Old Record Found For Woman In U.S.

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30348, 25 January 1964, Page 14

Old Record Found For Woman In U.S.

A letter by a San Francisco woman, Mrs Mildred Vinson, to “The Press” has brought to light a record made more than 30 years ago by a Christchurch tenor of a setting of “Ave Maria” written by another Christchurch man. Mrs Vinson wrote that a friend had a copy of the “Ave Maria” setting written by Mr R. A. Horne, manager of the Bristol Piano Company. The copy had been lost, and she said ' would like another. She recalled that it was sung by “Frank Nicholls.”

Actually the recording was made by Mr P. S. Nicholls, a Christchurch businessman, and yesterday he brought the master copy into “The Press.” It was made in Sydney by Columbia more than 30 years ago. A solid record with music on only one side, it still reproduces well on a radiogram, although time has worn a few scratches. At the time of the recording, the “Sun,” Christchurch, said “Ave Maria” needed a strong voice and Mr Nicholl's rich tenor had done justice to it. Mr Horne had

worked out an entirely new melody—“a difficult feat considering the number of scores written around the same theme.” Mr Nicholls, who was on the stage in Australia at the time, made the recording with Moore McMahon playing the violin obbligato and Gil Dech, well known in Christchurch later as a pianist on the radio, playing the accompaniment. Mr Nicholls knows of no other copy in New Zealand, so he is arranging to have a tape-recording made from the record, and -will send it

to Mrs Vinson. As well as being a wellknown singer—he appeared in opera in Australia and New Zealand, and sang in churches and on the conceit platform regularly —Mr Nicholls gained a name as a composer. His “Menin Gate Vision," written in 1936, was highly praised, and compared with Elgar’s "Land of Hope and Glory.” It was played first by the Woolston Brass Band at an Anzac Day memorial service, and later by the Auckland Artillery Band.