Practise Hard — But Don't Take Your Singing Too Seriously!

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 26, 4 January 1935, Page 12

Practise Hard — But Don't Take Your Singing Too Seriously!

Interviews with Madame Goossens-Viceroy and Raymond Beatty-Famous Singers in N.Z.

OOD diction is one of the most important factors in singing." says Madame Goos-sens-Viceroy, the famous Belgian dramatic soprano who is touring New Zealand at present, giving recitals from the national stations. "If people can’t understand what you are singing you may as well play a wind instrument. With many people it might be better," smiled Madame, during an interview with a "Radio Record" representative the other morning in one of the 2YA studios, where she had just finished rehearsing. "As far as interpretation goes, I always advise my pupils to sing their ‘songs as though they were reading them to the accompaniment of "music. A

singer can never go- wrong; interpreting songs that way." Madame went: on to say that she had come across many singers with bad control, which was a great pity. because as long as that fault. remained they would not be:good singers. "There is nothing more important than practise," contintied Madame. "Anyone‘who does not practise will degenerate very. quickly. I would not recommend anyone to practise technical work more than a quarter of.an hour at a time, but that could be repeated two or three times a day. : "Smoking ? Personally i do not think that is good for singing. "Yes, I have been to New Zealand before. After the war, when Mr. Tait brought me out from England to Australia for a-concert tour Verbrughen engaged me on the staff of the Sydney Conservatorium, where I am still teaching. About 14 or 15. years ago Verbrughen brought me over to; New Zealand on a concert tour. I think there are many good singers in ‘this country, but of course there are not so many opportunities for them as there ate.in Sydney and farther afield. "T like New Zealanders very much indeed, and the country is delightful, although I am uncomfortably hot at present. JI hoped to escape the summer heat, which is 0 fatiguing in Sydney, but . find it just as hot over nere !’ Madame Goossens-Viceroy has a daughter 18 years of age, who was born in Melbourne. She has a promising voice, which ‘Dr. Bainton, the well-known Sydney musician, whose work is familiar to listeners-in, admired at a.recent big recital-in Sydney. There is every-pos- ' sibility that this young girl is destined to follow in the footsteps of her famous mother who, when about the

age of her daughter, won a prize given by the Queen of Belgium. Mr. Raymond. Beatty, the wellknown Australian basso-cantante who is making a tour of, the national stations with Madame GoossensViceroy, is a good-natured, all-round sport. When asked over the phone, on a sweltering hot day, whether he felt in the mood to give a bright and sparkling message to’ "Radio Record" readers he said that he would do his best to oblige. This is what he says :- "T have been asked for something bright and sparkling, but if you could see just how dull and uninteresting I look you would -rea-. lise to the full what a hopeless chance vou have for somethine

really scintillating-and yet from another point of view I am fairly radiating to-day, having just come from a swim and sunbathe at Lyall Bay, and believe’ me, my nose is shining with a lustre which would shine to much better advantage on a door plate.. "Perhaps I should tell you a series of funny stories, but before I get carried away with the exuberance of my outstanding ability in this direction-ahem! det me tell you how I feel about my singing. I find it-the sing-ing-very delightful at times; at other times. rather -boring; sometimes a task; at other times a pleasure. At times I don’t feel like singing at all. At other times you just try and stop me, particularly when I’m getting a larger fee! "I would suggest from the matter of the last sentence that should you at any time find me singing badly, you should immediately come to. the conclusion that I~ am being underpaid. JI am sure that if I had your ‘undivided attention on the matter, backed by your most consistent efforts in the right direction, I would | in no time’ become a very rich man. _ "Christmas will be past ere you read this-hut, no matter, a prosperous New Year is what I’d like most and so I also wish you great success. But, of course, I am forgetting my subject; viz., my attitude towards my singing, and I really ‘think singing can be taken far too seriously, and. so I always adhere to that most stable of maxims, to wit, if anything interferes with the singing, give up the singing. I find this most satisfactory in that it allows me to have (Continued on page 47.),

: Don’t Take Your Singing Too Seriously (Continued from. page 12.) _

as. much food as I like on every and the slightest provocation; it allows me to swim and ‘play tennis to the point of exhaustion even on the day of a concert or broadcast, and to indulge my whims'-and fancies and exercise in the most extraordinary ways. I would not have you think for a moment, however, that singing is child’s playYll admit children do. sing, and even while -playing, and these two facts do incline towards the simplicity of sing-ing-but no, every singer has his or her difficulties and disappointments, trials and perplexities-we are abused, we are wrongly and cruelly criticised, we are often misnomered-if that is a word-even I have been billed as a ‘bass-soprano, and often have I heard tenors called other than they are, "Disappointment comes to us all, and at the most unexpected times and places. On one occasion, many years before I had decided on my ‘maxim on interference; referred to above, I stoutly refrained from having anything but two raw eggs.as my mezl before singing. You can imagine my horror on overhearing a dear old lady -who. had been told of my fad and had heard my concert saying that the young man may just as well have had a good dinner for all the enjoyment she got out of listening to him. In fact, this incident definitely decided the issue regarding the adoption or otherwise of the -said maxim. This endeavour to . sparkle is a tremendous tax on me, so goodness knows how you people are feeling-and you have my _ congratulations. should you read so far as this. Stories are flocking to my mind, but they must stand by till some future: date. "Cheerio and a prosper ous New Year to you all."-Raymond Beatty.