Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3429497

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MUSICAL ECHOES.

MACKENZIE'S "Columba" has been per-   formed with great success in Hamburg. the   composer was prevented from being present owing to his being busily engaged in the com- position of an oratorio, to be entitled "The Rose of Sharon," for the twenty first Triennial Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival.  

Dr Spark, who has been organist of St. George's, Leeds, for over thirty-four years, has   resigned, the reason being the removal of the organ to the east end. The choir had been moved forward some time before, but the doctor with his old notions couldn't stand the organ going after them. The spark must have speedily become a flame. He was true to his nature. He believes in a gallery - not a ground floor. They might have guessed this, as sparks always fly upwards.

Anton Dvorak has been secured to conduct his "Stabat Mater,' a work attracting con- siderable attraction in England. I understand   that Messrs. Novello have strongly recom- mended our Musical Union to perform it. It is down for the next Worcester Three Choirs   Festival, and also for the Birmingham Festival.  

At the Worcester, Gonoud's "Redemption" will be given in the cathedral, with full band and chorus, also Cherubini's Mass in D minor, Bach's Cantata for Pentecost, Spohr's "Christian's Prayer," Mozart's motet "Glory, honour," Schubert's "Song of Miriam," the first part of "St. Paul," and the evergreen and welcome " Messiah " What a musical

feast!

The Carl Rosa Company are advertised to produce Stanford's new opera, "The Canter- bury Pilgrims," also Mackenzie's "Colomba" and Goring Thomas's "Esmeralda."    

That the Scotch havo overcome their long grounded antipathy to the " lust o'whustlea" is evident from the fact that a fine oigan, built by Messrs Willis, of London, has been erected in the public hall of the small city of Stirling, at a cost of £2J0O

"Musicus' diaeouiseth thusly -"In the orchestra of tho Sacred Harmonic Society forty years ago, Mr Linley and his violoncello stood out very prominently, and if tho old man was a tillie, vain he had some excuse, for ina playing was exquisite and the audicncea were always enthusiastic about it He did take liberties, though In certain solos to which he /layed the accompaniment he would keep cv ei) body waiting while be executed a little vauation of his own composing Coat» used to stand in his box, asortof pitying smile on his countenance, but though he would much have liked, no doubt, to have suppressed the inter polation he was too good natured and had too much respect for the artist to hurt his feelings

At a full rehearsal once, however, he begf,cd of Mi Linley to play an accompaniment softer, when the old man iemonstrated 'If I play more softly I shall not hoar myself lo winch Costa rejoined 'Ido not want you to hear yourself ' Our principal singers for many years, with little variation, were Miss Birch, Miss Dolby, Sims Reevca, and Phillipa with occasionally Hobbs as tenor and Lefilei as bass Misa Birch had a very good soprano voice, but she waa hardly a great singer Miss Dolbys was a fine deep contralto, but she was lamentably deficient m animation Phillipa s voiec was rather a baritone than a bass, though he always took bass parts and sang them lery well Hobbs sang with great taste, but his voice was scarcely powerful enough for so Urge a room as Exeter Hall Loftier s was was a real bass voice, and he knew how to use it His singing of ' lhc trumpet shall sounel' was grand, and to hoar bim and Phillipa rend« 'The Lord is a man of war' was a nch treat Had he been a steady man he misfit have made a foi tune, but unfortunately he was not to be depended upon to keep an engage ment when he had made one Once only did I heal Bl aham sing, he was before my tuno It was m the ' Messiah,' about 1S44,1 think His Comfoit ye' was a melancholy pcifoimancc , I novel hoare! it sung so wictchedly 01 in such bad taste He must have had a fine voicoonce

01 ho could nevei have earned the reputation of a great tenoi, but that ho could ox cr hav e been an) thing but a veiy vulgai singei I cannot behove The shouting out ceitain notes foi the sole put pose of displaying a singei'ax oico without icgaid to tho words to which those notes aie sot is, to my mind, the veiy summit of xulgai lty in a singei Perhaps I may appio pi lately notice hore a pcifoimancc of 'Llijah' in which, though not nominally by the society, the whole choutsand band of the Saoied liai

momo Society took pait It was a bonefit in aid of the funelsof a musical chant), and all the puncipals "we then services Hie con ductoi was Mi (now Sn Julius) Benedict My i eason foi mentioning it is because Jenny Lind voluntceietl foi the sopiano pait, und her elemcanoui at the full i cheal sal that was held was a beautiful sight If she had been a young lady taking a singing lesson she could not bax e shown moie icspcet and tief ci once to bei mastei than she diel to tho coiuluctoi, between whom and the scoi c her attention xvas about equally

divided "

