3/6 10/6 6 1. 1. 6/- 6/- 76 7/6 51- 5- 41- 7/6 7/6 12/6 6/- PP. 1946 bbb. THE B.M.S New Series No. 2 Bulletin THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY 295 REGENT STREET, LONDON, W.I EDITOR: MISS KATHARINE E. EGGAR SECRETARY B.M.S.: MISS EFFIE BOLTON, L.R.A.M. Summer, 1932 Special Features- Annual General Meeting Reception at Seaford House Inauguration of New Zealand Section The Claims of Romantic Music Robert H. Hull For the Honour of Music W. R. Anderson N.B. Summer Concert & Garden Party Saturday, 16th July Application Form Enclosed

VICTOR HELY-HUTCHINSON Alice Songs The Young Idea (CUM GRANO SALIS) An Album of Songs from Lewis Carroll's immortal Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra 1. JABBERWOCKY 2. FATHER WILLIAM 3. TWEEDLEDUM AND TWEEDLEDEE 4. HUMPTY DUMPTY 5. TO THE LOOKING GLASS WORLD Price complete 3/6 net MISS F. MENELLA DODGSON (niece of Lewis Carroll) writes: "We have already several books of 'Alice' songs, but there are none which have caught the spirit of Lewis Carroll more successfully than you have.' ELKIN & CO., LTD. William Walton A Masque for Dancing Piano arrangement (by Vally Lasker), with stage directions, synopsis, and a frontispiece 5s. Robin Milford A Prophet in the Land* Vocal score 4s. 6d. Choruses only 1s. 6d. A dramatic oratorio for S., T., Bar. Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra. First performed at the Three Choirs Festival, 1931 Liverpool Post (A.K.H.): "A work of real genius on a small scale" NOTE: In the annual review of the music of 1931 which appeared in the "Times," the above three works were the only new works mentioned Arrangement for Two Pianos .4/- net (Two copies necessary for performance) MODERN MUSIC in the OXFORD CATALOGUE Belshazzar's Feast* Vocal score 3s. For Baritone Solo, Chorus, and Orchestra. Text selected and arranged from the Bible by Osbert Sitwell Sunday Times (Ernest Newman) :"Nothing so full-blooded as this, nothing so bursting with a very fury of exultation in the power of modern music, has been produced in this or any country for a long time" R. Vaughan Williams Job* OCT ... This lively and amusing essay in the jazz idiom (first performed at the "Proms " two years ago) has been admirably arranged for two pianos by the composer. "The Young Idea. is genuinely amusing, fluent, and neatly turned at all points. Two-piano enthusiasts should take up the work with alacrity . . . they will not exhaust its pleasures in a hurry." -Musical Mirror. 20 Kingly Street, Regent Street, London, W.1. Frederick Delius Two Pieces for Small Orchestra* On Hearing the First Cuckoo Summer Night on the River Piano Duet transcription by Peter Warlock Piano Solo 4s. Miniature Score 3s. 6d. 4s. Arthur Bliss Quintet for Oboe and Strings Score 10s. 6d. Parts 10s. 6d. The only published English work chosen for the International Festival this year TWO NEW BOOKS Cecil Gray Sibelius 7s. 6d. net F. H. Shera Elgar: Instrumental Works 1s. 6d. net * Orchestral score and parts on hire OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Aeolian Hall, New Bond Street, London, W.1

British Music Society Bulletin Summer 1932 New Series, No. 2 EDITORIAL Office of the B.M.S., 295 Regent Street, London, W.1 THE cordial approval with which the first number of our new Bulletin was met has created a very friendly atmosphere into which to send forth Number Two. This is particularly helpful when the second number has to deal principally with Home Affairs-in other words, to report the Annual General Meeting. You will read about this at length on page 5 and be able to realise how much the Society has to thank Lord and Lady Howard de Walden for. Annual Meetings are very apt to be shirked, and the Committee were very much gratified to have such a good attendance of members in the afternoon. Certainly the inevitable dryness of a business meeting is much mitigated by its being held in beautiful surroundings, and Seaford House and its treasures threw an unforgettable glamour over both the afternoon's and the evening's doings. Our Belfast member alludes on p. 15 to the wonderful green staircase at Seaford House which mounts from the great entrance hall and divides into two flights half-way. This is made of Mexican onyx, and pictures, tapestries, furniture and objets d'art of all kinds meet the eye at every turn in that splendid house; but we were particularly fortunate in having the opportunity of inspecting the owner's latest treasure, just returned from a marvellous work of restoration. This is the three-quarter length portrait, by a painter at present uncertain, of an unknown young Tudor lady. Speculations as to the identity and the name of the painter are rife, and likely to cause something of a stir among connoisseurs. News from Centres is one of the chief reasons for a Bulletin, and we are particularly glad to report such an important event as the founding of the New Zealand Section (see page 24). At the same time we have the most encouraging account of our Victorian Branch, and we specially commend these chronicles of musical enthusiasm and overcoming of material difficulties to our readers' thoughtful attention. We all in the Old Country know what the difficulties over music at the present time are, and the pluck and

4 devotion of these distant music-lovers wins our heartiest admiration. They certainly have a rich reward, for we cannot overestimate the value of the links which the arts make between the different parts of the Empire. THE B.M.S. BULLETIN Speaking of Australia also reminds me that one of the nicest bouquets for the Bulletin was flung across the seas by Miss Sybil Hull, the hon. secretary of the Victorian Branch at Melbourne, who wrote on receiving No. 1: "I feel I must write this mail to congratulate you. . . . Australia is so terribly far away, we value any link with activities at Home, and you have forged a really delightful link in the New Series Bulletin.' Miss Hull also, in thanking Miss Bolton for one of our pamphlets, wrote another time : "It brings before people the fact that our roots are in England, which makes Our Society superior to all others here!" Among the many pleasant things said and written about Bulletin No. 1, we specially value the welcome which the Observer gave us on November 8th. We cannot help wishing, though, while grate- ful for their chorus of approval, that members of the Society would have taken the chance which we pressed upon them, of sending us suggestions for future numbers. They must not judge us too hardly if this time we fall again into what they previously, but mutely, considered mistakes, or do not spontaneously bring about improve- ments which they have all this time not suggested to us! رو It is very pleasant to announce that active preparations are in hand for the opening of three new B.M.S. Centres in the Autumn. These are Wimbledon, Poole and Orpington. Miss Bolton would be very grateful if members anywhere who have friends or acquaintances in any of these places, would let her have the names and addresses of people to whom notices of the formation of a Centre might be sent. At Headquarters we are all agog with excitement over our Second Summer Concert and Garden Party. Ask anyone who came to Stonelands last year, and they will certainly urge you not to miss this one. Particulars are to be found on page 16 and PLEASE do not delay to send in the Application Form which is inserted loose in this issue. JUN English Music was the "topic of study" for one of the spring programmes of the Music Study Club at the Women's Club of Mansfield, Ohio, and the pianist, Miss Thelma Reed, sends us a cutting from the local newspaper reporting that music for two piano numbers played by her was furnished by the British Music Society, of London, England, at Miss Reed's request. The numbers were A Country Tune by Arnold Bax, and Procession by Herbert Howells. Miss Reed herself writes that this programme of English music was especially enjoyed, and "I want again to express my sincere appreciation for the courtesies shown to me and to our Study Club, and I hope that I may be able again to present 32 OCT

3₁ e- 7. d S re uf 0 IS NO y IT nt THE B.M.S. BULLETIN additional numbers in public recital." She certainly shall if Head- quarters knows anything about it. We regret very much to have to record the death of the Society's valued friend, Mr. W. Lee Matthews, who, with his wife, put such immense energy into its affairs over a number of years. His commanding presence and vivid speech made him a powerful ally in matters of business, and the Society owes him much gratitude for his period of hon. treasurership. Will members please note that THE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED during the first fortnight of August. 5 Annual General Meeting Held at Seaford House, Belgrave Square, by invitation of The Lord Howard de Walden, on Saturday, 7th May, 1932. Lord Howard de Walden in the Chair: THE SECRETARY read the notice convening the meeting and the Minutes of the previous meeting, after which Sir ARTHUR SOMERVELL (Chairman B.M.S. Committee of Management) read a Report of the year's work, as follows: Chairman's Report THE British Music Society has passed an eventful year, and unlike many societies whose work has been curtailed by prevailing conditions, it has, on the contrary, increased in activity. One of the outstanding events was the four concerts for the English Week at the Paris Exhibition; programmes and artists were chosen by the B.M.S. and representative English music was selected dating from the seventeenth century to the present day. Thirty-one of our best artists and a team of dancers from the English Folk Dance Society went across to France and did their utmost for British music under very trying conditions. It is to be regretted that the various organisations connected with the English Week did not fulfil their part more adequately. The Festival of the International Society for Contemporary Music, held at Oxford in July, 1931, used the B.M.S. Office as its organising centre for many weeks prior to the event, the B.M.S. thus proving once more its willingness to assist other organisations in their work for music. It was later found necessary to arrange for the transfer of the I.S.C.M. clerical work to other quarters, as the B.M.S. secretary required more time and opportunity for developing the work of the B.M.S. itself. This in no way indicates a severance between the two organisations, as the B.M.S. believes

