Eric Bell To Play His Sonata For Last Broadcast

Radio Record, 5 June 1936, Page 17

Eric Bell To Play His Sonata For Last Broadcast

Brilliant Young Pianist _ Bound for Australia HEN Eric Bell, the brilliant young Auckland pianist, plays, with Vincent Aspey, violinist, his own composition, "Sonata in E Minor, for Violin and Piano," in the studio of 1YA on Wednesday, June 10, it will be his last appearance before a New Zealand microphone. Auckland, and the Dominion, ; is to lose an outstanding pianist, for he-leaves for Australia on June 19 to seek a wider sphere for his musical activities. He imparted this news tod a "Radio Record" representative in an interview last week. "The sonata I have composed, I dedicated to my old. friend, Mr. Vincent Aspey, for we have played quite a lot together over a period of years," he said. "How long did it take me to write the sonata? Working in my spare time, I composed

it in three months. It is the first time I have ever composed anything of an instrumental nature, and it is the biggest work I have ever composed. My other compositions , have all been songs." The movements of the sonata are allegro con spirito, adagio sostenuto, and allegro moderato. Mr. Bell said he was grateful to the Royal Auckland Choir, which had encouraged his creative talent by including this sonata in its concert in the Auckland Town Hall on August 22 last year. On that occasion it was played-by Vincent Aspey and himself. The sonata is written in a straight-forward, romantic style, with no attempts at ultra-modern tonalities. It has a clear, melodious outline, with sufficient repetition of theme to make it attractive even on a first hearing. In writing about the presentation of the sonata at’ this concert, the "New Zealand Herald’ stated that the material used by Mr. Bell had feeling and spirit, and. that the sonata was no academic set of variations on a meagre subject. The musical critic of the "Auckland Star" described the playing of the sonata as "a well-balanced performance, with an opening movement of a vigorous allegro, followed by an impressive adagio showing considerable depth of feeling. The most attractive movement was, perhaps, the concluding allegro moderato, which demonstrated unmistakably that Mr.

Bell has a musicianly feeling, both for form and melodious expression." Born in Auckland, Mr: Bell studied the piano under a Well-known master, the late Mr. Cyril Towsey. "For some years he was studio- pianist and accompanist at 1YA, but left this position to go on an extended tour of New Zealand with Laszlo Schwartz, the Hungarian violinist, and Miss Dawn ‘Assheton, English coloratura soprano. © With them he made 53 public appearances in 1928..Speaking of his forthcoming visit to Australia, Mr. Bell said that he was leaving Auckland because he considered there were definitely better prospects in Australia. "You — ean-only get-a certain way in New Zealand," he added. "I hope eventually to go further abroad than Australia." Besides being a teacher of the pianoforte, Mr, Bell has been associated with all the principal musical bodies °. Auckland. For years he has been the official pianist of the Royal Auckland, Choir, the Auckland Bohemian Orchestra; and. the Auckland Savage Club. For the past four years he has been the pianist of the Milne and Choyce Tndor Trio, the other members being Miss Lalla Hemus, ’cellist, and Vincent Aspey, violinist.