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WORKMEN'S TOPICS.

Welsh Tit-Bits. ♦ --.---

Closely Guarded.

MUSIC IN WALES.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

MUSIC IN WALES. By D. EMLYN EVANS. FAMOUS FLUTE PLAYERS. An esteemed correspondent has forwarded us an interesting if somewhat belated number of the Musical World," containing, amongst other things, a very readable article on Famous Flautists of to-day," withpboto- graphs, the artistes receiving notice in the number being Mr John Radcliff, Mr De Jong. Mr I. F. Brossa, Mr V. L. Needham. Mr W. L. Barrett. and Mr D. S. Wood. Naturally, the one that would first attract the attention of the Welsh reader would be Mr W. L. Barrett, who hails from Dinas Mawddwv, that neglected village called a city lying in a picturesque valley sheltering under the pine-clad hills of Merioneth, but close to the borders of Mont- gomery. Dinas is one of the ancient homes of the crwth, the harp. and pennillion singing, keeping up its reputation for the latter, at least, up to the present day Mr Barrett himself being a direct descendant, on the maternal side, of one of the most noted musical families of the place. But we cannot do better than quote what the Musical World says of our eminent Welsh flautist. Mr William Lewis Barrett," so it reads, "succeeded Mr Radcliff —the doyen of English (or British) flautists— on tour with the English Opera Company under Meyer Lutz. He comes of a musical stock, his father being a violinist of (l'stinction and on the mother's aide he is Welsh, which language he spoke to perfection. In 1888, on the death of Svensden, he became principal flute in many leading orchestras, including that of the Philharmonic Society, the Bach choir, Richter's arid Henschell's concerts, the Birmingham festival, the Three Choirs, the Norwich, the Cardiff, and other festivals. At the opening of the Royal College of Music, Mr Barrett was- appointed professor of the flute in that institution. He has frequently played at Windsor and Balmoral, and was more than once personally complimented, more especially on h.s exquisite tone, by her late Majesty Queen Victoria.. About 1891 he toured with Madame Albani in Canada and the United States. Mr Barrett has introduced a modification of the key mechanfem whereby one may do away with the open D at will, and turn it into C sharp." Those who have heard Air Barrett's solo work, whether in opera or at festivals, or playing obbligato to one of the queens of sang on the concert platform, can well understand and endorse Queen Victoria's appreciation of his quality of tone the flute tone proper, soft tender, velvetty, and which the writer, at least, has not heard to more complete satisfaction from any other player. The Tune Caersalem Once More. A kindly West Wales reader writes to us as follows apropos the abova tune, reference to which was made in this column a fortnight since r—•' J have read with interest your notes on the tune Caersalem-' It is satisfactory to be able to trace the author. And now as refer- ence is made to the tune, I am wondering you are aware of the Dew reading of the closing bars." (The musical illustrations given by our correspondent represent the final strain sung throughout with equal notes, and not with the penultimate and antepenultimate notes elongated into semibreves—instead of minims—as ts the authenticated version.} Hew the alteration came about I am unable to say, but it is & great pity, as the massive effect of the eloging cadences is entirely lost; apart from the hullabaloo that occurs where some try to sing the correct way and others the new at a public meeting. That experience occurred to me lately when splaying the tune at the closte (of a very impressive service. The choiike-ptwith the.orgap, bat you can imagine my intense disgust when some of the congrega- tion shot forward, and finished a bar in advance. I need not describe the result. I observed that a correspondent in the South Wales Daily News during the revival called attention to this matter, and appealed to all musicians to stand by the correct reading. I think you would be doing a real service to psalmody if you were to point out this piece of gross tinkering of a standard,tone. If the evil is not corrected it will lie impossible to keep the tune going where there is a risk of people rendering it both ways." We comply with the writer's request by giving publicity to his protest. Possibly the reversed version crept in to the print which our correspondent mentions, but which it is not necessary to publish here, through error, or ignorance of the correct form or it may be it was deliberately edited anew by an adherens of the dum- dum method of hymn-tune writing. In any event the alteration is only calculated to eause very needless confusion, and the old wav is not only the one which is familiar to the people generally, but is also the more correct theoretically as well as more effective. Brass Band Adjudicators. The secretary of a brisss band contest in Wales having written to the editor of the Brass Band News," an able, well-conducted, and long established musical journal, asking him for his opinion of the qualifications of their appointed adjudicator, receives his answer in a recen issue of the above-mentioned journal. Why the secretary should have sought an outside opinion at all, especially if done after the appointment had been made, we do not know. but here is the editor's reply, couched as usual in pretty straight language can scarcely fail to be understood. Mr A wishes us to gire an opinion as to the qualifications of Mr X as adjudicator of their coni^M- We are ashamed to do so. Mr X is one of the foremostcomposers, not only of Wales, but of the United Kingdom, and as a musician we would much rather be judged by him than by 75 per cent, of the ordinary brass band judges. Only the other day Mr Will Halliwell said We brass band people are getting hide-bound. We teachers dare not give free rein to our fancy, because the judge will not stand anything unusual. Give me a musician, a man who can name every chord, and to whom the music is as clear B daylight. There are many conductors of choral societies who can see great defects in our b-est brass bands but we would not listen to them-they: are only musicians. We prefer 8, brass, band player, and as a matter of fact, some of our brass bandf judges never could either teach Dr play.' Welsh musicians are not in any wav anxious to revert back to the rule that obtained some years ago, and add brass band adjudicating to their already other heavy work but rather, are glad to be relieved to that extent.. There are various matters, how- ever, in connection with br&ss band competi. tions that would be none the worse for a little airing. Probably a good many will agree that the one touched upon above is amongst them, and that none can speak with better authority on it than the journal quoted from.

By Degrees.

Illustrated Humour.

TALKS ON HEALTH.

[No title]

THE BACHELOR'S CHILD.

[No title]

Fashion and Things Feminine.

[No title]

IWELSH GLEANINGS.

Too Smart.