1930-08-14 — Page 5

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HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1930.

MUSIC AND THE

ALL BROW."

V. THE APPEAL OF THE BALLAD.

| EXTRACTS FROM LAST NIGHT'S

RADIO TALK.

The following extracts are taken from last night's radio talk on

Music and, the All Brown. Before dealing with the appeal of the Ballad. I propose offering a few remarka on its history and nature. Then a few of them shall be discussed in detail, and finally one or two suitable examples will

be sung.

A Ballad is, broadly speaking, a tune to which words and accom- panimental notes have been added. Taking the part that is sung as the captain, the accompaniment be comes hia, team. In some cases the team is a brilliant one, in others very much the opposite.

COLONIAL OFFICE CONFERENCE.

LINKING-UP. THE EMPIRE:

POSSIBILITIES OF "

BROADCASTING,

Shakespeare Ax Inspiration. If proof is needed for this asser- tion, you have only to note how serious composers had to look back to Shakespeare and other early poets for their inspiration. The words of the Ballads of this period, if pulled to pieces, were mainly | chosen for (1) their absence of un- comfortable vowel sounds and ex- plosive consonants and (2) their

Lord Passfield, Secretary of exaggerated display of emotion. If State for the Colonies, presided at of the you have copies of Roses of the anal plenary session

Colonial Office conference last Picardy" or Thora at home, they can be examined critically as month. deraonstrating these points-com- Surveying the various subjects paratively recent as they are. The which the conference had had un first of these two belongs to what der consideration, Lord Passfivid might be described as the "horti-expressed the hope that some prac cultural school of Ballada. These tical results might follow their deal with roses, violets, lavender discussions on the subject of Em- and the like, and are all easy to pire broadcasting, à potent me- sing, owing to their carefully chosen thed of linking up the Empire word-sounds. It seems a pity other With regard to transport, the re- garden produce has not been called port of the committee appointed to In to supplement the small list, consider the several aspects of this such as the font stool, which, with question would undoubtedly be of the sounds of "job" and "oo" is service to the respective Colonial very singable

Governments in the development at a properly co-ordinated system. a rail and road communications. Referring to the influence of films cu education, Lord Passfield said that in the future, the kinema might well be as important a fac tor in Africa as it had proved in Europe and in the United States. In Africa the film was yet in its infancy and the report of the Colonial Films Committee had shown what great care would be needed in the development of this branch of education, especially in respect of supply and censorship,

Although laying myself open to charge of intolerance, I cannot but feel that these Ballads seem to wallow in outpourings, of un- requited affection, suicidal infatua- tion, intensified religious mauia, and all these qualities generally barred by the typical Britisher as being of the "heart-on-the-sleeve variety.

་་

** The Trumpeter.".. And now let us take a well-known Ballad and see what we can learn from its words.

"Trumpeter " being probably an old acquaintance of all listening, let us take him as our specimen. Here are a few con- clusions to be drawn from its word- ing..

The origin of the Ballad is "wropt in mixtery." It is certain, however, that from the earliest days the putting of cheerful words to musical notea was regarded as a natural means of self-expression. The Psalm which is the first to open

Public health, in which so much morning Prayer-"Oh come, let us

had been done duirng the past thirty years, was another question sing unto the Lord "

is an early

of Miterally vital importance which example of this, and one would be

had been before the conference, and justified in believing that our first (1) Amongst the troops in the one which would engage the con- parents crooned their first born to

battle described are the cavalrystant and increasing attention of whose

**sabres flash out and at-colonial administrations, especial- ́sleep, as has been the natural in-tached to whom, presumably in thisly in places such as tropical Africa,

stinct of parents all down the ages. Very possibly the seashanty can be attributed to Noah and his faithful band. Anyway, and this is a vitally important point, the words, were of the major importance and their expression in musical notes merely intensified their emotion, whether of joy, sorrow, hilarity, content, gratitude, etc.

Many centuries after, and yet very much in the past, the more civilised type of mind evolved the idea of adding under-parts to the

word-tune.

Invention of the Piano.

