PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

Radio Record, 22 July 1938, Page 16

PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

ERFECT comrades in the fun racket, Haver and Lee tet each other under rather doubtful circumstances. Lee will have it that he rescued Haver from a watery grave. Haver has it he was looking for his gold watch, atid found the watch-with Lee. They are two of radio’s most successful funny men, and have never regretted their partnership, although their rehearsals are runoured to be a bit boisterous! In 2YA’s music, mirth and melody session, Haver and Lee (comiédiats) will be heard on Thursday, July 28.

A. E. HOUSMAN REGRETTED HIS POETRY.

A Professor of Latin at Cambridge University, and then the University

of London, gave us some of our best modern poems of the English countryside. For this reason A. E, Housman’s poetry has been extremely popular with composers. During his lifetime, requests from musicians for permission to set it to music were So hum#re ous that he used to say he wished he had uever written the poems. Favourite of all was "The Shropshire Lad," written in 1896, to find in 1909 at the hands of Vaughan Williams perhaps the most successful of all settings. Williams’ cycle "On Wenlock Hdge" consists of six of the songs, laid out

for tenor voice with accompaniment for pianoforte and string quartet. Tie eyclé was first sung by Gérvase wes, in London in 1909, These sorigs are as truly English in spirit as anything Vaughan Williams ever wrote. They make adroit use of some of the older

tiodal scales, just as matiy of the veal Drglish folk sotigs do. "On Wenlock Edge," a Shropshire song cycle (Vaughan Williams) will heard from on Friday, July 29. Soloist is Steuart Wilson (tenor).

CONDUCTORS I SHIRT SLEEVES.

Ways of conductors at rehearsals are interesting because

at rehearsals is done all the hard work of interpretation. Most conductors rehearse in shirt-sleeves, to give themselves greater freedom of movement. One of these is Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor, a man with very alert and decisive personality. In Bngland "Ansermet gives his commands in excellent English and does not waste a moment-just what one might expect of a man who was Professor of Mathematics at the Lausanne University before his musical gifts changed his career, Ernest Ansermet conducta the Decca String 0 Orchestra at 1YA on uly er

ENTERTAINS MUSICAL CELEBRITIES.

Most famous mu-. sical celebrities who have visited Wellington in the last

tew years have enjoyed the bospitallly of its citizens, but ag a "collector" of such notables Miss Marjorie Bennie must surely hold the record. An enthusiast of music, Miss Bennie naturally seeks the opportunity of entertaining its disciples, and on her recent trip to England she renewed many musicai friendships. In London she _ studied singing with Herr Graubaume, of the Royal College of Music, Charles. Kennedy Scott, Elena Gerhardt and Dale Smith, As she is a librarian by profession, shé also studied at the London University, and obtained her librarian's diploma of A.L.A. But she found time,

téo, to fulfil a number of professidnal engagements for aftérnoon receptions in and around London. 2YA listeners will hear Marjorie Bennié (soprano) in French and Italian songs on Thursday, July 28. _

Forefather Steals Composer’s Fame

LISTENERS who hear a familiar getting of "Passing By," which Alexander Kipnis sang recently in New Zéaland, usually assume it was written by the great English composer, Henry Purcell. Actually, the credit goes to BE. C. Purcell, a much less eminent descendant of the getiius, Of BH, ©, Purcell very little is known except this one song, deservedly populat for its simple, old-world ¢harm. Another setting of Robert Herfick’s lytic was published in 1607 by Thomas | Ford itt his "Musicke of Sundrie . Kindes,’ under the title, "There is a . Ladie Sweet and Kind.’ Yord’s setting was a four-part song, and has just the kind of lovely melody one associates with early Sttiart ‘times. Coipatiion song in Ford’s colléction i, "Since First I Saw Your Face." _ SYA listeners will be hearing G. A. (baritorie) sing "Passing By" on Friday, July 29. ea ee a sae aoe |

PLAYWRIGHT "HUMPED THE BLUEY."

The consistent excellence of Edmund Barclay’s

radio plays betray something of his background. Two years’ reporting on the MHnglish "Daily Mail," a nine months’ venture with his own weekly, "Brighter London," a crop of Sexton Blake stories, a brief excursion as dramatic eritic to the "Standard" (which cost the paper £2000 in a legal action)-- these adventures gave him a vague feeling of dissatissfaction with London. Coming to Australia in 1925 for a year he has remained there since, and in that vast land of opportunity has done everything from "writing ads" to "humping the bluey." As a radio playwright he has earned wide fame. 2YA listeners will hear the eighth episode of Edmund Barclay’s radio serial "Shanghai" on Wednesday, July 27.

DANCE MUSIC FOR AN ENGLISH DUKE,

Few dance band leaders have had as interesting a career

as Sydney Kyte. Four yeais at the Savoy, three years at the Berkeley, thence to Ciro’s, and to the Piccadilly, and, in addition, he has been for ten years musical director to the Duke of Westminster and has played at his Grand National parties at Baton Hall, Cheshire, since 1924, Kyte often says that when he stands in that lovely ballroom, almost as large as the restaurant at the Piceadilly, he finds it very hard to concentrate on dance music. He loves the enormous Italian mosaic fireplace, the windows looking on to the gardens and giving a view for miles, and old masters on the walls. Listeners to 1YA will hear Sydney Kyte and his Band on Saturday, duly 30.

