The song accompanist has always been the Cinderella among pianists
; and yet a good accompanist, who really knows how to subordinate himself to the singer and yet at the same time do full justice to the music, is almost as rare as a good soloist. It is usually his ignominious lot, however, to be left to slink off the platform as the singer returns to acknowledge the tumult of applause. Why cannot singers be as generous to their accompanists as concerto soloists are to their conductors ? It is good to see the B.B.C. making a be- lated atonement in this connexion by announcing (sometimes) the name of the accompanist as well as of the soloist. There were, - however, two recent unhappy omissions. Who was Elena Gerhardt's splendid accompanist ? And who sup- ported Emmy Hein in her memorable singing of a group of • Schonberg songs ? * *
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