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN that the appreciation and knowledge of British music on the Continent are furthered by the I.S.C.M., and wishes therefore to remain in contact with it. 6 In June a Summer Concert and Garden Party was organised by Headquarters and took place at East Grinstead, where Mrs. Godwin King generously opened her house and grounds to one hundred and twenty B.M.S. members. All the London Centres were represented, and members came from Haslemere, East Grinstead, Eastbourne, and Worthing-there were also two from Melbourne, Australia. This was the first of the functions specially arranged to bring together members from various localities and thereby to provide an occasion for the Centres to meet each other, and to enjoy music in each other's company. The Keighley Clef Club and the Centres at Birmingham and Muswell Hill have closed down; in January a new Centre was opened at Glastonbury and forty-five members have already been enrolled. Headquarters has been able to arrange two concerts by leading London artists, and the "Central Somerset Centre" promises well. New Zealand is to have a large B.M.S. section radiating from Wellington: Miss Valerie Corliss, the hon. organiser, expects to begin holding concerts in nine towns in the Autumn of 1932. The first issue of the new B.M.S. Bulletin appeared last November under the editorship of Miss Katharine Eggar. Messages of appreciation and congratulation were received at Headquarters. Members enjoyed its contents and liked its new format, and the fact of its appearance coinciding with the necessity to inform the membership of the events of a busy summer proves the advisability of issuing the Bulletin when the occasion demands rather than at regular intervals. We deeply regret the death of Mr. W. Lee Mathews, who was for many years Hon. Treasurer of the B.M.S.; he is retained in grateful memory for the zeal and energy he put into his work for the Society. There have been four resignations from the committee: Dr. Adrian Boult, Mr. Francis Toye, Mr. Cecil Bateson, and Mr. Frederic Austin. Dr. Boult kindly agreed to become a Vice-President of the Society. We are fortunate in having Mrs. Vernon Dean back again with us; many members can recall her enthusiasm and valuable work as secretary of the B.M.S. in its early days, and her presence on the committee is greatly appreciated. Lady Whitelegge joined the committee in June; her keenness for music and the work of music societies is well known, and we are glad to have her with us. Our very grateful thanks are due to Messrs. Boosey & Hawkes who, at a few days' notice, offered us accommodation in their Regent Street premises. They subsequently provided us with a permanent office and the B.M.S. greatly appreciates their courtesy. Мост V.

een ses sto PRESE ed in k for Dr. M Dean and and her elegge e her Hawkes with a Courtesy 7 B.M.S. musical activities persist throughout the country and overseas in spite of world-wide depression; new Centres are forming; our president, Lord Howard de Walden, has promised generous assistance and proved his interest by his presence here to-day as well as by his hospitality which we are to enjoy to-night ; we are convinced that the very exigencies of the times prove the necessity for us to continue the work this Society is so uniquely able to do. Col. SOMERVILLE (the Hon. Treasurer) then rose and addressed the meeting. You will remember that last year I had the most dismal fore- bodings about the future and was almost prepared to put the shutters up. That would have been tragic from the point of view of music in this country, and from that tragedy we have been saved by the munificence of our patron which has enabled us to make a fresh start and face the future with considerable confidence. Like many other societies we had a certain loss in membership through- out the year. That was only to be expected in a year of such financial stress as that through which we have just passed. All we can say is that the loss has been comparatively small in com- parison with other societies. On the other hand, our subscribers have really come to the fore with extraordinary celerity and paid their subscriptions punctually this year, following in the wake of the gallant effort made by income tax payers in response to the appeal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer; which reminds me of a conversation that my sister, who was a master of foxhounds in Ireland, had with her huntsman, whose creditors had brought up a large number of bills this fellow had run up, and asked her to pay them. So she said to him, "Now, Tim, this won't do at all. You really must pay your bills more to time when they come in. They have got to be settled, you know." To which the huntsman replied, "No, Miss, I wouldn't like to show them the trick of it." I hope very much that that practice will persist, and that we shall continue to receive our subscriptions as well up to time as we have done this year. THE B.M.S. BULLETIN You can all help in another way, to which our Chairman has already alluded, by going into the musical highways and hedges and compelling those musical friends of yours who are still outside our boundaries to come in. In that way we shall go ahead and the Society will do the work for which it was founded. New centres, as the Chairman has told us, have been started, and one hopes that may be a good sign of the times. In another respect our treasury has been somewhat depleted. You know the continued and somewhat embittered warfare that goes on between the Society and its Branches on the one side and the tax collector on the other. In some places we have been hard hit this year because the bandits from Somerset House have been

8 THE B.M.S. BULLETIN insisting on arrears being paid (of all dreadful things), from some of the Branches, and for quite a long time we have been under the increasing impression that these arrears were amongst those far off, unhappy things" that are not mentioned in polite society. In spite of this they were dragged up and some Branches were in a parlous state. Headquarters, like the pelican of old, has been compelled to pluck quite a lot of feathers out of her very much depleted breast to stuff the mouth of the collector. You will realise how depleted that breast is when I remind you that all we have to live upon is the subscriptions of Headquarters' members, whose altruistic generosity I admire very much, and the ten per cent. we get from Branches. That does not seem a lot, so you will realise at once what an effort it was to us to come to their aid in the way we did. I should like again to say how very deeply indebted we are to Messrs. Boosey & Hawkes for taking us in, in the very cold world in which we found ourselves, just at the psychological moment. If they had not done so, I don't see how I should have had the pleasure of addressing you here to-day. Then, too, I should like to hand out a large box of sweets to our large staff of two. You will, no doubt, hear with some trepidation that your hon. treasurer is one of the world's worst accountants and, but for the efforts of Miss Effie Bolton and Miss Halsey, I am certain the balance sheet would not look as it does. As Hon. Treasurer I must wind up once more by saying how deeply we feel the generosity of Lord Howard de Walden in coming to our rescue at this moment in our history. As Hon. Treasurer I can only tell you that where our treasure is our heart is, and my heart is very much touched by this splendid gesture on his part. I only hope the Society will justify the generosity he has shown us. The CHAIRMAN: The Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account are in your possession. I hope you have succeeded in discovering what they mean. I sympathise with the Hon. Treasurer. I am generally in a state of great bewilderment if I have to present a balance sheet myself. Mr. WHITE (Hon. Representative of the Bournemouth Centre) rose to ask some questions about the new Centres to which the Hon. Treasurer alluded. Col. SOMERVILLE replied that the Central Somerset Centre was already formed, the big B.M.S. Section in New Zealand was com- pleting preliminaries, and three other Centres in the south of England had expressed their intention of starting in the autumn. Following a further question from Mr. WHITE on the matter of Entertainments Tax a general discussion ensued, in which Mr. NEIL OCT

me Des by part. I am entre Com ter of Nant THE B.M.S. BULLETIN 9 (Hendon and Golders Green Centre) took a prominent part. The CHAIRMAN proposed to take legal advice on the matter to see if it were possible for anything to be done for the Centres which had already been taxed. The CHAIRMAN moved that the Accounts of the Society for 1931 together with the Report be received and adopted. Seconded by Mr. KERRIDGE and carried unanimously. The CHAIRMAN: Mr. Frederic Austin and Major Bavin retire in rotation from the committee, and both resign on account of pressure of work. There are five nominations and you will be asked to vote for four new members. Miss RUSSELL-FERGUSSON: May we know a little about the five names? To many of us they are only names and it is hard to vote. The SECRETARY having supplied this information, votes were recorded and the following were declared elected: Alec Rowley, Arnold Goldsbrough, Ralph Hill, and C. Thornton Lofthouse. Mr. BOULT moved and Mr. KERRIDGE seconded the re-election of the auditors, Messrs. Hartleys, Wilkins, Avery & Flew, which was carried. President's Address Ladies and Gentlemen, I see by the Agenda that I have to address the meeting. I think you have been told everything in the course of the Report and so on, but it occurs to me, when looking at the newly-elected committee and the size of it, that it would possibly be a better arrangement for the administration of the Society to be in the hands of a council and a small executive committee rather than a committee of management. A good deal of business is difficult to transact because members of the committee are busy men, and in similar societies I have discovered that the best way is to have a small executive who happen to be able to give time to the job. I put that forward as a suggestion only. When the situation of the Society was discussed some little time ago it was rather difficult to cast back one's mind and try to remember what its functions were originally supposed to be. As far as I can remember, when it was first started and we were touring the country with a sort of propaganda, we were filled with violent patriotism. It was to be exclusively for the benefit of British music then. Now that has changed a certain amount. At the same time I, personally, feel that I should not care for our attitude to be too entirely impartial. I think there should be a slight bias in favour of our own production and our own performers. I know what a curious situation arises, or might arise, with the propaganda work done by the International Society for Contemporary Music. It does admirable work in the sense of getting a certain amount of British music known all over the continent. But what often