FROM » FAMIL F VIOLIN MAKERS

The Swiss pianist, Hdwin "TYVischer, 7omes from a fam-

ily of violin makers. Born at Basle on October 6, 1886, he started to learn the violin and the piano under the Swiss composer, Hans Huber. In 1904, he went to Berlin and studied under Martin Kraus, onetime pupil of Liszt. From the beginning of his public career, he made a feature of conducting from the piano, thus reviving an earlier custom, For some years his absorbing hobby has been playing concertos of the classical School with his own Chamber Orchestra. At 2YA on Tuesday, July 26, Edwin Fischer and his Chamber Orchestra play Mozart’s Symphony in B Flat Major (i319). ’

A COAT BUTTON SAVED HANDEL‘S LIFE

A large coat button once saved George Frederick Wandeal

from an early and unpleasant death. In his youth he was called on to fight a duel and, not faring very well, was almost run through by his sword. He might have died had the large button on his coat not acted as a shield. So Handel survived and the world was the richer for his remarkable musical compositions. Even as a boy he was passionately fond of music, although his father did all he could to prevent his son "wasting time" over such matters. When his aunt bought him a claviechord, the lad smuggled it into the attic of his home and practised

secretly. ‘There was trouble when his father found him, but in the end Duke Johann Adolf, ‘ruler of the duchy in which the Handels lived, Iearnt of the boy’s talent and encouraged it, waiving his father’s opposition, "The Comedy Overture," by Handel, will be played by the 4YA Concert Orchestra during its recital, Thursday, duly 28.

PUPIL OF ARTHUR DE GREEF.

Not many New Zealand musicians can boast of tuition under Arthur ae

Greef, famous Belgian pianist. Madame Elsie Betts-Vincent, however, can. Born in London, she had training at the Royal Academy of Music, where for three years she was a suhb-professor and accompanist to the academy. choir and opera activities. She came to New © Zealand in 1924, when the late Sir Alexander Mackenzie selected her for

the post of musical directress of the Wanganui Girls’ College. Apart from. some yearg in Sydney, her time since has beén spent in Wanganui, and latterly in Wellington, where she now lives. She is no stranger to the microphone, and is heard oecasionally from the New Zealand Nationals. In Sydney she gave weekly talks on music from 2FC and 2BL. On Tuesday, July 26, at 2YA, Madame Betts-Vincent. will present an annotated piano recital of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works.

STANELLI AND STAG PARTY.

"There are occasions," wrote Stanelji ‘not long ago,

when men want to be on their own-when they want a nice ‘quiet’ little game of poker in preference to the conventionel mixed rubber of bridge-when they want to take off their jackets, smoke their foul pipes, throw their ash about, and put their feet on the mantel or whatever else happens to be handy. So whenever my good spouse, Frau, wife, or ball and chain, takes it into her head to go out visiting relatives (or even people she is friendly with), then you can be sure there will be a very jolly little stag party at 97, Devonshire Mews, South, W.1 (the Town residence of the Stanellis)." Featured in 3YA’s music, mirth and melody session on Friday, July 29, is "Stanelli’s Stag Party."

POET’S FRIEND LACKED GENEROSITY.

Before James Henry Leigh Hunt was 30, his writing in his

paper, "The Hxamjner," had won him three years’ imprisonment. Incorrigible where money was concerned, he would have been in Queer Street more often than he was had his poet friend Shelley not been so generous. Hunt showed no such generosity of spirit when, for no particular reason, he published his book on Byron. It had a good deal of truth in it-not always very palatable truth -but Hunt, after all, had been Byron’s guest. To-day, however, we forgive Leigh Hunt everything for the eight lines of his poem, "Jenny Kissed Me." For one reading at 4YA on Friday, July 29, Professor T. D. Adams has selected a topical subject. It is Leigh Hunt’s "Gn Getting Up on Cold MorniInmos ??

gE CONJURER WHO CAME IN WRONG DOOR.

One of Robb Wilton’s best stories concerns a mix-up at Leeds,

where the stage doors of the Hippodrome and the Theatre Royal open very close together. A conjurer at the Hippodrome was appearing in a trick in which he "vanished" and he Was supposed to reappear at the back of the pit. Running round to the "front of the house," however, he mistook the door, hurried into the Theatre Royal; and there, during 2 quiet passage of that heart-throbhing old favourite, "Hast Lynne," let off his revolver and nearly caused 2 panic. In the-meantime, the audience next door "demonstrated" against the unusual delay, and the stage manager had to rush on the next act. . By the time the conjurer had his error to the attendants at the Theatre Royal, the Hipprodrome audience was on its way home. Robb Wilton (comedian) © will be heard in 1YA’s music, mirth and me lody session on Friday, July 29.

Caruso Recognised "The ’All Mark"

GOME day perhaps, someone will explain an artistic phenomenon. During the years when England was known on the Continent as "Land Without Music" why did foreign artists flock in such numbers to London? Caruso once told a music-hall manager that the Metropolitan Opera House of New York paid him £900 a night (like Bernhardt, he always insisted on being paid nightly, no matter how long his engagement). The manager asked if that was also his price at Covent Garden. "No, no," he replied. "The salary was less than half that amount, but who would trouble about salary there? Coven’ Garden! The ’all mark!" Even Caruso appreciated that final seal of greatness. The mystery remains. Why should the "Land Without Music" have been the musicians’ Mecca? Caruso’s voice will be heard from 4YA on Sunday, July 24.