PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

Radio Record, 17 June 1938, Page 16

PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

HOUGH her actual birthplace was Waihi, it was in Auckland where the art ot Ida Lockwood, violinist. dey eloped and matured, under the able tuition of Colin Muston. Edith Whitelaw and Harold Baxter. In the early stages of her career she did well in the various musical competitions and eventually reached professional status. Her seryices were utilised over a period at the fashionable J.C.L. Tearooms, and by way of variety she made periodic tours of the Dominion in the orchestra of J. G. Williamson’s companies. Her sympathies being generous, organisers of charity concerts had cause to be grateful to her on the many times she freely gave her services to worthy eauses. Miss Lockwood recently made her home in Wellington. Listeners to 2YA will hear Ida Lockwood, violinist. on ‘Thursday. June 23. .

STILL SAMUEL MANAGED TO SMILE

A. Well-known American eoneert ugent told the late Hi old Samuel. . that

his public liked its artists to keep smiling. Mr. Samuel, never «a mis. anthropic-looking individual, -apparently managed not to disappoint his American friends in that respect. Some'admirers expressed their appreciation personally as the following story shows. After the pianist had played one of Bach’s most magnificent fugucs. a lady congratulated him becomingly. "Thank you so much, Mr. Samuel," she said, "we did enjoy your playing so much. "That last fugue was just dinky." Harold Samuel, pianist, will be heard at 3YA on Monday, June 20.

MADE FORTUNE OF PORTUGAL

A great sew cvaplain und his crew knelt beside the bauks of the Tagus on July

9. 1497-St. Maria de Belem, in LisLon, Low marks the spot-and then set suil on the voyage which was to show us moderns the sea route to India, and to make the fortune of Portugal. Vasco da Gama, however, was by no means the first man to round the Cape of (rood Hope. About 600 B.C. Phoeni ejan sailors-the same wonderful breed Who brought news of Britain’s rugge:l islands and savage veople to the cultivated princes of the Leyant-had sailed round from the Red Sea, at the bidding of Neco, King of Ugypt. Keeping the coast of Africa in sight all the time, they voyaged for three years till --as he conjectured they might-they found their way, through tlre Straits of Gibraltar, back te Kgypt again. At SYA on Wednesday, June 22, in the education session, Mr. ¥'. C. Brew, M.A., gives a talk on Vaseo da Gama.

THE PRINCESS AND THE VIOLIN

While playing at Monte Carlo. the father of Mantoyani, the famous

Venetinun orchestral leader and yiolinist, had among his audience a Russian princess. Mythical as this story may souud, this royal personage lad Mantovani senior brought to her, and frankly remarked that she did not like the tone of the instrument on which he played. She presented him with a most

beautiful fiddle, which awakened the curiosity of Mantovani, junior, why openly coveted the instrument. Father agreed to give him the fiddle "when he could do justice to it.’ This set young Mantovani studying. hard, and wheu, in due course, he was able to play two yery difficult and intricate concertos, he became the proud possessor of ua rare yiolin. ‘On Tuesday, June 21, Mantovani and liis Orchestra wil be heard from 1Y.A.

PRODIGY TRUNDLED HOOP IN HYDE PARK

When an eleven year-old — yiolinist, Franz yon Yeesey. burst. on Loudon in

1904 le created a furore. Queen Alexandra made his acquaintance, and, he grew to like that gentle lady so much that he called her ‘"Tanute Konigen,’ while she called bim "Du," Germau pronomial form reserved for personal friends. ‘The boy had a healthy appeite, was full of fun, and was always ready for a game. One day at the hotel be went round the corridor in whieh his bedroom was placed, and cturefully mixed up the. boots placed outside the doors, putting ladies’ boots where gentlemeu’s bouts were. liyde Park was his favourite resort, und after a matinee recital le would run off there to trundle Ris hoop. IT 1435, this Hungarian vivlinist-composey ‘lied in Rome, aged 42. Recorded music by Von Veesey, violinist, will be heard from 2¥YA on Sunday, June 19.

MUSICIAN OF INFINITE RESOURCE

The memory an'l vapacity of the great organist, G. D. Cunningham, ex-

teuds beyond his chosen instrument tu piano musie and the orchestra. Once the blowing mechanism of the Birming: ham organ failed just after the star: oy a recital. A piano kappened to be on the town hall platform. Mr. Cun tiingham did not want his audience to be among those who are sent empty uway, and he therefore gave them, on the instant and without copy, an excellent Chopin recital. Listeners to 2YA will hear G. D. Cunningham, organist, on Sunday afternoon, June 19.

"THE WHITE ANGEL" OF THE CRIMEA

Wken Florenes Nightingale Webt out to the Crimea there was no nurs:

ing there at all. wnglish wounded suffered unspeakable misery and died like flies-forty-two per cent. 4 month. When she took charge of the 10,000 sick and wounded, the death rate soon eame down to two per cent., and war had lost some of its gruesome horrors, A grateful uation subscribed £50,000, which she declined to sceept for herself, but devoted to founding the honmw for nurses which still bears her name. "An example to our sex," Queen’ Vic-

Once Pianist To Pavlova

NEW ZEALAND does not boast inany musicians whu studied under the great Italian pianist composer, Ferruccio Busoni. A new arrival, Mr. \WV. Dear-den-Jackson, not only enjoys this distinction, but has the privilege of attaching tu his name an impressive array of letters denoting British academic distinctions, What is more to the poiut, he plays three different instruments --piano, violoncello and bassoon. He is an experienced conductor and adjudicator, and was once Pavlova’s pianist. Listeners to 2YA will taste hig versatility and quality, first, as solo pianist in the relay of the Wellington Warmonie Society’s concert on Tuesday, June 21; and, secondly, as bassoon recitalist in a studio appeurance on Thursday, June 23.

toria aptly remarked, when she hunded Miss Nightingale a beautiful red cross surmounted by a crown with "Y.R.’ on it. "Florence Nightingale" ("The White Angel’), a radio adaptation of the Warner Bros. screen play, will be heard from 4YA on Monday, June 20.

