MUSIC IN CHRISTCHURCH.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17812, 11 July 1923, Page 10

MUSIC IN CHRISTCHURCH.

DR. BRADSHAW'S VIEWS,, Under the heading of "Church and Organ Music —a Talk with Dr. John O. Bradshaw," the "Musical Times" (England) of May Ist hist prints an article dealing with Dr. Bradabaw'9 recent holiday visit to the Old Country. After giving a sketch of Dr. Bradishaw's work in New Zealand, the writer recounts an interview he had with the Chi'istchurch organist. "For twenty- years," Dr. Bradsha.w said, "I have held the jposition of Lecturer in Musio at Canterbury College, University of . New Zealand. The College grants musical degrees, the examiner for many years having been Sir Clmiies Stanford. For about sixteen years I have been musical director of the Hoyal Chiistehurch Musical Society, the oldest organisation of its kind in Australasia. It was founded over sixty years ago. The Society, with a chorus and orchestra of about two hundred, has produced a long list of standard works, from Handel to Elgor. Then there is a later organisation, the Christchurch Male Voice Choir, which I had the honour of founding. Its concerts are so popular that each one has to be given three times, with an audience of a. thousand on each occasion. An attractive feature in every programme is the co-operation of the Cathedral choirboys in a few items. We thus got an S.A.T.B. choir, well adapted for singing old English glees and madrigals." "Is there a city organistp" "There is—or was," replied Dr. Bradshaw. "I held the post until it ceased abruptly during the war, when a.disastjous fire completely destroyed the fintr. four-manual thai had been presented to the city in 19C8. We are hoping that before long we shall have a now «.nd model concert hall and a new organ." "How About orchestral music?" "It is in rather a bad way just now, as seems to be the case everywhere,. In New Zealand it is not nearly *> good as it was twenty years ago, chiefly owing to the competition of the ein ma?. These absorb the best players, owing to the high rate of pay they are able to offer. As a result, it is difficult to get together a good orchestra for ooncerb work. One cinema, for example, has an orchestra, of between twenty and thirty excellent players, and they do a lot of good music. The public therefore gets plenty of orchestral music in a way, but its chances for hearing big complete works, choral and orchestral, are fewrr than ought to be the case." "What are the prospects for British musicians coming across?" I asked. "I should advise nobody to come over unless he l has an appointment to step into. _ Competition in the teaching world is teen, and unless a new-comer holds some kind of post to serve as an introduction, he is likely to find it a slow job building up a. practice, lhe cost of living is usually higher than in England, though, so far as I can see, it is at present about the same.'"