PERSONALITIES of the week

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 24, 21 December 1934, Page 8

PERSONALITIES

of the week

"KING’S MUSICK." SIR WALFORD DAVIES, "Master of the King’s Musick," has been having more or less distant contacts with royalty for over half a century. At 12 he was a choir boy for Queen Victoria in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, and as far back as 1882 was head boy soloist there. Later he was organist in some famous churches, won a scholarship for composition at the Royal College of Music and received his doctorate of music at Cambridge in 1894. "Everyman," his most famous work, was produced in 1904. During the World War he organised music for soldiers, and im 1917 was made musical director of the Royal Air Force with the rank of major. N.Z. CLAIMS HIM. AUTHOUGH he was really born in "Melbourne, New Zealand likes to claim Dr. J. B. Condliffe as her own. He came across to the Dominion with his parents at an early age and was educated at the West Christchurch Dis_trict High School and Canterbury College, graduating M.A. at the latter institution. At the close of the war. he became a N.Z.E.F. Scholar and a Sir Thomas Gresham Research Student, studying at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. For six years he was pro-.. fessor of economics at Canterbury College, and later research secretary for the Institute of Pacific Relations at Honolulu. Dr. Condliffe is now attached to the Economic Secretariat of the League of Nations at Geneva, his chief task being the compilation of the annual world economic survey. WALKS AND ACTS WWIS CASSON is a man of many parts. He is not only a superb stage actor, but he has played in many English films and made numerous radio appearances. When he was in New Zealand last year with his famous wife. Sybil Thorndike, he enchanted play-’ goers with his perfect diction and stage deportment. But in private life Mr. Casson is a man of simple tastes. He likes reading, and he is fond of walking, When he was playing in Christchurch he was a frequent passenger on the Cashmere Hills trams From the terminus he would walh with his wife and son, Christopher, to

the Sign of the Kiwi, and there were nof many people who recognised the trio in heavy shoes and dusty tweeds us Rngland’s famous artists,

MABEL MEETS MICHAEL. N the autumn of 1925, two people snatching a few minutes’ break in intervals of a stage play rehearsal, met in a tea shop. One was a newcomer to radio who had developed a flair for writing cockney monologues-the result of first-hand knowledge in slum welfare work. The other was Michael Hogan, actor and author, also new to radio. "How about joining forces for the microphone and writing our own material? And let it be comedy. Radio humour is rare. Let’s create a living family of real people-people the listener can be made to believe are real." So Father Buggins and Bert Buggins, grandma and the rest, came into being. Michael Hogan brought along the male bad temper and stupidity to harass the

ever-worried Mrs. Buggins. And that’s how the diminutive Mabel Constanduros, creator of the most famous family in radio vaudeville, met Michael Hogan, radio actor. BARRYMORE PROFILE OHN BARRYMORE’S profile has become something of a traditionor a joke if you may prefer it-in America, The Barrymores, TIJuionel, Ethel and John, are regarded as the Royal Family of the stage in the United States, and, while Lionel and Dthel are somewhat indifferent about their looks, John has been careful to preserve his reputation for handsomeness, New Zealanders know him less for his readings.of Shakespeare than for his talking picture appearance. one of the cleverest and most satirical of his screen appearances being in a film that was a sad "flop" in the Dominion"Twentieth Century." It ran for three days at the Regent Theatre, Wellington, and was withdrawn

DOCTOR-ACTOR | NE of the mainstays of the Canterbury Repertory Theatre is Dr. Robinson FH. Hall, popular. Christchurch doctor: and actor of no small ability. Acting is -probably in Dr. Hall’s blood-his brother is Winter Hall, well-known in American films, ‘and his sister is Miss Maynard Hall, ( "Aunt Pat’ of 3YA. Dr. Hall has played many parts for the southern repertory society and has lent valuable assistance on the committee and behind the scenes. In fact, he has just enjoyed a-season in the society’s tatest production-St. John Ervine’s "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary." Dr. Hall’s wife is also a keen repertory worker, and is, at the present time, wardrobe mistress in Christchurch, DICKEN’S "MISSIONARY." (Q)RIGINALLY intended for the calling of a: missionary, Bransby Williams, actor and best character impersonator of the British stage (born at Hackney, August 14, 1870), abandoned a clerkship in-a tea-warehouse for the stage, which he has adorned for many years. He was not always a Dickensian actor. Time was when he gave imitations of famous actors in favourite roles, such as Irving as Mat. thias and Charles Wyncham as David Garrick. This was just before the turn of the century. In Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee year (1897) Mr. Williamg started on his career as another kind of missionary-that of preaching the gospel of clean ’~ Dickens humour und pathos in impersonating many of that author's most: famous characters Since then he has worked on the legitimate stage, including Hamlet among his parts. ST. HILDA’S CHIEF. (THE story of the inception of St. Hilda’s Band is less romantic than its astonishing run of good fortune under the bandmastership of James Oliver, its "chief." This "hefty" Geordie is one of the best-known band teachers in the North of England, and f his splendid achievements with the Ielling Band alone would remain a lasting monument in the history of the brass band contesting movement in theNorth of England. His services are in

