Choir and Orchestra

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23940, 6 May 1943, Page 4

Choir and Orchestra

It has often been suggested in Christchurch that, if the musical societies were to combine—not necessarily to amalgamate—they could from time to time perform works beyond the capacity of any of them singly; at least at a properly high level of performance. A few days ago the question was again asked by the music critic of “The Press”; and a correspondent raised the related question, whether the difficulty of assembling the orchestra necessary for some such performances could not be overcome by using the Civic Theatre organ. In a statement printed yesterday the conductor of the Royal Musical Society, Mr C. Foster Browne, and the conductor of the Harmonic Society, Mr V. C. Peters, usefully answered these questions, without reference, however, to a factor which, if combination is possible at all, makes it more desirable than ever to try it. War service, in one form or another, has greatly reduced the number of singers and instrumentalists available. Mr Browne and Mr Peters, who are able to say that there is no want of the will to co-operate, point to two obstacles in the way. The first :s that no stage in Christchurch will hold the members of two societies. This, of course, points directly back to the error of the Christchurch City Council, which, setting out to build a concert chamber, stretched the auditorium and skimped the stage and spoiled the job. It may be suggested, however, that the want of a stage large enough for the two choirs together only prevents combination on this scale; it does not prevent combination in a choir selected from both societies, and from others, for quality, balance, and skill. To take an instance which has been mentioned in the present discussion, Bach’s Mass in B minor was not written for a huge choir; its effect is not necessarily greater and grander when it is performed by a huge choir, in the modern fashion, than in the performance, say, of the Bach Cantata Society, London, which uses for it only 30 or 40 voices. Selective combination for such a purpose, certainly, makes a heavier demand on co-operation than total combination. Some singers must stand down. But if that is the only way, or the best way, to achieve the purpose, the demand ought not to be too heavy. In Christchurch, if not the only way, it will often be the best. The conductors’ second difficulty is that the Civic Theatre organ, divided and placed as the pipes are, will not serve as a substitute for an orchestra; but this difficulty, they believe, can be overcome, and their proposal is entirely reasonable. The National Broadcasting Service, when it programmes orchestrally supported choral works, allows the 3YA orchestra to be used. This help would be much more useful than it is, and more useful, in opening

J a wider range of work to worthy I performance, if the National Broadcasting Service would engage, and pay, the extra instrumentalists required from time to time; and if, also, it would authorise, and pay for, sufficient rehearsals. The official view may be that to meet such a request at all would be to encourage it in extravagantly ambitious forms, and that it would cost a great deal of money. The answer is that the National Broadcasting Service should have—if it has not—a musical director perfectly well able to tell what requests are necessary and what are not; and that a small fraction of the enormous revenue surplus, spent in this way, would enrich programmes and raise standards of performance. The conductors look further than this when they propose, also, that the National Orchestra should be re-established and that its services should be extended beyond Wellington; but they do not look too far. That advance must come. But while it may be necessary to wait for that, it is not necessary to wait for the shorter one. By combining in the right way and for the right occasions, the Christcfiurch musical societies can present a much stronger demand for it. They should consider this.