands against the tyrant Philip II of Spain, made a strong appeal to his‘ imagination. That the real Hgmont, as history’s ruthless hand has drawn him for us, was a much less heroic figure than Goethe and Beetchoven would have us believe, matters but little now. Posterity owes him thanks at least for a great play, and for some of Reethoven’s finest music. The 2YA Orchestra will play the "Hgmont" overture on Monday, September : _A "Make-Weight" Song. HE best-known song by Landon Ronald is undoubtedly "Down in the Forest," regarding which he tells a curious story. "I had written a cycle ox songs called ‘The Cycle of Life’ and ‘felt somehow that the balance was wrong, and that another song was required in the middle ~ the album. I wrote and told the author, Harold Simpson, my feelings, and he sent me ‘Down in the Forest.’ I wrote the music in half an hour, and took it to Enoch, and thought so little of it that I didn’t even wish to play it for him. He insisted, however, and I did so, remarking, ‘It will never sell a copy, but it is just the bit of make-weight I want for the cycle’ He agreed with me, but

bis partner who happened to be present said, ‘You never can tell. It might be a big seller’ He was quite right in his prediction." Mr. W. Jd. Trewern will sing "Prelude" from’ the "Oycle of Life’ at 3YA on Sunday, Septembér 8. , A Master of Overtures. HH name of Francesco Hzechiele ‘Ermengildo Cayaliere Suppe Demelli gives uncertain clues to this eomposer’s nationality. He was of Belgian descent, but his’ family had lived for many years in Italy. Ultimately he-settled in Vienna, where he was known as Franz von Suppe. In the course of his ‘busy life, he composed, according to one authority, 165 light pieces for the stage, as well as bigger and more important works, including two grand operas, a mass, and a requiem, and that list takes"no account of such early works as another mass, which was performed when he was only fifteen. The*programme at 8YA on Wednesday, September 11, opens with Suppe’s. "The Beautiful Galathea." ‘ j A Composer ’Cellist. HE composer of the famous suite of serenades (Spanish, Chinese, Cuban, and Oriental), is a grandson of the Irishman, Samuel Lover, who wrote "Handy Andy." Victor Herbert was born in Dublin in February, 1859, and ames

went. to Germany at the age of seven to study music. He studied the ’cello particularly, and was solo ‘cellist in Germany, France and Italy, also playing first ‘cello in Straugs’s Orchestra in Vienna, and later in the Court Orchestra in Stuttgart. He went to America in 1886, and the influence of this cheery Irishman on the taste’ of the American theatre-goer las been very great. For a time he and De Koven alone supplied the stage with real music, and although he wrote more light operas than any other man ‘of hig time, he was never careless in his work, his music being always popular but never: banal. The Suite of Serenades will be heard from 3YA on Friday, September 13. ~ Genial Schubert. SCHUBERT'S B fidt trio was written.’ in October, 1827, just after the composer’s return from-his very happy holiday with the Pachlers at Graz. This may account for the genial and happy character of the work, though it must be confessed that the second part of the "Winter Journey" songcycle, written about the same time is very strongly tinged with sadness. It is a curious fact, though, that Schu-. bert’s melancholy moods seldom showed themselves in his works, . The Studio Trio will play the Rondo. from the trio, at 3YA on- Thursday, . September 12. a