SHEFFIELD CHOIR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 29 June 1911, Page 8

SHEFFIELD CHOIR.

ARRIVING THIS EVENING, THE WELLINGTON PROGRAMME. The far-famed Sheffield Choir is due to arrivj here by special train from Auckland this evening. This choir is not only the largest , louring organisation of tho kind which has over visited New Zealand, but it is the largest which has ever toured tho world. This band of singers represents the very highest form of art in harmonic vocalism. A choir of 200 voices is not uncommon oven in tho Antipodes, but these Yorkshire singers are the eject of a choir of 500 singers which the German critics pronounced tlie finest in the world —and Germany is a land of part-singing, the homeland of tho licdertafel and liederkranz. Canada, America, and Australia have acclaimed tho choir a glorious company, so tho thousands who have made arrangements to hear them can oomiorlably anticipate a . feast of choral music that has never perhaps been their lot to hear, and maybe they will never hear again. " As has been previously stated, tho greater number of the choir are being billeted by citizens, who will doubtless do ■all in their power to make the few rushful hours to bo spent in Wellington as pleasant as possible. The train is to arrive at 5.50 this evening, at tho Thorndon Station. Long before they reach Wellington the members of the choir who are being looked after by local ladies and gentlemen will have in their possession a card, bearing a number and the full namo and address of tho poison wlioso guests they are to be. As there will not' be time for some of them to proceed to the more distant' suburbs a number will be detained in town and given tea, but over 100 will be drafted in sections and sent away in cabs and motor-cars to their respective honies for tho time being. To avoid confusion, tho public is to be barred from the railway platform altogether, and even the voluntary hosts have been requested not to meet''the train. Stewards havo been appointed to attend to the dispatching of the groups of visitors, and such aro tho arrangements that it is expected that' the whole of the Slietiielders will bo clear of tho station within twenty minutes after tho arrival of the train.

The following is tlie season's programme To-night—"The Dream of Gerontius" (Elgar). l'riday evening—"Pan" (Harriss), "Blest Fair of Sirens" (Parry), "Sing Yo Unto the Lord" (Bach), Epilogue to "The Golden Legend" (Sullivan).

Saturday, 2 p.m.—Festival Concert; 8 p.m.—"Elijah" (Mendelssohn).

In connection with' the arrangements at the Town Hall placards will be exhibited at each door indicating to the scat-holders the block letters which correspond with those 011 the tickets held. Holders of reserved tickets for blocks N., O.y 8., and S. on the ground floor will groatlv assist in relieving congestion by using tho Victoria Street instead of the Cuba Street entrance.

UK. COWARD. A GREAT CHORAL CONDUCTOR, To the musical of this community tho most notable figure in the Sheffield Choir organisation which arrives in Wellington this evening is Dr. Henry Coward, who ranks with Dr. Frederick Cowan as one of tho foremost, choral conductors in England. It was Dr. Coward, erstwhile cutler, who founded tho Sheffield Choir in 1872, and it is said of this body of singers that' here is a perfect democracy, charmed into boing by song. All walks of life are represented in its ranks and the wealthy manufacturer who employs a thousand hands may be booming away on tho same note nest of his own mechanics, and so it is with the ladies. For them it is. pleasure of the purest quality under the baton of such a mail as Dr. Coward. He is not a big man by any means,! but he has a dominating magnetism which draws out the very best in a singer. Dr. Coward is alert', electric, and conveys the impression that he is listening particularly to yourself and that you must willy-nilly sing'with might and main, and all the soul you possess. Of course the material under Dr. Coward's hands has something to do with his .success in choral work. , Dr. Coward and his associates in England create a demand for suitable material, and climatic and other conditions were favourable to its growth. Choral singing, or other departments of music, form tho chief amusement, and. indeed, the chief interest in life, outsido tho everyday work of the peoplo in many parts of England, and nowhere mora than in the Sheffield district. The children are taught tonic sol fa from their earliest years. 'The choral unions rehearse most nights of tho week, and it is said that the enthusiasm of the master cutlers is "so keen that they wiir sometimes tell their men to knock off work and rohearse a chorus or part song. Some of the-rehearsal meetings are entirely devoted to instruction in vocal art and scale singing. When Dr. Coward stands at his desk his finely-trained ear enables him to pick out defective scaling in a particular section of his forces, and his love for the beautiful in speech in song compels him to be a stickler for correct articulation and enunciation. "Words, words are our masters" may be said fo be his motto. Ho is an indefatigable worker, and spares no pains on rehearsals. He rehearses his forces in sections, and lie has no more time for an inexpert vocal performer than an orchestral conductor would have for an incompetent instrumentalist. Dr. Coward is the conductor of many choirs other ■than those of Sheffield. When in Entrland he travels thousands of miles weekiv to train, exhort, and fire with enthusiasm tho forces under his command. Wherever lie goes he leaves the hall-mark of the master chorus-master.

A REVELATION OF BACH. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Auckland, Juno 28. At' last night's porformnncc of tho Sheffield Choir the largo audience was worked up to a pitch of unbounded enthusiasm by tho rendering of Bach's greatmotet "Sing Ye Unto the Lord." Mr. E. Brett) president of the Auckland Musical Society, regards the performance as marvellous, and a revelation of the possibilities of Bach's music when interpreted by a thoroughly-trained choir under so able a conductor as Dr. Coward. Mr. Brett advises members of all musical societies in tho Dominion not to miss this great work. The Sheffield Choir gave their final performance to-night before another liugo and enthusiastic audience, a magnificent rendering of "Elijah" being the main feature of the programme. Tho choir, with orchestra numbering 270 people, left for ■Wellington by special train at 11 o'clock, and were given a great send-off by an enormous crowd. The receipts for tho three concerts and matinee are stated' lo have amounted to <£3.000.