THE SINGING BLACKSMITH

Radio Record, 24 June 1938, Page 10

THE SINGING BLACKSMITH

Auckland Relief Worker Whose Great Bass Voice Has Startled London’s Critics Special to the "Record"

by

WIRIHANA

E IVE years ago he was a blacksmith in Auckland-before that a relief worker on ‘Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Today his great bass voice has startled London. He is in the charge of Signor Albert Garcia and one of the most brilliant students at the Royal Trinity College of Music.

HIS is the story of the career of Franz Oscar Natzke, New _ Zealander. Among the critics his personality is arousing interest keener than that awakened by any other contem-

porary student. They expect him to bring fame to himself and to the country of his birth. All those who heard Natzke’s voice reproduced from two sample records played from IYA last Wednesday evening expect it, too. The discs were recorded specially by His Master’s Voice-the operatic aria, "l’Ebreo," in Italian, and "The Pilgrim’s Song" (Tschaikowsky) were sent frora London a few weeks ago by the company to his mother, Mrs. I’. BE. Natzke, and friends in Auckland. FRANZ OSCAR NATZKE was borne at Matapara, in the Waikato, 26 years ago. He was discovered by Mr. Anderson Tyrer, examiner for the Trinity College, a little more than four years ago, when Mr. Tyrer was on a Visit to Auckland. So impressed he was with Natzke’s voice that on the examiner’s recommendation Trinity College offered him free tuition for three years. A number of Auckland people combined to find the necessary money to provide for the singer’s passage to England and his keep during the period of his training. Upon his arrival at Trinity College, Natzke took lessous with Signor Garcia. Peter Dawson and other famous singers heard him, All agreed that Natzke had everything in his favour-voice, range and stage presence, and that, with proper tuition, he would become a world-famous singer. In February, 19387, two years after Natzke’s arrival in London, Sir Granville Bantock, leading musical authority in London wrote :- ""T think it only fair to Mr. Oscar Natzke to write. and tell you how much the audience and I enjoyed his singing at the vocal recital here this afternoon (at Trinity College) when he sang with fine vocal expression two exacting excerpts from my works. I consider him to be an exceptional singer of unusual promise and attainment, and I: feel confident that he will reap a rich reward and win a great success. Tie deserves every encouragement, and should be given the opportunity of aequiring a more extended experience. I have great faith in his future." JN November last it was reported from London that Natzke _had won a special prize for the best pupil in Trinity College, with 94 points out of .100-the highest number of points that has ever been attained in an examination con-

ducted by the college. Natzke had worked with tremendous vigour and had amply justified Mr. Tyrer’s recommendations. Soon, it is predicted, he will be allotted a_ place amone the stars of the first

magnitude. Great as his voice already is, the orbit of his power has yet to be seen. He is still young and still learning with astonishing industry and intelligence. Natzke has everything in his favour. He has height, good looks, physique. But even Natzke, the man of remarkable gifts, has not got where he is to-day without a struggle: against adversity and disappointments. He owes much to the great help given him by his mother. He spent the better part of his youth in the country. He used to talk of his job as a blacksmith and the days when he was a relief worker. Verhaps those days were excellent things. They were the rocks and boulders without which the progress of the stream would be so painfully uneventful. As yet he is unspoiled by success... He came to prominence with curious suddenness. General recognition suffers as a rule so many disappointments and inexplicable delays. But now even the world outside London is beginning to talk of Natzke as the great bass singer. HIE other afternoon I spent a couple of most interesting hours with Natzke’s mother, a white-haired lady who lives with her other two sons in a cottage,in Wellington Street, Auckland. With obvious pride she showed me letters from her son, telling of his studies and the great people he has met in London. She also showed me dozens of programmes in which Oscar was featured in recitals at Trinity College. I observed that he sang the most difficult of operatic arias. NS But Oscar says little about himself. He is still the same humble fellow he was before he went to the world’s greatest city. Mrs. Natzke described her son's schooling at Fairfield, near Hamilton. "We left the Waikato district. to take 1 private hotel at Ostend, Waiheke Island," said Mrs. Natzke. "There Oscar finished his schooling. When did he first start to sing? Oh, he used to sing when he was a baby. i always knew he had a voice. I knew,. because I understand music. I still play the violin, and for some years I Was a church organist." , Ose: AR’S father died in 1922, she suid. Osear weut to learn blacksmithing, Then the (Contd. on page 40.)

Singing Blacksmith JOB ON RELIEF WORK (Continued from page 10).

depression came and the Natzkes lost everything they had. After spending some time in Auckland they returned to live quietly on Waiheke Island, where young Natzke accepted a job on relief works, Mrs. Natzke was’ his first teacher. ‘Together they worked hard. Said Mrs, Natzke: "Realising that Oscar had an outstanding voice I wrote to Galli Curci and her husband, Homer Samuels, before their arrival in Auckland, and we were delighted when they gave Oscar an audition and much encouragement by telling him that if he got the proper musical training he would be ali right. After that John Brownlee and Mary Campbell heard him sing. Then Mr. Anderson Tyrer gave him an audition. ‘I’m sorry I did not hear him before, Mrs. Natzke,’ he told me. "He advised Oscar to nurse his voice until he (Mr, Tyrer) returned to New Zealand from England. To our joy, Mr, Tyrer communicated with us on his return six months later. Then Oscar one day received a cable from London containing an offer by Trinity College to give him free training for three years. Mr. Tyrer got a number of Auckland businessmen interested, and they provided the money to sénd him home and pay his expenses while in England and Vienna, At last our dream had come true! ° "Often Oscar and I went to picture theatres to hear great singers, When I would say to him, ‘Oscar, you’ll be a great singer some day,’ he used to Jaugh and reply, ‘Mother, that will never be. It is too much to hope for, " AND now Mrs. Natzke is waiting for the day when she will go to Engjand to see her son make his first public appearance in opera or on the concert platform, That may not be just yet awhile, for word was received in Auckland last week that the Trinity College authorities had granted him a further year’s free tuition-a most unusual thing for them to do. Then Natzke will gu to Milan for further training.