PERSONALITIES of the week

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 32, 15 February 1935, Page 8

PERSONALITIES

of the week

KNOWN IN N.Z. ORN in Bendigo, Pauline Bindley: eoloratura and lyric soprano, was first taught by her father, the late Alan Bindley, the well-known tenor and singing master. She started well by winning the champion aggregate of Australia (vocal) at South Street, Ballarat. She appeared with J. C. Willidmson, Ltd., frequently, later touring the Commonwealth, New Zealand and the Far Bast with Paul Dufault, the popular French-Canadian tenor. Going to Burope, she had further study with Weingartner, Bthel Attwood, Spencer Clay and Julian Kimball. Five years with the Carl Rosa Opera Company, and a year with the B.B.C, and the Dublin Broadcasting Company, she returned home in 1931 owing to her father’s failing health. She is conductor in Melbourne of the Sieglinde Choir. ANONA WINN SLIMS ve feet one in height, and fat, was the predicament Anona Winn faced once upon a time, so she devised her own diet, with desired benefit. She never touches bread or drink with her

meals-but she drinks a great deal of milk between. Instead of breakfast she drinks a glass of orange juice and she

has a salad to eat every day. Whatever kind of mett she has to eat she always orders a salad afterwardsusually a lettuce and two tomatoes. Otherwise, she eats heartily and has more or less anything she wants. She does three exercises in the early morning — toetouching, backbending, and high kicks-for abo ut five or six minutes. Apart from this she is not able to obtain very much exercise -other than hurrying about to keep all her appointments.

LUCKY OSSIP OMPOSER, virtuoso, and orehesiral conductor, the name of -Ossip Gabrilowitsch ig one of the most significant in contemporary music. He ig of Russian birth, and he studied with Liadow, Glazounow, Leschetitzky and Navrate, all of them geniuses. He was indeed lucky to come under ‘the influence of four such giants in music, After making his debut in Berlin in 1896, he started a prosperous and successful career. He was, a few years ago, appointed conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His records with this organisation and as pianist in quintets with the Flozaley Quartet, represent varying aspects of his versatile art. He is married to Clara Clemens, daughter of the Ameriean humourist, Mark Twain-lucky Ossip ! TAP-ROOM FAVOURITE TN his father’s public-house, in_ the atmosphere of tinkling tankards. sawdusted boards, and healthy recreation, little Jack Hylton made his first modest appearances as pianist, singer and clog dance. The dance-band king to be was in his tender youth a taproom favourite. In this way he went through the mill of experience. There were carded out of his make-up the shoddy strands of shyness, stiffness. and self-consciousness, each of which is well able to mar the showman’s finished product, It was a useful apprenticeship, At thirteen the fledgling made his first flight into the professional arena. He found himself pilled as a "Boy Vocalist from Lancashire."

This was at Rhyl in a pierrot concert _. party on the pier-this was J ack’s first x step on to the ladder of fame. ISOLDE SPEAKING "T WAS born at Hove, near Brighton," says Isolde Menges, the famous violinist, "and the priucipal part of my musical education’was taken: at Brighton under my father’s tuition. My father had a large musical school in Brighton, and he and my mother both gave. instruction. He being a compatriot of Wagner, was naturally an ardent admirer of the great creative composer who made Bayreuth the scene of his principal triumphs. . In compliment to his ‘action drama.’ ‘Tyistan and Isolde,’ I was christened Isolde, quite an unusual name among English people, but I.am quite English as is my mother also." At 16 Isolde went to St. Petersburg as a pupil of that wizard among violin teachers, Leb; pold Auer-in 1913 she made debut in: London-a prelude to a re! markable career, ! ORGANIST TRIO ESSH CRAWFORD was brought up in an orphanage in Woodland, California, U.S.A., where he learned to play the piano at ten, He left this place when still, in his ’teens, worked his way north until he reached a place — called Spokane, where he was engaged at a salary of a pound :a- week for playing in the picture thea-

tre. After leaving Spokane he went to Chicago, Where he first came into prominence as a big theatre organist, he having been taught his favour- « ite instrument by& Arthur .D, Scammell. In Chicago he met Mrs. Crawford, who was organist in a riyal theatre, and married her, Both are now heard play-

ing at the turn console of the Paramount Theatre, New York. At their home is a miniature console, where little Miss Crawford received her first instruction. , "UMBLE ’ORACE HORACH KENNEY, comedian, excels in the portrayal of downtrodden little ‘men such as the her of his famous sketch,:"A Music Hal). Trial Turn." When he left school, his father, who was in Sir Henry. Irving’s company, put him into a stockbroker’s office. Theatrical blood. will out, and within a year Horace had become

Bert Coote’s office boy. His first part Was in a show called "Repairs" (salary twenty-six: shillings a week). Later he appeared in "Beauty and the Barge," "The Bad Girl of the Family," "The Whip," and "A Member of Tattersalls." When on tour with the lust-named, the company in the absence of real race-horses, used others, fastening false tails to them. Once in the big scene in which the winner was led on, his tail dropped off in the middle of the stage. SEVEN-FOOT BANJO MONG popular recorded orchestras yanks that known as "Troise and the Mandoliers." The sixteen mandoliers use mandolins to correspond with

the ordinary groups in a string otches-tra-first and second mandolins (first

and second violins), tenor-mandola (viola), mando-’cello (cello), and man-

do-bass (contra-bass). Guitars are added.as a "rhythm section." This orchestra also appears as ‘"‘Troise and his Banjoliers,"’ with members of the banjo fam-ily-banjolin, viola-banjo (banjola), ‘cello banjo and bass banjo, with the tenor banjo and the "G" banjo, popular dance band instruments, to maintain the rythm, ‘The bass banjo stands seven feet high; it was originally fourteen, but transport proving difficult, it was cut down to a half,