IO THE B.M.S. BULLETIN happens is that, though that foreign propaganda is well done, propaganda in our own country is rather neglected. A similar situation arises in France, where, through that same kind of excellent propaganda, French music is better understood in every country in the world but France, because they have omitted to do any propaganda work in their own country. So I hope this Society will retain a bias in favour of doing a certain amount of propaganda work for native artists and composers. Since the Society was founded a great deal of water has flowed under the bridges, and a new phenomenon has arisen in the shape of the B.B.C. which does admirable propaganda work and fulfils some of the functions for which the Society was originally started. I would not suggest that there should be opposition between this Society and the B.B.C.; we appreciate the propaganda it has done. At the same time there is a certain amount of work to be carried out on behalf of those who wish to hear their music direct-a quite reasonable wish. I think there is a slight danger of the pre- dominance of the B.B.C. resulting in people not exercising any choice, but taking what is handed out to them. There should be that much of individuality which exercises a choice, otherwise the principle of free-will is abandoned. I hope Mr. Boult will not think I have a prejudice against the B.B.C.; it is only a possibility that may arise. On the other hand I understand work is being done with a view to a scheme of chamber concerts which shall have expertly chosen programmes and artists. In the years that have passed one thing we stated quite definitely was that we were not a concert-giving association. I think, however, that now things have changed so much that that is exactly what we ought to be; in fact our function has changed considerably from the original idea in to comparatively new lines. I think if we can do that, and do it expertly and well, we may be carrying out work of considerable value, a proportion of British work being retained in the programme, though I hope we shall not be Chauvinistic to the degree of eliminating every- thing else. Another of the things we might do is giving people information about concerts. I have discovered, by asking friends, that one of the chief existing difficulties is that it is impossible to advertise concerts in the way that other things are advertised. Concerts are advertised, but they do not catch one's eye, and one discovers that one has missed the one or two items which would have been of interest. I hope, therefore, that having carried on through difficult times, we shall still do useful work, and prove our value to our members and to the community in general. Mr. WHITE (Bournemouth) rose to remind members that one of the most important objects of the Society was the cultivation of musical taste among the members, and that we should endeavour to make music for ourselves. Mr. White then gave an account of OCT

1 te Pas hope and one count of THE B.M.S. BULLETIN II the Music Circle belonging to the Bournemouth Centre, at which all the performers were either professional or amateur members of the Bournemouth Centre. The meetings took place once a month and were of a varied nature: Concerts of Schumann, Beethoven, etc., alternating with programmes in which local composers had played their own works and their songs had been sung by members. Mr. WHITE suggested that this Music Circle idea was a valuable development of the general system, and should be borne in mind by other Centres. Mrs. MAYER: What would be the connection between the Contemporary Music Centre and the British Music Society? Will it continue to be a branch of the B.M.S. like other centres ? THE SECRETARY: Yes; it will continue just the same. Dr. BOULT: The time has come when our meeting is nearing its close. May I say a word or two in connection with the Chair- man's reference to the B.B.C., not on my own behalf, for it is in control of me, but of the B.B.C. as a whole. They are all anxious that as many members as possible should follow the example of the Liverpool and Bournemouth Centres of the British Music Society, making music for themselves, whether by playing it or composing it. Also we try never to let an opportunity slip-for those opportunities perhaps are too few and come our way so seldom to encourage the amateur side of music making and to do everything possible to make the music the public gets from its loud-speaker an introduction to music that it will go and get for itself in a concert hall or make for itself in its own home. I am afraid I have often made that remark before in one form or another and I fear I shall ke it again. It is a point we feel very strongly about, and I think it is the kind of propaganda that one cannot repeat too often. I now have the very delightful duty of proposing a most hearty vote of thanks to our Chairman for a great many things. I remember, sir, in the very early days of the Society, how you used to come and attend meeting after meeting, taking the chair to guide our deliberations with your great skill, and tempering our not always too equable discussions with your ready wit and commonsense. If I may say so, I have always noticed how remarkable it is that your patronage, not only of music but of all the arts, does not seem to be ply that of writing a cheque, but always involves some kind of personal service. Perhaps I may digress for a moment, because I do not think everybody here to-day will remember the last occasion when I was in this hospitable house not very long ago. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra came to London and, after they had amazed us by their opening concert in the Albert Hall, the whole of the orchestra, together with other musicians, were invited to tea here. I have no doubt the members of the New York Phil- harmonic Symphony Orchestra are the pick of the profession in

12 THE B.M.S. BULLETIN New York. I do not know how often the mansions of Riverside Drive or the apartments of Park Avenue are thrown open to them, but from their appreciation of the honour done them that afternoon and the way they looked about them as they went from room to room, they were obviously deeply interested and thrilled by the experience. I venture to think they took their impressions back with them to America as one of the best of their recollections of their trip. I know what countless occasions there are Sir, in every year when people have cause to be grateful for your personal thought and care. In connection with your work in the cause of art, you have, as the Treasurer has already said, put this Society on its legs with a gift-a push which ought to keep the old ball rolling for a good many years, and rolling very helpfully and well. You are entertaining us now; you will be entertaining us again to-night; and I venture to think that we are, I hope, not less appreciative of this than the guests of whom I have spoken from over the water. Finally, you have interested yourself in our Society to the extent of taking the chair now, guiding our discussions and also giving us food for considerable thought (which I am sure the committee will take away with them) with regard to the future conduct of the Society. You, as Chairman of the meeting, no doubt will not wish to put she very hearty vote of thanks which I propose, I ask, without a teconder, that it may be carried with acclamation The CHAIRMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for being so pleasant to me. I have been attached to this Society for many years and, having always had a feeling for it, I should hate to see anything happen to its activities. With regard to the one point raised by Mr. White, I entirely agree that it makes the whole difference in the world to the move- ment. Look at what happened in the case of the British Drama League, which was founded for the same purposes in another art, i.e., to discover people who could amuse others and get a certain amount of fun out of it. When we first started we struggled along with twenty or thirty affiliated associations. Now we are slightly nervous because we do not know where it will stop. The number of associated companies is about 1,200 and is rising rapidly. It is not, however, on quite the same footing as the B.M.S. You can learn to act a part where you cannot learn to play a composition, and that fact occasions the difficulty of our membership. On the other hand, I should like to make one slight complaint. There is a small branch in my own house, and I would appeal to composers, even if it means the exercise of self-restraint, in order that they may be induced to write something for the young, for performers who are neither old nor good. I wish they would consider the case of a family who likes to discover and to try every- thing that has ever been written. The first violin may be nineteen, OCT 47

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN years and the second violin and the viola may be eleven and twelve old, and that unfortunately makes difficulties. Perhaps a composer will try and produce something in that direction. The meeting then terminated. B.M.S. Committee of Management 1932 Sir ARTHUR SOMERVELL, Chairman. W. W. A. ELKIN, Esq., Vice-Chairman. Mrs. Vernon Dean. Professor Edward J. Dent. Miss Katharine E. Eggar. R. S. Elkin, Esq. *Arnold Goldsbrough, Esq. *Ralph Hill, Esq. 13 *C. Thornton Lofthouse, Esq. Mrs. Robert Mayer. *Alec Rowley, Esq. W. Rushworth, Esq. Lady Whitelegge. Colonel John C. Somerville, Hon. Treasurer. * Members elected at the A.G.M. For the information of B.M.S. members a brief account of the new committee members follows:- - ARNOLD GOLDSBROUGH.-Sub-organist, Manchester Cathedral; sub-organist, Westminster Abbey; organist, St. Anne's, Soho; organist, St. Martin-in-the-Fields; music master, Westminster School. RALPH HILL.-Born in 1900. Comes from a distinguished musical family; grandson of Henry Weist Hill, violinist, conductor, and the first Principal of the Guildhall School of Music. Ralph Hill was originally intended for a professional career and accordingly studied the 'cello, etc., for several years under his father, Mr. T. E. Weist Hill, a well-known London 'cellist. After the war Ralph Hill went into music publishing and was associated with the School Music Departments of Messrs. Joseph Williams, Ltd., and Messrs. Keith Prowse & Co. In 1925 Ralph Hill began to write on music and con- tributed articles to various well-known musical and literary journals. In 1929 he was appointed editor of Musical Mirror and Fanfare and music critic of The Chesterian, and in 1931 became music critic of The Saturday Review. C. THORNTON LOFTHOUSE, MUS.BAC., A.R.C.M.-Professor, R.C.M.; director of the music, Westminster School, and of the Music Association, University College, University of London. ALEC ROWLEY.-Studied at the Royal Academy of Music for nine years. Gained the Henry Smart and Maud M. Gooch Scholarships there. Awarded the Prescott gift, and the Mortimer prize for composition and received the highest award for Composition, Pianoforte and Organ playing. Was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1918. Gained the Lafontaine prize at the Fellowship examination, Royal College of Organists and is a Licentiate-Royal Academy. Received the Carnegie Award in 1926 for a Mime Play. Composer, lecturer, adjudicator, examiner, conductor, pianist, organist and contributor to the press. Member of the Teachers' Registration Council.

