PERSONALITIES of the week

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 44, 10 May 1935, Page 10

PERSONALITIES

of the week

"THAT OLD IDIOT!" FIMBALIST once played under Richter for the Halle Orchestra, at Manchester, When he stepped out before the audience, and was tuning his violin, the conductor leaned over and said: "Bow all you like after they applaud, but here at our symphony concerts soloists never give tips to the audience." Following the concert Zimbalist was standing in the artists’ room With Brodsky, the concert master.

When a middle aged lady approached him with "Bravo, very nice. You veally deserved an encore, but I suppose that old idiot" -pointing to Rich-ter-"wouldn’t let you play one." Zimbalist was terribly. embarrassed for fear the master might overhear the re-

mark. As the lady turned away Zimbalist inquired in a whisper of. Brodsky, "Who is she?’ "That’s Mrs. Richter’? was the reply. THE DIVINE SPARK (CHARLES B, COCHRAN, during au interview with Sarah Bernhardt, Was asked by her where was the successor of our Irving and our adorable Killen Terry. She spoke with affection ind admiration of the Guitrys; Lucien, she said, was the sole survivor of the steat actors of the past. She was also cnormously intérested in the progress vf Yvonne Printemps. Mr. Cochran said he thought the English actors were better than the actresses, and Bernhardt replied she believed that to be the case in France also. The divine spark in any age was rare, but if there was one woman in the world who possessed genius, she said, it was Raquel Meller. Bernhardt made an appearance With Raquel in Madrid, and she welcomed the visits of the Spanish actress up to her death. ‘PATHFINDERS L,Z0NARD HUXLEY became dangerously akin in a way to Mendelssohn, the composer’s father, who used to say he was only famous through being the son of a famous philosopher and the father of a musical genius. Leonard Huxley owed hig distinction, apart from his edotorship of "Cornhill Magazine," to the fact that he was the

sou of the great Professor Huxley, the famous scientist (who at 21 was asgsist-unt-surgeon to H.M.S. Victory), and the father of the brilliant author, Aldous Huxley, whose recent book, "Brave New World," made something like a sensation Many of Aldous Huxley’s books have attracted wide attention, and his play "The World of Light" first

shed its beams in 1931. Both Thomas and Aldous Huxley belong to the Pathfinders. GENEROUS GIGLI . Q)NE of Gigli’s hobbies is his custew _ of performing at summer charity ) concerts, which he gives every year in (taly. Any good cause has his support, and he will give his services tu .t without second thought. The little band in.Gigli’s native town is support-

ed by him because at one time in his youth he was a member of it. He owns abont 120,000 acres of iand in Italy. This land is divided into perhaps 30 estates, which are worked sby trusted "contadini" (peasants), On} it profit-sharing basis. The ‘profits are divided on a fifty-fifty basis between the singer and those settled on this land. All these estates are in Gigli’s own native part of Italy, which is known 2s Le Marche. With his "contadini,"’ Gigli is naturally most popular, CIVIL SERVANT AUTHOR "THAT famous author-critic, the late Sir Edmund Gogse, was but one among the literary men of England who relied’ more upon their salaries than upon the earnings by their pens for uleans of subsistence. To hear Sir .Edmund’s voice in his masterly recorded lecture on Thomas Hardy is to encounter a link with the past. Born in 1849, Sir Hdmund occupied many oflicial posts and wound up a brilliant ‘areer as literary critic in chief to the "Sunday Times" (London). Poet, litcrary historian, essayist, biographer, editor, Ibsen sponsor, lecturer and critic, Sir Edmund was ip succession. assistant librarian at the British Museum (1867), translator to the Board of Trade (1875), librarian to the lIouse of Lords (1904) and Clark Lecturer in English Literature,. Trinity College, Cambridge (1884). FILMS TO RADIO YAN PHILLIPS, whose All Star Orchestra made a sensation on the radio in England, tells the story of its beginnings. "I was once arranging and conducting music for films. at lilstree," he said. "The film company : had collected a marvellous orchestra absolutely the eream of af the famous bands and orchess tras in the West End, As’ the filming drew to a close, I began thinking what a pity

it was ‘that it would be disbanded, There were instrumentalists o£ the calibre of Leon ard Sidunie Goossens, Rudy Starita, David Wise, and Bill Shakespeure. all together in an orchestra that might never be heard again. One day I met Bric Maschwitz, B.B.C. director of variety. and within five minutes of earnest discussion the orchestra was ag good us booked for the first broadcast." BIRTH OF A SONG {tz was while Clara Butt was a student at the Royal College that she inet a fellow student, Samuel Liddle, Composition wag his subject, and a year or two later, the great contralto learned he was doing hack work-playing the piano for so much an hour. Knowing

him’ to be a sympathetic player, she asked him to become her accompanist. One day, he rose from the piano and said: "Miss Butt, I can feel your voice in my fingers." She believed him. but to make him take up his true work -composition-she replied laughingly. "T shall not believe that until you compose a song for me." Two days later he produced his great song, "Abide With Me," which for yearg hag given her wonderful opportunities. ----