great demand throughout the United Kingdom in the capacity of adjudicator. In 1906 the South. Shields Borongh Band, a modest enough organisation,

was taken over by the officials and men of St. Hilda Lodge of the Durham Miners’ Association, and from that day -~and especially since 1911, when Mv. Oliver took charge-the band has enjoyed one success after another. MENGELBERG. NDOUBTEDLY one of the outstanding conductors of modern time-Willem Mengelberg is a,musician of whom Holland is mighty proud. His finest work with his orchestra, th: Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, is ‘both seen and felt at rehearsal. Besides seeking perfect orchestral balance, he seeks first and foremost the fine phrase and clarity of texture. He regards the instruments as a vast choir, whose members individually must. sing either soli or in chorus; and he demands singing-of the finest quality, instancing the Italians, with the finest nuances and breath marks. He does not tell the orchestra to do something: he just sings himself to indicate nuance and phrasing. Despite his sixty-three years, this little red-headed Dutchman still sings his way from one success to another. G.O.M. OF MUSIC. WELLINGTON’S Grand Old Man of music is Mr. Robert -Parker, C.M,G., who will be ‘heard during the Christmas season in a broadcast lecturette from 2YA, Mr. Parker is organist and choir-master at St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral in the Capital, and has done much to further the cause. of music in New Zealand. Born in London 87 years ago, Mr. Parker studied under such eminent organ masters as Dr. W. 8. Hoyte, Scotson Clark, Herr Lehmayer, Hmil Behnke and Dr. ©. W. Pearce. He came to New Zealand when he was 22 and was organist at St. John’s Church. Latimer Sauare,

Christchurch, and St. Michael’s Church, Oxford Terrace, Christchurch. In 1878 he came to St. Paul’s in Wellington, where he has remained ever since, HUNGARIAN PRODIGY IKE Heifetz and Menuhin, Eugene Ormandy (born in Hungary) entered upon the musical stage as a violin prodigy. At the age of five and a half years he was the — youngest student at the Royal State Academy of Music, and nine years later received a B.A. degree from that institution, and two years after a State diploma for violin playing. After an. adolescenve

spent in Europe on tour to the acclaim of mus.c-lovers, he became head of master classes at the Conservatoriut of Music, Btidapest. at the age of 20. soon after his arrival in America in 1921 he made his name there, ani later substituted for Toscanini as couductor of the New York Philharmonic awnd Philadelphix Orchestras. Since 1981 he has conducted the Minneapo! s Symphony Orchestra, sueceeding Verbrugghen. WEIGHED 20 STONE! PAvL WHITEMAN is a man. who hag attuned his life to the moot of the moment. When the post-war world was going mad, Whiteman made

mad music; to-day, when we are sober and wiser, he has forsaken the hurlyburly. of: jazz for the lighter classics. Paul Whiteman is probably the most ‘amous orchestra conductor in the world. His bulky form (he once weighod nearly 20 stone. but he has reduce! itely), has been caricatured in almost "very paper in the world, and his re "ording of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" (a composer’s answer to the statement that jazz wasn’t music) has heen played from every broadcasting station that is worthy of the name, Picturegoers in New Zealand will re member Whiteman's 2 epearance in the super-film, "The King Of Jazz." : SHARPE’S N.Z, MOTHER HE son of a professor at the Roya, College of Music, the eminent cellist, Cedric Sharpe, had a New Zeuland mother. .Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe senior met at the National Trainme School of Music. and later Cedric was destined to meet his wife at the Royznl College of Music in the same way Mrs senior, came of Yor kshire stock, but was a New Zealander by birth. This lady’s grandfather was the first setter in the young colony after the missionaries. Born into a world of music Cedric Sharpe began work at a tender age on a tiny ’cello, little bigger than a viola. Sharpe has had. a .ehair in every orchestra of any consequence in London. His early days were by no means devoid of those most embarrassing incidents due to’ being hard up. Then, in circumstances which shoud belong rather to fiction than ts fact, he acquired a wealthy pupil who Was extremely kind. Since his: first ‘public recital in 1912 he has not looked back.

PACKS HIS OWN ‘‘TRAPS." WHERE Percy Grainger himself takes part in performances of his compositions with orchestra (and often his wife, Elsa Strom Grainger does il-so-she plays bells and marimbas) he finds difficulty sometimes in getting the extra "traps" his score calls for, transported from one place to another in time for performances, When, for 1stance, as often happeus, performances come at distant places on consecutive days, be cannot trust his extra "traps" to express companies or the care of a baggage man, because, of course, tne performance would be ruined, if not made altogether impossible by the’ absence of these necessary instruments. Now he has invented a method of packing and carrying them himself. . SSS el LT