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN Reception & Concert at Seaford House AFTER the Annual General Meeting on Saturday, May 7th, Lord and Lady Howard de Walden gave an evening Reception to the Society at Seaford House, Belgrave Square. Considerable interest and enthusiasm were shown by provincial members, who turned up in force to avail themselves of this gracious hospitality. Representatives came from the following Centres and affiliated clubs: Newcastle-on-Tyne (Mr. Potts, the hon. secretary), Mr. and Mrs. Rushworth and four other members from Liverpool; Alnwick, Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth (Mr. White, the hon. representative and two other members), Blackheath, Woolwich, Hendon and Golders Green, Marylebone, and the London Contemporary Music Centre. 14 The B.M.S. committee of management were responsible for arranging an excellent programme of music, which lasted from 8-45 till 10, and the evening's entertainment terminated with a buffet supper. The Griller String Quartet, who are artist-members of the B.M.S., opened the concert with Haydn's delightful String Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1, the performance of which was a model of perfect team work, eloquent phrasing, and rhythmic sensitiveness. Underlying the gay spirit of this work there is deep feeling and at times even a hint of dramatic tension-certainly the beautiful adagio movement anticipates nineteenth-century romanticism- which the Grillers very subtly portrayed. Miss Betty Bannerman (contralto) was in excellent voice and sang two groups of songs. Purity of tone and a delicate sense of colour and phrasing characterised her singing of Purcell's I attempt from love's sickness to fly, Have you seen but a whyte lily grow (Anon., arranged by Peter Warlock), and two old airs beautifully and taste- fully arranged by Sir Arthur Somervell, Gathering Daffodils and Myle Charaine (old Manx), the latter a fine dramatic song which deserves to be more widely known. Miss Bannerman's rendering of Zum reinen Wasser from one of Bach's cantatas was an impressive display of technical mastery and artistic feeling and she was fortunate in being so admirably supported by Mr. Gerald Moore (piano) and Miss Helen Gaskell (oboe d'amore obbligato). Miss Gaskell also charmed us with her oboe playing of two solos-an Alman in G (Anon., Craxton) and Delius's Serenade from Hassan. Mr. Moore also accompanied these in his usual superb manner, and as he had been one of the heroic company who bore up under the trials of last summer's ill-fated English concerts at the Paris Exhibition, it was a pleasure for the B.M.S. to be able to utilise his services for a happier occasion. OCT

e S n 7. [₁ er se 15 Miss Bannerman's second group consisted of Bairstow's The Oak-tree Bough, Armstrong Gibbs's By a Bierside, and the exquisite setting of de la Mare's Silver, and Fauré's Au bord de l'eau and Soir. I was glad to see the inclusion of the Fauré songs because Fauré is undoubtedly a composer gifted with great imagination, and a refined and polished style is the hall-mark of his large output in nearly every branch of composition. Popular in France, for some inexplicable reason his music is shamefully neglected in England, and the above-mentioned songs which Miss Bannerman sang with understanding, will have given to an audience perhaps unfamiliar with them a slight indication of the rich treasures which Fauré bequeathed to the world. The evening was brought to a conclusion with a fine and dashing performance of J. B. McEwen's picturesque and exhilarating Biscay quartet, one of the most attractive of the composer's works. R.H. THE B.M.S. BULLETIN A member of the Belfast Centre who was present writes as follows:- - Being a prospective visitor to London during the month of May, and having received notice, as a member of the B.M.S. in Belfast, that a very attractive meeting was to take place, by the kind invitation of the president, Lord Howard de Walden at Seaford House on the 7th of the month, I sent in my application as requested, and duly received an invitation. From every point of view it was an evening of sheer delight. The beauty and dignity of that palatial residence, with its magnificent entrance and staircase of green, impressed one almost with awe. At the head of the spacious staircase stood the host and hostess, Lord and Lady Howard de Walden, receiving the guests, speaking gracious words of welcome to many with whom they were acquainted, and giving all a feeling of cordial hospitality. At the entrance of the beautiful music room Miss Bolton (organising secretary at Headquarters in London) added her words of greeting, identifying, as by magic, many hitherto unknown members from the provinces thereby making them feel like real personalities instead of isolated units in a crowd. The music room with its beautiful decorations and delicious flowers, was a wonderful setting for a delightful programme. Till that evening my acquaintance with The Griller String Quartet had only been through the medium of wireless, but there are qualities of youthful enthusiasm and fine artistry which elude transmission in broadcasting. Their playing was a real joy. As a member of the B.M.S. in Belfast I seize this opportunity to record my appreciation of the wonderful hospitality and the beautiful music which make that occasion a very happy memory.

16 The 1932 Summer Concert and Garden Party will be held at Chelwood Vachery, Nutley, Sussex at the kind invitation of Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Nettlefold on Saturday, 16th July At 3 p.m. a short Concert will be given by the Hetty Bolton Piano Trio (Hetty Bolton, Harold Fairhurst and Helen Just) and Miss Vera de Villiers. PROGRAMME: John Ireland Beethoven After the concert tea will be served and members will be able to visit the beautiful grounds of Chelwood Vachery; this estate is mentioned in Doomsday Book and history records it as a seat of John of Gaunt. Full directions will be forwarded to members travelling in their own cars. PHANTASY TRIO Two GROUPS OF SONGS TRIO IN C MINOR 1 - Members proceeding by Motor Coach The private coach hired by the B.M.S. is at their disposal for the entire day, and the earlier it leaves London the longer time will members have in the country. It will take between two and two and a half hours to reach Chelwood Vachery, and if the coach leaves Portland Place not later than 11-30 there will be time for a picnic lunch in Ashdown Forest or at one of the hotels en route. Members are asked to state on the application form what time they are able to board the coach; the time of departure will be arranged to suit the majority. ост / This function is organised to assemble members from various localities in order that they may enjoy music together under ideal conditions. The first Summer Concert and Garden Party took place in 1931, and was enormously successful; bearing in mind the exigencies of the times the contributions have been lowered this year in the hope that the Party will be within the scope of everyone.

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN 17 The Claims of Romantic Music THERE is a popular, if not always reliable, belief that composers receive, in the matter of performances, very much what they deserve. Confidence in this homely axiom has lately been shaken by the untimely discovery that Sibelius, in addition to the Finlandia which we know so well, has also written some quite excellent symphonies which, until recently, several of us did not know at all. In case anyone should feel inclined to dismiss the incident as an embarrassing exception to an otherwise excellent rule, I should like to suggest that among romantic composers of the nineteenth century there are more than a few who would be none the worse for a belated revaluation. A glance at modern concert programmes, from which one can gauge in some measure the tastes of the moment, reveals that these composers are often very incompletely represented. We hear little of Weber apart from the overtures to three of his operas, and a certain amount of what may be called, not unfairly, drawing-room pieces. There is less cause to complain in regard to Schubert's songs, except that selection out of the vast total seems often to be quite arbitrary and lacking in enterprise. His chamber music receives fair, if not too generous, attention; but the symphonies, apart from No. 7 in C major and the Unfinished, are much more rarely presented. Schumann, on the other hand, does fairly well if we examine performances simply by a numerical criterion; yet we must set against this virtue the fact that his piano music, in particular, is too often heard at its weakest, to the regrettable neglect of other and finer achievements. The symphonies are often thought a trial to the patience because, for one delightful movement, one may have to experience three others where invention runs thin. Perhaps the obvious remedy of taking the best, and playing isolated movements, would not now be thought, as formerly, an unspeakable crime against art and against orthodoxy. Mendelssohn, although gradually returning to favour, has by no means yet emerged from the dark cloud whither public opinion, saturated with oratorios less good than his worst, elected to drive him about thirty years ago. Nor can Chopin be said fully to have recovered from a reaction which touched him, in many ways, rather unfairly. If we proceed further, by way of Berlioz, Tschaikovski, Grieg and Franck, it has to be admitted, I think, that whole tracts of their music are virtually unknown to the public apart from interested specialists. Again, many musicians like so little what they do know of Liszt-and one must constantly marvel at the widespread tendency to judge this composer by his lowest products that they give no thought to an exquisite handful of songs from his pen, or to the symphonies, reaching, at times, a height almost incredible by comparison with the Hungarian Rhapsodies. To any charge of neglect, various answers will suggest them-

