Evening star., 1961-03-08

He was married three times.
His first marriage, in 1908, to
Utica Celestia Welles of New
York, ended in 1943 in divorce.
Soon after he married Betty
Humby, English pianist, who
died in 1858. In 1859 he mar
.ried his 27-year-old secretary,
Shirley Hudson. He had two
sons by his first marriage.
Made Debut in Teens
After studying music at OK
ford. he made lis debut in his
teens conducting the celebrated
Halle Orchestra. In 1906 he
organized the New Symphony
Orchestra and four years later
the Beecham Opera Company.
He moved into the front rank
of British conductors when he
took over the London Phil
harmonic in 1915.
He made his American debut
with the New York philhar-
monic in 1928 and thereafter
was a frequent visitor to
American orchestraS. He spent
much of World War II in the
United States.
In 1857 came fresh laurels.
Sir Thomas was made a Com
panion of Honor, one of Brit
aims highest awards.
Strutting and cloWning from
one comic controversy to the
next. the pudgy. goateed little
figure won a permanent place
on the British landscape.
More uproarious anecdotes,
most of them true, are told
about the impish little man
than about any other promi-
nent Briton. Most of all he
liked to bait his own loyal,
adoring audiences.
Rising Ratio
The larger the crowd around
him, the more 'it brings out
the Satan in me-" he explained
on one occasion. IF I see 1000
people. I feel quite malicious.
If I see 5000. I feel positively
evil"
He once told a concert crowd
they were "a pack OF idiots"
He once shouted at another:
Shut up!"
After a concert in Manches-
ter he said he would never re-
turn there because he was
tired of playing to savages."
Few things irritated the old
man more than applause in the
wrong place.
In Montreal in 1912, con-
Quoting Gounod'S Romeo and
Juliet" Sir Thomas turned on
an audience which applauded
too soon and shouted:
Silence! We don't applaud
before the orchestra has fin
ished playing"
When the orchestra did fin
ish, the audience retorted in
Beecham-like style. 1t booed
him.
Hated Modern Music"
Sir Thomas was stern, un-
compromising critic of modern
music. 1t wasn't tuneful
enough - and he admitted
simply that he liked music that
had a melody.
Il have no interest in these
systems that many composers
are using nowadays" he once
said. They don't mean any,
thing to me-"
He had his own definition
of what made good music
good music is that which pen
etrateS the ear with facility
and quits the memory with diff
ficulty. You must be able
to remember music, otherwise
1t does not mean anything"
While making the selection
OF musicians, Sir Thomas dis
cussed the subject of women
In orchestras.
Il have an exaggerated sense
OF chivalry," he said, land
therefore I am not over-fond
OF women in my orcheStras. 1
lind 1t embarrassing to rebuke
them. Women in an orchestra
tend to distract the more in
flammable male members. If
the woman happens to be i'll
favored, man doesn't want to
play next to her; If she is we'll
favored, he can't"
nuoI;e;oI e. Uy.
But that raised the question
OF what to do about the viola.
"A man cannot make the viola
agreeable to me-" he confided.
1T is the one instrument
which women can play su-
premely we'll"
His barbs Of witticiSm spared
none. A famous soprano COM
planned at rehearsal that she
missed her cue because the
basso Of the scene dies too
soon." Madame" Beecham re-
torted, mo opera singer ever
dies too SOON"
Among his well-known re-
marks were these:
my most successful season
of opera was in Russian. No
one understood a word of it."
British composition is in a
state of perpetual promise. 1t
N icrEA lnn rniA n hn ln