DR. HARRISS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 80, 6 April 1910, Page 10

DR. HARRISS.

♦ PREPARING FOR THE FESTIVAL. IMPRESSIONS OF NEW ZEALAND. [FROM OCfi OWN COBBESPONDENT.] LONDON, 25th February. Immediately on his return to London, Dr. Harriss had to plunge into a mass of work which had accumulated during his absence, for he has a hundrcd-and-one things on hand. His regular musical work is necessarily in arrears ; his Empire music competition had to bo adjudicated upon ; the Empire Day concert at the Albert Hall looms three short months ahead ; and then there is the outstanding task of the Empire Musical Festival, for which everything must be in train before the Sheffield Choir leaves in March, 1911- Everything points to a year of work as busy as any the strenuous apostle of Imperial consolidation through music has ever known. What did he think of New Zealand? "It was superb. You would get any number of people just as soon as they knew what the country was like. Look at your motor roads — you can go for hundreds of miles on' roads as level as pavements. And then your towns — in many respects they are actually more up to date than a number of our English cities." "Musically!" "One thing that struck me was the fine Town Halls you have, for instance in Wellington, Dunedin, and Auckland. And practically every one of your cities has its organ and its municipal organist. In Christchurch there is a daily service in the Cathedral. That is an excellent thing. In such matters you are very much ahead of us in Canada. We have no concert halls subsidised by the city fathers at all. We have no city organs anywhere. We ought to have them everywhere. Then the climate of Australasia is an excellent one for the production of good voices." NEW ZEALAND CONSERVATORICM. With regard to the proposal for the establishment of a conservatorium of music in New Zealand, Dr. Harriss said the matter 'had been mentioned to him by Mr. Cohen, who was a member of the University Senate. Or, rather, he had nade some remarks which he believed pointed to such a proposal. He approved the suggestion Dccause he considered music was a thing absolutely indigenous to every country. In Canada they had just formed a Chair of Music at "M'Gill University. He had personally organised the conservatorium in Canada, and during the three years after it was opened, when ho was director, they had over four hundred pupils. They had no money to help the institution. They had to go absolutely on their own. It was given a trial of thiee years to see if it could be proved to be necessary and appreciated. If it was M'Gill promised to appoint Dr. Harriss s successor to the Chair, relieving him of the work. The Department of Music was now gradually making itself felt all over Canada, and as time went on it would undoubtedly be a great factor for the Hgher appreciation of the art. In Melbourne, at the University, Madame Melba had laid the foundation stone _ of some large buildings they were erecting t-» accommodate the musical faculty. At Adelaide, Professor Ennis was the musical head of an up-to-date and highly prosperous faculty which granted degrees in music. " It must be admitted that music was a profession worthy of being the equal of others, but it could only become recognised as such when the rower of granting degrees was given to tne different universities. How could they make the degrees carry the weight of degrees granted here? "Why should. they not hpve the same weight ? The university authorities can make the examination sufficiently difficult to be respected in other countries. Generally speaking, the degree-granting power of the universities .vould bo improved by the papers in the written examinations bein<? sent over to English University professors for examination, while the practical work would, of course, be done in the country." PROSPECTS OF THE FESTIVAL. Dr. Harriss emphasised the fact that apart from the musical aspect the Festival of Empire would be an excellent thing for New Zealand and the other countries taking part. Here was a chance of practically a shipload of musicians, all captains of industry, too, visiting the country, j»nd every one of them would go away as an enthusiastic admirer of the Dominion and its scenery. The organiser is delighted with the encouragement and assistance which the Governors of the different States have accorded him. In Tasmania he found that Sir Harry Barron had a wonderful knowledge of music, and spoko very learnedly on musical matters. Then Lord Plunkpt was most enthusiastic. He vas pood enough to say that he had long since known of Dr. Harriss's good work in Imperial music, and would give him a letter cordially recommending him to the people of New Zealand. Lord Dudley had promised to act as president of the" Festival Committee hi Australia, and Earl Grey in Canada.