18 THE B.M.S. BULLETIN selves, some a good deal more arguable than others. It may be contended, for instance, that these composers are known nowadays by what is worth knowing; and that other compositions, long ago assessed as rubbish, would gain nothing from revaluation. I do not think this proposition would meet with support from people who actually knew at first-hand the music supposedly in need of rough-and-ready dismissal. The case of Liszt is, indeed, an appalling example of a composer who is certainly not known by his best; and other illustrations can easily be added to show that because, for example, Weber's Oberon Overture is deservedly popular, there is not the smallest justification for sweeping aside, as many are prepared to do, the claims of the opera which follows it. What strikes me as a more likely reason for present apathy is that musicians of a younger generation find that present-day romanticists, such as Delius and Bax, touch more closely the temper of our age, and allegiance, accordingly, becomes shifted. It is perfectly true, too, that there may be individual lack of tempera- mental sympathy with the expressive means of Mendelssohn, let us say; and a sincere desire for contact with music remote from the rather facile ideals with which, at times, he could be contented. Apart from people who offer these grounds of rejection, it seems to me very desirable that the others should be asked to show, in the first place, that they have at least a fair acquaintance with the music they are so eager to disparage. It is unfortunately true beyond denial that many listeners believe that the cause of contemporary music is advanced by systematic derision of earlier music with which they themselves are not even superficially acquainted. A course of logic and clear-thinking might do something to eradicate this particular fallacy. The worst that could happen would be a second reaction giving the romanticists a position far above their deserts. No good could ever come by a pretension that the composers mentioned in this article are devoid of every fault for which to-day, they are chiefly criticised. In remembering the moments by which Weber's Der Freischütz deserves to live there is no necessity to refute the existence of some very ordinary, even arid, writing at certain points in the opera's progress. Although it is highly desirable that we have the choice to hear symphonies of Schubert other than the two already mentioned, a sense of proper values will remind us of their relative worth, and that their claim, if not so high as No. 7 in C major, is not negligible because of the presence, here and there, of details scarcely belonging to Schubert's happiest level. Even the warmest admirer of Schumann, to take another case, must be unwilling to distort his critical faculty into the belief that the symphonies invariably represent an unquestionable degree of per- fection. Schumann's constant use of melodies conceived in short phrases; his far from impeccable orchestration; and his too ready satisfaction, on occasion, with the commonplaces of invention OCT

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN need not make us distrust those movements whose power survives, with triumph, the handicaps of structure to which he was prone. Similarly, recollection of his piano music at its weakest and it can be very weak-gives no authority to turn aside the many quite magnificent pages all too rarely heard. These are allowances common to assessment of any composer; but in dealing with the romanticists people often prefer, for some reason, to regard their less fine accomplishments as an unanswerable pretext for spurning the best! 19 As regards Chopin, Mendelssohn and others, readers will have no difficulty, I am sure, in distinguishing what frailties must, in the cause of accurate judgment, be acknowledged, and what evidence it is which establishes the reputation of these composers despite such frailties. All I would attempt, in the concluding lines, is to ask that the romantic movement, from Weber to Delius, may be viewed afresh and without prejudice born of unreasoning reaction. The task is, indeed, already long overdue. "If, in that undertaking, sane counsels prevail, nothing but good can result from a courageous intention to discern true values, and to restore, as a happy con- sequence, a more balanced attitude towards much that has been wrongfully neglected in our musical heritage." ROBERT H. HULL. The First Performance in England of Bach's Last Work Die Kunst der Fuge (the Art of the Fugue) is to be given in Queen's Hall, London, on October 3rd, by the Lonson Symphony Orchestra under Hans Weisbach. This extraordinary composition was left by Bach without any indication as to whether it was intended for organ, quartet or orchestra, and it is only quite recently that the complete parts have been reassembled in Germany and the work performed for the first time. The performance in London promises to be an event of out- standing musical importance. * * The "Lyre Bird Press," which is printing the complete works of François Couperin in twelve volumes, is intending to issue in its series of publications of past masterpieces, a previously unknown sonata by Dr. John Blow from four manuscript part-books in the Bodleian Library, for two violins, viol da gamba and figured bass. From another Bodleian MS., a Sonata in A also attributed to Blow will be published. The editor of both works will be Dr. W. Gillies Whittaker.

20 THE B.M.S. BULLETIN News of Centres and Branches and Affiliated Schools and Societies N.B. In the following notes of B.M.S. activities all names marked with * are artist-members of the Society. LONDON LONDON CONTEMPORARY MUSIC CENTRE The London Contemporary Music Centre fills a triple function. It is at the same time the headquarters and the British Section and the International Society for Contemporary Music, and it is a Centre of the British Music Society. It organised and carried to a successful conclusion last year the Oxford and London Festival, the first of the I.S.C.M. to be held in this country, and was thus the means of drawing international attention to British musical activities. It was formerly carried on at the head office of the B.M.S. but on account of the pressure of work there it was decided to transfer the work elsewhere. Mrs. Vernon Dean and Miss Dorothy Wadham have kindly consented to act provisionally as joint secretaries in international affairs and Mrs. Hart has undertaken the corresponding duties in respect of C.M.C. concerts. These, as the name indicated, are devoted to the works of contem- porary composers. A convenient definition has been accepted which covers music composed within the past fifteen years, but in practice a closer touch is kept with current development. At the last concert, for instance, three works out of four performed had been composed within the last two years and the remaining one was dated no more than five years ago. The average proportion of British to foreign music is also established on principle but this is not incompatible with some latitude at individual concerts. At the last, however, three works were British and one foreign. A Study Circle has recently been formed in association with the Centre for the purpose of more informal performances, and even readings, of works coming under consideration for inclusion in C.M.C. programmes, or which for any other reason it is desired to hear tried over. Only one such gathering has been held so far, but it proved so successful that future gatherings will be held monthly except in the summer. GREATER LONDON HENDON AND GOLDERS GREEN CENTRE A long cherished wish materialised in the mustering of amateur singers in the district, and the forming of a Choral Section under the direction of Albert Howe, Mus.Bac. Madrigals being his pet study, the conductor made a start with these, and later undertook Elgar's short work, The Banner of St. George. The Orchestra, conducted by Walter Laubach, also held its weekly meetings, and its December programme included the Grieg Piano Concerto, played by *Percival Garratt, accompanied by the orchestra. In March the choir and orchestra gave a combined programme with *Eunice Meredith, vocal soloist, and provided in both instances a very excellent concert, held in the beautiful ballroom of the Brent Bridge Hotel. The season ended in April with a medley of music and dancing as well as a whist drive and bridge drive-and included an item by the Quintette, formed out of the orchestra, who played the first movement from Dohnanyi's work. Two members from the choir gave solos, and a trio for ladies' voices (Elgar) with accompaniment for two violins and piano was sung also by three members of the choir. The committee are well pleased with the season's venture and have been well supported artistically, and in numbers, by many new comers. L.A.C. OCT

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN THE PROVINCES 21 BOURNEMOUTH CENTRE Since the opening of the year there have been five meetings of the Centre. Opening with the General Annual Meeting and Conversazione the Centre had the pleasure of welcoming Miss Effie Bolton, who spoke on the aims and condition of the Society. The succeeding events have been: a violin and pianoforte recital by *Harold Fairhurst and *Reginald Paul; a visit from the Griller String Quartet; a lecture, Musical Origins, by the Rev. R. Capel Cure; and a programme by the Pirani Trio. H.A.D. HERTFORDSHIRE RURAL MUSIC SCHOOL The Hertfordshire Rural Music School will hold its third Founders' Day Gathering at Hitchin on June 18th, at 8-15 p.m. About three hundred adult students from twenty-five villages will assemble to make music together. They are fortunate this year in having persuaded Dr. Adrian Boult to conduct them, and are very much looking forward to this experience. Miss Ibberson, the director of the Rural Music School, will give a short account of the school's history and work. Anyone who would like to have an invitation for this gathering should write to The Secretary, Hertfordshire Rural Music School, 109 Bancroft, Hitchin. CENTRAL SOMERSET CENTRE It is perhaps curious that music, the most sociable of the arts, should not be immune from the effects of environment; but it is a fact, and one that is as fully recognised by festival organisers as it is ignored by concert promoters. The Central Somerset Centre, then, may feel some cause for gratification in having as a venue for its activities the arts and crafts settlement of Chalice Well, which with its guest house, nestles picturesquely at the foot of Glastonbury Tor, and which contains within its garden the Sacred Well wherein-so tradition has it-the Holy Grail was hidden. It seems fitting indeed, that music should play some part in the present-day activities of the ancient town of Glaston, the cultural influence of which has been so great in the past. The new centre came into being as a result of the enterprise of Mr. Frank Barnett, the Warden of Chalice Well, who shortly before Christmas, arranged for a visit from Eda Kersey and *Reginald Paul. Mr. Paul has many friends in Glastonbury, and his work as accompanist at the Glastonbury Festivals some ten years ago, is still remembered by many. For the concert on December 2nd, the Refectory at Chalice Well was crowded out-literally; for those who were unable to gain seats inside, sat outside on the stairs! They were an appreciative audience; and Miss Kersey and Mr. Paul gave them first the Sonata for Violin and Pianoforte in A, Op. 100, of Brahms, this being followed by a group of piano solos by Reginald Paul. Then came the new Delius Sonata, No. 3, magnificently played by both artists. Miss Kersey next contributed a group of solos, and the programme concluded with Grieg's Sonata for Violin and Pianoforte in F, Op. 8, also given a fine perform- ance. The occasion was made the opportunity for sounding opinion in connection with the proposal for starting a B.M.S. centre, and a considerable amount of interest was shown by those who were present; so that Miss Effie Bolton herself felt emboldened to visit Chalice Well and in conjunction with the warden, hold a meeting. This took place after Christmas, and was shortly followed by another. The result of these deliberations was that the Central Somerset Centre was born. The president of the new centre is Mrs. J. C. Clark, who has done most valuable work in supporting the movement; the vice-presidents are Mr. Roger Clark, Mr. Laurence Housman, and the Vicar of Glastonbury, the Rev. Lionel Lewis-a distinguished list of supporters. So far, two concerts have been held under the auspices of the centre, and these have been arranged by the London headquarters. The first was given by a pianoforte trio consisting of *Harry Isaacs (pianoforte), Jean Pougnet

