THE KENNEDYS.

Evening Star, Issue 6480, 22 December 1883, Page 2

THE KENNEDYS.

These well-known illustrators of Scottish music are once more, and presumably for the laßt time, amongat us, and the announcement of their first "nioht" at the Garrison Hall on Boxing Night will be hailed with pleasure by lovers of good musio generally and by our Scot* tlsh citizens ita particular, Since they were last here We can trace them twioe through America, in South Africa, in India, and in the United Kingdom, whioh sufficiently accounts for their long absence. Of their recent performance* in Melbourne the 'Argus' say*:—''fls is hardly necessary that we should describe in detail the character of an entertainment whloh for the most part must be familiarly remembered by the great number who preserve a Speoial interest in it Mr Kennedy gives his, entertainment on the 'Songs of Scotland,'and U assisted by the following members of his family—namely, Miss Helen Kennedy, Miss Marjory Kennedy, and Miss Maggie Kennedy—who all have voices Of more or less grave tone and Bympatbetio quality. Mr Bobert Kennedy has developed a tenor voice of good range and very pleasing quality. The young ladies amongst them do duty at the pianoforte whenever required; the father Kennedy is spokesman, narrator, vocalist, and gives impulse tefthe whole undertaking. Each song or other number on the programme is prefaced with historical and explanatory remarks and anecdotes illustrative of Scottish life and character, and at times, when all the performers are' assembled seated on the platform, some effects of concerted singing are introduced, which impress the hearers with an unusual but by no means unwelcome sense of '. family performance,' The young ladies named above have introduced a complete novelty in then- rendering of some sweetly-harmonised Gaelic trios, with the. titles of which we will not trouble our readers in this column, becatise they will be found advertised in another part of, the paper, the Gaelic trios are Bweetly sung by these young ladies, and to all who are properly curious in music their archaic harmonies have a most lively interest. To hear musio built upon an old-world-oriental scale repeated by sweet young girl singers, Who were themselves first taught in modern scale and western civilisation, shows that the singers have made research, and that, perhaps not quite consciously, they are greater illustrators of musical art than they at present give themselves credit-for being. Irrespective of oriental and occidental scale in musio, the trios by the Misses Kennedy were so fresh in effect that they were enjoyed with positive liking by the whole of the large audience present."