A sacied conceit, with sacred diamatic recitals, xvas gix cn on Good Pi ulay night at the flieatic Rojal, Melbourne Hie íecitx tions weie by Miss Nellie Veitch, whoso niiuvellous pow ei (I am uifoimed by one of the audience) holet hot listenei s-as by magic chai m -bieatblcbs and spell bound The subjects solected xveic-" riioCiueihction of oui Loid," "lho Piodigal Son,' "St Paul's Speech to lung Agupija, 'and Pope's " Dying Clnistiaii

to his Soul lho musical selections included excelpts fiom "Elijah," Rossini's "Stabat Mutet," and other appiopnatc woiks lho lecital xvas under the m vnagement of Mi K S. Smythe, and Mr. J. Summers was con-

ductor.

A writer in Belgravia gives us some idea of the fees demanded by musical artists. I have always been taught to believe that the lawyers   excelled in these pleasant little extortions, but am quite resigned to the interesting discovery       that musicians are emulating the exploits of the knights of the parchment in the field of the cloth   of gold. He writes - "I notice that artists' fees in 1829 at private concerts were rather more moderate than they have since become. De Beriot took £5, Moscheles gave Mori £7. A leading violinist will now take from £10 to £20, and Sarasate lately would not play under £50. Piatti at one time took £30. Moscheles himself, who played in addition to engaging the artists, took £40 for two concerts at the Rothschilds'. Pisaroni sang in private for £20 a night. Mme Stockhausen received £35 for two nights. At this time Liszt was making £500 a month by his public performances, and Paganini refused £100 to play at Lablache's benefit. The great basso had to give him a third of the vvhole receipts ! In my time I know that Rubenstein has made £12,000 in ono year, in America, and refused a bribe of £15,000 for

nine months more "

An artist, w hcthor he bo legal or musical, is woith just as much as his abilities will fetch in the open market, so, no matter what the fee may be, it gauges pretty conclusively the worth of tho recipient Money is so useful that no wonder musicians follow Shakspeare's advice to "put money in thy purse" Poor Hcnr) Smart, xvhoso great saenhces in the cause of music conxertid him into the con ventional poor man, was offered a title or £100 per annum pension Ho chose the latter Dr millah, again, did the samo thing, andexen our deni old giant Beethoven, when the Prussian ambassador gave lum Ins choice of a cross of distinguished order or fifty ducats, the master was not long in deciding "Give me, he said, "the fifty ducats " - Euteupe, in

the Queenslander,

A French: Industrial Society recommends the abolition of circular saws, on the ground that they aro dangeious and wasteful

Titi. Grand Duke Alexis of Russia is ex pected to an ive m England in May, on a visit to his sister, tho Duchess of Edmburgh

A stjCCIMTt account of the recent mission of the Hon. W E Maxwell, Commission« of Lands, to tho West Coast of Acheen in H M S Pegasus, is published (says the Shaili,lanes of 20th Maich), giving particulars of the negotia tions and the demands of the Rajah of Tenom as a condition of giving up the captivo cievv of the Nisero, s The futile Dutch military ex pcdition to Tenom and tho destruction of the village on the coast has only had the effect of fuithci cxaspciatmg tho people, and thoy havo in consequence increased their demands, but ltisclcai that they will not bo satisfied with money compensition alone, but insist upon the opening of then poits and the rostoiation of free tiade on the coast as it existed before the wai Mi. Maxwell was accompanied b} Mr Khoo Tcan Poll, a Chinese trader of Penang, and a warm personal friend of the Rajah, and also by Tukn Git an Achínese related to one of the Rajah's principal adherents Both Air Maxwell and Ins companions wero received in aveiy friendly manuel by tho Achrnese, sup pires and provisions taken bv him wcio foi

wnded bj tito Achínese to tho captrves, and their icceipt by the unfortunate men acknow- ledged by letters dtil} dchv ercd, and on leav ing they vvci c accompanied to their boat by Tuku Imam Muda the Kaiah. who reduced his do mauds to wilting Mi Maxwell paid a faic well visit to the Governor of Acheen at Olchlch bcfoie leaving.

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