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN (violin), and Charles Pini ('cello). They delighted a large audience of members and friends with the Brahms Trio in Eb, Op. 40, the Phantasie in C minor by Frank Bridge and the Trio No. 1, Op. 99, in Bb major, by Schubert. For the second concert, B.M.S. headquarters was able to arrange for a programme by Frederick Woodhouse, who gave a recital of English songs before a most enthusiastic gathering. The programme was divided into five groups, of which the first three consisted of sixteenth- and seventeenth- century examples, while the fourth and fifth were respectively composed of modern settings of old poetry by Denis Browne, George Oldroyde, Thomas Dunhill, and Frank Bridge, and some modern songs by George Butterworth, Vaughan Williams, and Thomas Dunhill. Mr. Woodhouse was accompanied by Josephine Lee in this delightful programme. The reception given to these excellent concerts would seem to augur well for the future success of the Central Somerset Centre; and perhaps, after all, it may fall to the lot of the B.M.S. to make Glastonbury the English Bayreuth -who can tell? Enthusiasm is great, and the environment all that could possibly be desired; we all hope that the coming of the B.M.S. to Glaston- bury may open wide the gates upon a brilliant future for music in Avalon. J.J. 22 MANCHESTER CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS The headquarters of the Society most kindly arranged for *Miss Marion Keighley Snowden to give a lecture-recital on Keyboard Music of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries on November 12th. Miss Snowden's beautiful Tudor costume at once aroused the interest of the audience, and she maintained it throughout by her clear, lucid story, her most interesting lantern slides, and the illustrations, which she played so delightfully, from the music of Orlando Gibbons, Byrd, Farnaby, John Bull, and Purcell. Her visit was one of the red letter days in the annals of the branch. On the last day of the term an enjoyable Carol Concert arranged by Miss *Maud V. Stell was given for the whole school. Miss Setty Losli and Miss Stell played two movements from Beethoven's Sonata in G for violin and pianoforte. At the meeting held on January 28th, 1932, it was a great pleasure to welcome again Miss *Norah Winstanley and Miss *Muriel Liddle who, with Miss Maud Stell, gave a violin, flute, and pianoforte recital. EAST GRINSTEAD CENTRE Those who have followed the development of pipe music as founded by Miss Margaret James will be interested to know that the East Grinstead Centre is forming a Reed Pipe Group. The handicraft of pipe making and the playing of these beautiful little instruments are new and fascinating pleasures for the amateur music lover and well within the scope of all who care to spend a short time daily in acquiring the simple technique. The pipes are made of bamboo, painted in gay colours (all according to the taste of the owner !) and have the dvantage of sting a few pence only; they are made in various pitches, and an accurately tuned scale in a wonderfully mellow tone can be produced. Mrs. Rigg, who is a keen member of the East Grinstead Centre, is taking the Reed Pipe Class, and particulars can be obtained from the B.M.S. Secretary at Headquarters who had the good fortune to be present at the demonstration given at Miss Lawrence's house at East Grinstead, when Mrs. Rigg and her friends played old English music in two parts and in unison. The effect was altogether delightful. This Centre also proposes to re-form its choir of mixed voices: it will be conducted by Mrs. Rigg whose choirs have met with so much success at the Lewes Festivals. OCT

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN 23 MANCHESTER CONTEMPORARY MUSIC CENTRE The proposed Recital of Krenek's work has had unfortunately to be cancelled, owing to the fact that Miss Bardsley, who had undertaken the arrangements, is prolonging her stay in Germany. On March 7th, *Frank Merrick gave a Pianoforte Recital of modern works (this Centre is devoted entirely to the performance of contemporary music), which included Bax's Third Sonata, Szymanowski's Three Masks, Five Preludes by Beachcroft, the Sonata Op. 28 in A minor by Prokofieff, and Arthur Benjamin's Suite. THE DOMINIONS VICTORIAN BRANCH (MELBOURNE) The Society has completed ten years of activity in Melbourne and we can very well be proud of the work achieved during those years. For a short period, the Centre experienced some financial difficulty which limited its functions, but with returning prosperity we can claim that this last year has been one of definite success. The Centre is fortunate enough in having real enthusiasm among its tried members, and it is gratifying to report that through the active work of these enthusiastic persons in finding out people who have the interests of music at heart, sixty-five new members have joined this year. There have been seven programmes, each of which has been notable for the high standard of performance. To show the wide range of interest that they covered, we may mention the Tudor Madrigals sung by the Victorian Singers, a Recital of Modern Pianoforte Music by John Simons (with an introductory talk by Miss Lorna Stirling,* whose name will be familiar to English members from her connection with the children's magazine, Panpipes,) a Lecture-Recital of Modern French Music, a Concert by the St. Paul's Cathedral Choristers under the direction of Dr. Floyd, a Piano and Violin Recital by Miss Elsie Fraser and Miss Gertrude Healy* which included the Third Sonatas of Bax and Delius, and a programme given by the Procter Trio. The fourth meeting was a Lecture on Modern Music by Mr. Edgar Bainton, Chairman of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Centre. In addition to these evenings, Mr. Clive Carey* and Miss Olive Bloom gave at very short notice a delightful programme. During the year, the musical world suffered a severe loss in the death of Dame Nellie Melba, who was Patron of our Branch. Her experience and enthusiasm ensured success to any project she undertook, and her death is an irreparable loss to Australia. We are indebted to Miss Lorna Stirling,* Dr. Thomas Wood* and Mr. Colin MacRae for gifts to the library; also to Mrs. Dyer,* who has sent out the music for a programme of modern French music, specially selected by Albert Roussel. The printing of a syllabus is an innovation which has met with general approval, and a Junior Membership has been inaugurated for the encourage- ment of young students. The most satisfactory item to report is that the sum of £150 has been added to the Endowment Fund, which now amounts to £1,678. This fund not only ensures the permanence of the British Music Society in Melbourne, but when the fund amounts to £2,000, the income therefrom will be available to pay the rent for the library. To come to more recent doings: the Centre is very happy to have had Mr. and Mrs. James Dyer* back in Melbourne, even if only for a short visit. They had an overwhelming welcome, and though, as Mrs. Dyer is acting Lady Mayoress for her brother, their engagement list is a very full one, they were able to be present at the Modern French programme on March 30th. Incidentally, on this occasion, they presented to the Centre a picture of a Market Scene in Paris by Dora Meeson, an Australian artist-a delightful way of linking the arts.

24 We are planning a Delius programme for the Annual Meeting at the end of July, and are grateful to London Headquarters for assistance over our shortage of his music which they have met by sending us nine songs. NEW ZEALAND Miss Valerie Corliss, Organiser of the B.M.S. Section in New Zealand, had promised an article for the Bulletin, but so busy has she been with the work of forming her Section that for the moment we must be satisfied with excerpts from her enthusiastic letter to Headquarters. THE B.M.S. BULLETIN On Monday, 11th April, we learn, the Inaugural Meeting took place at the Bristol Rooms, Wellington, for which, owing to the indisposition of the President, Sir Harold Beauchamp, the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, took the chair. The event was telegraphed throughout New Zealand and fully reported by a representative section of the Press. Prior to this, Miss Corliss had been invited to broadcast a talk on the B.M.S. from the Wellington Station, 2YA, so that all New Zealand is fully aware of the scheme. " Miss Corliss says: "Even in my most optimistic moments I never considered it possible that our launching could be such a success ; but it seems, on reading her letter and the Press reports, that Britain across the Seas is so keen to have its British Music Society, and its professional musicians and amateur music-lovers are so eager to get things actively going, that the venture could not possibly fail to be a success. "" To quote Miss Corliss again: "I hope we shall soon become your live-est, dearest (although furthest) Section, the one resembling most of all the Home Society in Great Britain, just as New Zealand and its people are said to be the most like 'Home' of all the Dominions." London responded to this warm expression of its youngest Child's enthusiasm in the following message: "The Chairman and Committee of the British Music Society congratulate the B.M.S. members in New Zealand on the courageous and efficient way in which they have launched their Section. This has proved that New Zealand has the gift of organising her intellectual and artistic resources for a high purpose, and this splendid effort in the cause of music will be watched with the closest interest and sympathy by the parent society in London. "" Realising to the full what powerful links music can make between us all in this great and wonderful Empire, we send you our warmest greetings, and wish you a long and increasingly active life." OFFICERS OF THE NEW ZEALAND SECTION B.M.S. President: Sir Harold Beauchamp. Vice-Presidents : The Hon. Sir Michael Myers, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, Sir Thomas Sidey, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, Mr. Robert Parker, Dr. Bradshaw, Mrs. B. B. Wood, Mr. D. M. Findlay, Mrs. Henry Hall, Dr. Galway, Mr. William M. Page and Dr. Phillips. Hon. Organiser: Miss Valerie Corliss. Hon. Secretary: Miss Mollie Atkinson. Hon. Treasurer: Mr. G. C. Alderson. Headquarters Council: Mr. Ernest Jenner, Mr. H. Temple White, Miss Clere, Mr. John Bishop, Mr. R. J. Bennett, Mr. George Ellwood, Mrs. I. Ginn, Mr. Karl Atkinson, Mr. H. H. Tombs, Mr. Roy Hill. OCT