LIFE HISTORY OF TWO LESLIES

Of the Two Leslies Sarony went from soldiering to songs: Holmes from bis-

euits to broadcasting. Sarony was invalided to Malta during the war, and his first songs were composed for hospital concerts. He had no idea that. one day te would write winners like, "Tl Say Tweet-tweet." Holmes "trav.elled" in biscuits after working on a farm and playing the piano in a cinema, He was to become Heury Hall’s drummer at the Gleneagles Hotel, and, later. te discover that he had a voice. In 2YA’s musie, mirth and melody session on Thursday. June 23, listeners will hear "The Two Leslies."

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA SUMS UP HOMER

After four yeurs’ long wrestling with the Odyssey, T. Ii.

Shaw (alias Lawrence of Arabia) added a "translator’s note" to his first-class translation in prose of "The Odyssey of Homer": "I found Homer a book-worm, no longer young, living from home, a mainlander. city-bred and domestic. Married. but not exclusively, a dog-lover, often kungry and thirsty, dark-haired. Fon of poetry, a great if uncritical reader, with limited sensuous range, but an exact eyesight which gave him all his pictures. A lover of bric-a-brac, though as muddled an antiquary as Sir Walter

Scott. He loved the rural seene as only a citizen can; no farmer, he had lenrned the points of a good olive tree, He is all adrift when it comes to fighting and had not seen deaths in battle, Fie had sailed upon and watched the sea with a palpitant concern, seafaring not being his trade. As a minor sportsman he had seen wild boars at bay and heard tall yarns of lions," Professor T. 1), Adams reads from Itomer’s "Wiad" (Book 1) at 4YA om Kriday, Juno 24.

IN THE PROVINCES THEY ARE MUSICAL

Sir Adrian Boult. BBC Director of Music, said re cently to a press-

man: "If you like te look upon London us the most unmusical place in England, then I am prepared to admit it, because the concert-going public in London consists of only a few thousand people. Yet look at the Proms-~ masses of people, youngish people, standing night after night, brought there largely by curicsity to see what they have already heard-a curiosity aroused purely by broadcasting. In the provinces, we are as musical as any uation in the world. When you tell foreigners about the countless country choirs that can give a perfectly good account of a Bach cantata or the Brahms Requiem, they are either amused or politely incredulous." On Wednesday, June 22, listeners to 38YA will hear Sir Adrian Boult and the BBO Symphony Orchestra,

ARMY ART

MASTER TURNS ORGANIST

it is no small"

advantage to Hd ward O’Henry, einem organist,

that he is a trained colourist. He cer: tainly puts colour into his music. This former student of Worthing Art School-who subsequently became artmaster to the British Army of Occupation in Cologne-is an amateur painter of ability. He has tried his hand at @ good many other things in his time: at accountancy and pathology, while as a prisoner of war in Germany, he was a laundryman. But though he still insists that he would have devoted hinmself to medicine had funds permitted, O‘Henry must always have suspected that music was his true forte. Listeners to 1YA’s dinner music session om Wednesday, June 22, will hear Kdward O’Henry, in organ music.

JESSIE ACTS BECAUSE SHE MUST

Everyone: by now must have heard the advice of the lady in Noel Cow-

urd’s lyric who sings, "Don’t Put Your . Daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington." It is sound advice to-day. Ne. post on the stage is permanent-with the exception perhups of a producer or stage manager-and not often then. The aspiring actor or actress must be prepared to be constantly on the move. You make friends but have to ‘leave them-or they leave you. It may be considered good fun to be constantly meeting new people when you are young, but as the years roll by you find

that you are getting older aud kave nothing secure around you. But among stage aspirants there are always those rare spirits who simply must actJessie Matthews was one of these-and by sheer: strength of personality rose. from the chorus to stardom. Listeners to 2WA will hear Jessie Matthews, comedienne, on Saturday, June 25.

DrNrE Thirteen Luckv For Flagstad 31832 Dl SCao

URN in Oslo, Norway, Kirsten Flagstad had an orclestral conduetor for her father, and a pianist and opera coach for her mother. ‘She began piano study early and ut ten (and entirely on her own) she learnt the whole of the role of Hlsa from "Lohengrin," afterwards adding that of "Aida" to her repertoire. At her confirmation party she sang urias from these operas, and a farseeing friend urged that the child should have proper training. After some preliminary lessons in placement of the voice, she started at sixteen to study seriously. When Kirsten was nearly eighteen she learnt tke part of Nuri in d’Albert’s "TNiefland," was given an audition, and, as candidate No. 18, was given the part. That was her start at the Osle Opera. On Sunday afternoon. June 19, Kirsten Flagstad. soprano, will be heard by 1YA listeners.