ま)

Later came the invention of the keyed instrument, the forerunner for one person of our piano of to-day which made it possible for one person to play all these separate interwoven tunes, What more natural than the appearance of a band of music writers who pro- duced accompaniments to the sung tune, and gave us the very earliest Ballads? In these early essays, the words were, as always, the chief consideration and the tune itself The accompaniment was more in the nature of a background which added a slight interest and

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erally these carly 'Ballads were of hmore placid and gentle type than their successors, owing to these early pioneers not having had our later realisation of how the team can combine to intensify the mean- ing of the words of a song., Such Ballads are typified in "The Lags with the Delicate Air," which, you heard in the Volunteer Concert broadcast on Friday last "and" "Passing By," which will be sung

later this evening."

By the way, later composers have been so charmed with some of the

4,,

Trumpeter...

(2) The questioner who keeps on asking what the Trumpeter is sounding is obviously of an enquir ing turn of mind, though ignorant, as he doesn't even recognise the Reveille. Tais implies that he has

no musical eár að allt

"

(3) Furthermore he is very short. sighted, as the Trumpeter has to call his attention to the effect on the troops of the various trumpet

blasts..

(4) Why is this questioner there? He speaks the same language as the Trumpeter, so doesn't belong to an allied args. And we can ignore, the idea of his being a spy, such a Aight of originality is beyond the

in years to come.

Fishing and Agriculture.

Lord Passfield then touched upon the fishing industry and suggested that in this direction particularly, there was room for wide expansion In the colonies. In their forests, also, the Colonies had an asset of great economic importance.

one.

The main productive enterprise of the colonies, was, and must al- ways remain, agriculture in or other of its phases, and Lord bad been taken at that conference Passfield hoped a practical step in the direction of a unified agri- cultural service, which would prove of benefit not only in recruiting,

upon specialist agriculturista for

conception of the word writer. No, but in enabling each colony to call by eliminating the idea of his being a raw recruit or a deserter (either of whom would hardly risk speaking to a fellow combatant during action" for fear of trouble, we can only conclude that he is a war correspon dent.

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aid in the solution of those big ciple, and has left it to the Secret- problems that constantly recurred. ary of State to see what practical "That brings me," he continued, plan can be worked out by the aid to the question of the urification of a committee for submission to of the colonial services generally, the colonial Governments. I re The conference has contented itself cognise that without such a confer (5) The Trumpeter himself is awith approving the idea, the prin-ence as this, without the give and queer mixture., He starts off in quite crude language, but forgete bimself later and expresses himself dwells morbidly on the horrors of in almost stilted speech. He also

the battle but cheers up at his fight

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A Horticultural Ballad One final word on the question, of the horticultural Ballad. Here is a refrain-the words are uncopy- righted so there is no restriction on their use-that you may find in- spires you to set to music: "I roained beside your garden,

My heart bowed down with care It's tossed about by every wind

that blows

And yet for years and still more

years

I'll never cease to wear The seed pod of your lovely blood.

red rose

Ab A-aht Abl Ashl The seed-pod of your lovely blood

red rose.

Thanks to the advent of Stephen- Rupert Brooke, Houseman, Mase field and others, there is now no great death of words worthy of setting to music. All the same, there is yet room for more, so roll

writers of good lyrics:

old song tunes that they have written new accompaniments to them. This has been done with the "Londonderry Air,' 4Cherry Ripe "and" Drink to me only " the last of which will also be put. There are other kinds of Ballads,

such as the profesmonal type later on the air.

Stonecracker John" for example Then came the period when the-the geographical-e.p.; the Devon Bellad was used as a means to dis group and many others, but time will not permit of further discus- play, the voice, the words being of sion. The only thing to remember little or no significance. This began is that the perfect Ballad is made up of perfect poetry wedded to a during last century, and has persist-perfect tunc-captain backed up by a ed right on till to-day. Of course, perfect harmony-team exceptions in large quantities can Following the talk Mr. Annies

'sang:

(1) Passing By" (Purcell) presenting the early Ballad

be found, much as "The Yeoman'a Wedding Song and many others, These were the narrative type of (2) Oh, Mistress Mine" (Quil Ballad in which the singer told theter) showing, a modern treatment of

Shakespeare's words, dis story as through an onlooker. It (3)Drink to me only" (Quil- was in the one-sided conversation" ter) as an example of a new teand

functioning with an old captain.

to listen on Friday night to the song "Love went a riding in the Studio Concert. It is an astonish ing study of a graphic modern trest- ment of vivid and picturesque words,

Next cek's talk: Syncopa tion:"

forth in the first person about his inner feelings, that composers came such croppers. (In all fairness there is the instance of The Lute Player and others which steered alear of these pitfalls).

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