THE B.M.S BULLETIN 25 Holiday Plans SUMMER Schools and Music Festivals crowd upon us during the next months. Just as we go to press, the Tenth International Festival of Contemporary Music will be taking place at Vienna. Arthur Bliss and Walter Leigh are the two composers representing Great Britain this time, with Leon Goossens and Hubert Foss as the only British executants. A most attractive programme of sight-seeing has been arranged in addition to the musical events of the Festival, including an excursion to Eisenach to participate in the Haydn Festival. Gala performances at the Opera include Alban Berg's Wozzeck, of which some of the music was broad- cast here a few weeks ago, Egon Wellesz's The Bacchantes, and Julius Bittner's The Musician. Ernst Krenek's music to Goethe's Triumph of Sensibility, short operas (modern) at the "Volksoper" and a concert of contemporary church music also come into the programme, of which almost the most intriguing item is a performance by the Spanish Riding School, when presumably the famous white horses will take part in the seventeenth century Chargers' Ballet ("Rosse-Ballet") of Schmelzer. Readers may be interested to have the names of the other composers whose works will be performed, with a view to spotting winners" later on: G. F. Malipiero, F. Finke, J. Schloss, B. Woitowicz, J. Mandic, E. Erdmann, von Hannenheim, J. Fitelberg, C. Delvincourt, R. Reiner, V. Rieti, L. Spinner, J. Francaix, T. Harsanyi, A. Schönberg, G. Mahler, E. Schulhoff (whose opera, The Flames, will be given at Brunn on the last night of the Festival). During July there will be Open-air Opera at Verona and Mozart-Wagner Opera at Munich. Milan will have an Opera and Concert Festival from July 25th to September 6th, and the Salzburg Festival runs from July 30th to August 31st. At Zoppot, near Dantzig, the Forest Opera begins towards the end of July, and d'Albert's Tiefland will be played. The second part of the Verona Open-air Opera Festival will be held from August 15th to 30th, and there will be a Bruckner Festival at Salzburg from August 21st to 26th. Munich will also be having an Opera Festival from August 23rd to 28th. September also will have its musical events. A Festival of Modern Music (International) will be held at Venice from the 3rd to the 15th, and for those who want something nearer home there will be a Chamber Orchestra Festival at Cassel on September 10th and 11th. "" For those who want a musical holiday in their own country, there is the Twelfth Annual Musicians' Holiday at Eastbourne from July 28th to August 25th, organised by the Training School for Music Teachers, 73 High Street, Marylebone. There will be courses specially intended for Kinder- garten Teachers, and for Teachers in Elementary and Secondary Schools, as well as an Orchestral Fortnight, directed by Mr. Ernest Read, for Amateur and Professional Orchestral Players. Two Lecture-Courses for the Pianoforte Teacher and in General School Music, each lasting a fortnight, will be given by such eminently qualified authorities on their several subjects as Mr. York Bowen, Mr. Steuart Wilson, Miss Nellie Holland, Mr. Ernest Fowles, Mr. Ernest Hunt and Miss Constance Hook. Bangor will again be the rendezvous for the (fourth) Summer School of Chamber Music from August 20th to September 3rd, directed by Mr. Ivor James, with the assistance of Miss Isolde Menges, Mrs. Nicholas, Mr. Harold Craxton, Mr. Alfred de Reyghere, Mr. F. Bonavia and Mr. Waldo Warner. The daily programme is usually playing under the supervision of coaches in the mornings, recreation in the afternoons and concerts in the evenings. Undoubtedly the jolliest way of going is to make up one's own party and enter as a team, but individuals are welcomed for the second week. For particulars, application should be made to the Secretary, British Federation of Musical Competition Festivals, 22 Surrey Street, London, W.C.2.

26 THE B.M.S. BULLETIN Then there is Major Bavin's Eleventh Summer Course in Music Teaching which will be held at Oxford from the 2nd to the 10th of August. The fee, inclusive of accommodation, will be Five Guineas, and by kind permission of the college authorities men students will be housed at Worcester College and Women Students at Somerville and St. Hilda's Colleges. All enquiries and applications for membership should be made to the Oxford University Press, Amen House, Warwick Square, E.C.4, or 116 High Street, Oxford, or to any of its branches or to any music-seller. There is also Mr. F. C. Field-Hyde's Summer Vacation Course 1932 at Cambridge from 29th July to 6th August, which is the only Holiday Course devoted to the complete treatment of all problems connected with Vocal Training. By arrangement with the Authorities the Course will again be held at Westminster College, Cambridge, where excellent and inclusive accom- modation is offered. Full particulars can be obtained from The Secretary, Miss E. Duniam- Jones, 16 Nutford Place, London, W.1. For the Honour of Music By W. R. ANDERSON 66 IT seems to me sad that the public has of late years been led to think the understanding of music infinitely easier than in fact it is; that people have never been urged to differentiate between knowing-what-I-like and knowing about music. As a direct consequence, a by no means inconsiderable party has arisen which, through the easy goodwill of editors, has been given space in print in which to scoff at professional musicians. This party declares one music-lover" as good as another (and has a conveniently easy definition of the word "music-lover," which ought to be a term of honour, conferred after hard work), and it usually prefers and employs an amateur to a professional person. Its members are often clamorous, supporting their outcries with generalisations instead of facts, and are apt to reply, on being challenged as to their knowledge of some work which is in dispute, "Oh, I don't pretend to be able to read music !" Now this party is an evil, and it works harm to right-minded amateurs (who are the professional musician's best friends) as well as to the man who has to earn his living in music. I cannot readily think of a better reason for the British Music Society's holding together and going forward than this: that the cantankerous party I have defined needs all the opposition that amateurs and pro- fessionals can unitedly put up. It is not an element in musical life which we can pass by. It is a growing element, and a wholly bad one. This is an age of impatience and indiscipline. Music, if it is to be pursued in quietness and fruitful joy, needs both patience and discipline. My own feeling is-and it is a feeling that has grown out of experience alone-that we are in danger of trying to bring into music some people who frankly are not fit for it. There is a way of looking at art which deems it simply a minister to our hours of Мост

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN 27 recreation a toy. That is a perfectly legitimate outlook, however limited; but it would be folly to call such people "music lovers"; and it is because of the commercialisation of music (and largely, to my mind, also because of its centralisation in the hands of one corporation) that thousands of people are coming to think little of it, even as they hear more of it. Music, after all, is not a language that all can pick up. Some of the defenders of the plain man do not seem to understand our anxiety about his being properly taken in hand, or else left alone. They scarcely remember being taught : these gifted beings had the knack of it, and probably were brought up with music all around them. For the average man, any real musical knowledge or skill, however modest, takes some years of hard work; and how many of the switchers-in-the-ether are prepared for that? I think that most musicians who have tried to teach any form of "appreciation" will agree that the scientific probing and proving of a method in it is still in an elementary stage. Apprecia- tion, after all, is not now a new thing; and if we are asked what we have to show for all the years of effort-what really provable results we have-what is the answer? What, also, is the answer to that conundrum which Mr. Kerridge propounded with such disarming modesty: how is it that in Germany, which seems to have nothing corresponding to our treatment of "appreciation as a speciality, they seem to have been tolerably musical for quite a long time? Some point to the B.B.C.'s new crowds-ten thousand fresh licences (is it not?) a week; some affectionately declare faith in the permanence of the Proms' pull. But the other side of the shield swings round, and we are reminded of the endless stream of rubbishy music, the things still sung in worship-music, the commercially-backed craze for dance music, the B.B.C.'s weekly hours of trash. What is the reckoning? Who shall cast up these confused columns and strike a balance? These are hard questions, and I think they leave one dubious or unaffected, according to the measure of one's personal experience. too soon. It is not, then, surprising if we find many musicians moving to the conviction that the higher study of music is often approached That is not to deny any eager searcher access to all manner of music: every wise parent knows how mind-stretching and aesthetically valuable is the run through a well-stored library; and, we are happy to remember, the right person will get education and artistic happiness, if he has to swim through glue to get it. The layman is increasingly questioning the musician, and much of that questioning forms quite the best thing that has ever happened to musicians. Such a question as "What do you promise me, if I pay for musical training for myself or my child? What shall I know about music in general, apart from learning to produce sounds?" is honest and necessary. The right teacher can answer as honestly, and convincingly.

28 THE B.M.S. BULLETIN 66 What is the best service that the layman can do the musician? In the language of to-day, "Buy his goods" is an obvious and only too necessary first reply. But in happier times I can think of another that should come even before that : Help to make the profession fit for fit musicians": and the layman's respon- sibility over that includes probing for value-for-money, trusting the right man to manage his work in his own way, and stamping out the charlatan-a work never sufficiently attacked in this country, where, to the shame of many, any four letters after a name are as good as any others, and it is not necessary for a person who promises to teach a subject to have been taught that subject himself by a competent master. Not all the graces of musicianship are necessary for all. I have known some shrewd and marrowy commentators upon works of music who could not readily read a score, or even (in one or two curious instances) be very sure whether a choir were sharpening or flattening. There are many mansions in music, and not even all musicians are equally at home in every one of them; but I would plead for the support of laymen in the demand that all possible economy of time and solidity of training should inform music teaching, and that developed aural training should be the broad base of all such work whatever. Over music in our educa- tion we have been attempting, as it were, to patch up our Waterloo Bridge at a cost far greater than the £10,000 a year which that curious enterprise involves. Without keen and continued ear- training, music can be nothing to any of us but a mild amusement, just as any enterprise or sport is, in which we are not sufficiently interested to learn and work. There is truth for musical people in the good old saying “He that will not work, neither shall he eat." What I would like to do, then, is to beg all well-wishers to back up musicians who want to use any reasonable scientific and psychological aid to make music-teaching, and all forms of appreciation," the happier and stronger, by founding it on fact, not fiction. If music is worth anything, and means anything to us, it is, above all, to be respected: and so are its honest practitioners. Every piece of happy co-operation between layman and professional strikes a spark from both, and adds to the pure flame of music s honour. Arnold Bax's Symphonies "" WELCOME news comes that Bax's Fourth Symphony will receive its "first performance in England at a Courtauld-Sargent Concert next December. This composition, it will be remembered, scored a great triumph when introduced to a San Francisco audience by Mr. Basil Cameron last March. Bax's symphonies, generally admitted to contain much of his finest music, are gradually winning a sure place in the public's affections. No. 3, in particular, has been most cordially received; and wider recognition for the others seems now chiefly to be a matter of time and sufficient performances. Readers may be interested, therefore, to learn that Messrs. Murdoch, OCT

THE B.M.S. BULLETIN Murdoch & Co., 461 Oxford Street, W.1, will publish during September, with the composer's approval, a short Handbook on Bax's Symphonies by Mr. Robert H. Hull. The contents, mainly analytical and descriptive, aim simply to offer a modest guide illustrated, so far as space admits, with single-line musical examples. It is hoped that a book of this kind may prove helpful to people who prefer to acquaint themselves with the outline and general character of the symphonies before attending the actual performance, or who are anxious to refresh their memories after the event. Perhaps, too, this handbook may supply, in some degree, the requirements of students hitherto unable to obtain, in convenient form, necessary information regarding the symphonies and their individual characteristics. The publishers, desiring to make the book readily available to all, have decided to restrict its price to two shillings. 29 News of Artist Members HELOISE RUSSELL-FERGUSSON has travelled extensively at home and abroad with programmes of Hebridean Songs,* to the Celtic harp, which were received with particular appreciation in Vienna, Holland, and Sweden. A well-known German university presented two programmes during the year. In March a tour of Scottish towns was undertaken, evoking spontaneous approval from the press, and broadcasting engagements were fulfilled in Manchester and Scotland. A visit to the Island of Gigha, the home of Kenneth Macleod, the Gaelic poet, enabled her to have some valuable study with him of ancient highland lore and legend, and to take down from him many songs hitherto unnoted. A concert was also given for the Bournemouth Branch of the B.M.S. Miss Russell-Fergusson's annual London recital took place on June 7th, at Aeolian Hall. REGINALD PAUL has appeared both in solo and chamber-music recitals at several B.M.S. centres, including Liverpool, Belfast, Bournemouth, New- castle, Alnwick, Camberley, Plymouth, and those in the London area. Though now possessing an extensive repertoire embracing all styles, he has not neglected the music of British composers, old and new. Last season he gave the first performance of Arnold Foster's Concerto on Country-Dance Tunes at Bournemouth, Hastings, Eastbourne, and with the B.B.C. Orchestra. He has specialised in the chamber works of Delius, Ireland, and Bax, the latter of whom lately dedicated to him his Serpent Dance. He has given several concerts in Holland, and toured South Africa. * * * JOHN Goss, who now spends more than half of each grass season in America, has had great success this year in concerts with the London Singers The whole party are returning there at the end of October for a four months' tour. * * * MONA LEIGH Successfully organised a series of six Sunday afternoon Chamber Concerts between Christmas and Easter, which took place in the delightful little theatre of the Ballet Club at Ladbroke Road, Notting Hill Gate. Miss Leigh made a point of having one British work of importance in each programme, and in the course of the series Goossens's Flute Trio, Ireland's First Violin Sonata, a Trio by O'Connor Morris, a work for two Violins (Cueca) by Norman Fraser, and Elgar's Violin Sonata were given, as well as pieces by Bax and Purcell, and songs by a number of native composers. In these days of extreme difficulty in concert-giving, it may be useful to other artists to know that this season was run on a profit-sharing basis, not with fees; and that the participators came out well on the right side." Arrangements for another season are therefore already in hand. * Songs of the Hebrides, arranged by Marjorie Kennedy Fraser

30 THE HETTY BOLTON PIANO TRIO which is to play at the B.M.S. Summer Concert and Garden Party on 16th July (see page 16) has a considerable repertoire, including trios by the following British composers: Ireland, Bridge, Friskin, Hurlstone, Rebecca Clarke and Moeran. The Trio consists of :- THE B.M.S. BULLETIN HETTY BOLTON, who gave a recital of modern British music (Bax, Delius, Grainger, Ireland) for the Berlin Witzleben Station last September. One of her London recitals included the Cyril Scott Sonata which is seldom played, and for which she received high praise from The Times critic. She has also performed the later Beethoven Piano Sonatas with marked success and during the week commencing 20th June will broadcast five Beethoven Piano and Violin Sonatas for the B.B.C. Foundations of Music series with HAROLD FAIRHURST, who studied under Sarah Fennings and later went to Sevčik and Ysaye. In 1924 he toured South Africa with Carrie Tubb and Reginald Paul, travelling 20,000 miles in four months, and he has also played concertos with many British and Continental orchestras. Harold Fairhurst has given recitals in London, the Hague and Amsterdam. HELEN JUST is the 'cellist of the Trio: she hails from Bristol and held a scholarship at the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Ivor James. Last January she gave a first performance of Delius's Elegy and Caprice, and her repertoire includes sonatas by Bridge, Ireland, Delius, Bax, Kodaly, Dohnanyi and Huré, and the Bartok Rhapsodie. Helen Just has played concertos with various orchestras and she is the 'cellist of the Whinyates Quartet. Scherzando Composed and contributed by a Member X: "I have just heard that the B.M.S. is not on the verge of collapse." Y: "Verge of collapse, indeed! Why, I have just been looking through the second issue of the new B.M.S. Bulletin which speak's of the President's interest in the Society, a big new Section in New Zealand, fresh Centres opening up later in the year, a Summer Concert and Garden Party in July and and ; but come along to B.M.S. Headquarters and I will get a copy for you, and you can read all about it for yourself. X: "B.M.S. Headquarters? Well, I was at a party the other night and I overheard one of your members asking what on earth B.M.S. Headquarters does ! 66 Y: 'We have just reached the office and we will put that question to the secretary." After the usual formalities, Y asked the secretary what Headquarters does. The secretary tried to say so much at once that only a compound of printers' ink mixed with a strong restorative specially prepared for her at the exhibition at Vincennes, and administered by the editor of the Bulletin, enabled her fifteen minutes later, to hand X his membership card in exchange for his guinea. During the secretary's spasm X had tactfully withdrawn to a corner of the office there to peruse the Bulletin which had entirely con- vinced him that he ought to join the B.M.S. without further delay. * * * * SHOW YOUR BULLETIN TO YOUR FRIENDS. Have You Filled in the Application Form for the SUMMER CONCERT and GARDEN PARTY Saturday, 16 July, 1932 ? 32 JUN OCT

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