TRINITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 12623, 30 September 1905, Page 8

TRINITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC

These was a huge gathering, oomposedi mosQy_of ladies, >t the Stuart street Ball last evening on the oecasien of the tlon of the penes and/higher certificates gained in the local examinations £*r the Trinity College of Music for tie year 1904. Professor G. S. Safe presided, and Tbefore, proceeding to the bnsmeas of the evening he ] referred in feeling terms to the death of the, late Mr Berth, who ma not only the leader 1 of~musical matters m Brined fti, bat also TJrtuaCy the founder of the Triafty College' examinations in Otagu. They were tortunate in the services of' Miss Barth to take up the secretaryship, and he was, sure she would be & worthy successor to her father, whose memory they all rewered. A change had been made in presenting the prizes in the evening instead of the afternoon, and he had hoped that, following on this change, there would have been a larger gathering of the male sex. The programme, too, bad been curtailed, and this, he thought, should prove advantageous, as he thought it wasa mistake to expect every student who had entered for the examinations to perform- It bad been decided, also, to limit the presentations to those who had actTiaUy- -wort prizes or higher -oortifr caies, and this would shorten the proceedings. He then mentioned that in future two senior and two intermediate scholarships of £6 6s each, and two junior scholarships of £3 3s each, as well as a national scholarship of <SS ss, would be given by the Trinity College of London. The local examinations would take phwe in November, and the local Committee lad decided to RJ»e four senior and two junior prizes. Offers had been received from the Dresden Piano Company, Messrs Begg and 1 Co_ and Mr Wyait to give froMt medals for the forthcoming examinations, and the local Committee would also present a gold medal. The Rev. Dr Nisbet, who had accepted an invitation to be present, in the course of an address said he had come there not so much out of love and admiration for the institution as he had for the individual. He had not known much about the institution until he had come to look into the figures connected with it, and when he knew how nobly Miss Barth had taken up her father's work and carrieit on he was filled with admiration. Ha

did sot profess to be a musical man, and a good many fathers and brothers were in a similar position, judging by the poor attendance of the male sex at that meeting. He quoted from remarks made by the Bev. H. Haweis and Sir Edward Elgar, and said that he supposed that not even in England, and certainly not in New Zealand, had the people 'reached that passion for music characteristic of. some of the Continental nations. They were a long way behind the state of musical enthusiasm reached by those nations, and he was quite aware that the multiplication of musical societies would not wipe away what he and others considereu lay against the British people, as a people, but great assistance towards this end was rendered by the cultivation of musical talent, and teaching tne many what good music really was, though on that score even there was a diversity of opinion. Trinity College was yet an infant amongst the musical societies of the Old World, but'it was a very healthy and robust one. He believed that Wales could claim the credit of having established (he oldest musical society, which was founded in the seventh century, and this had carried on its work continuously up to the present time. There was a long lapse before another one was formed, and Borne claimed the credit of this in 1561, while the next was founded in Paris in I'iHS, Trinity College, although only established some thirty-three years, was a very healthy and thriving institution, and the first examination in Dunedin was held in 1888, when there were four candidates. The first practical examination was he*u in 1896, when the number of students present had increased to twenty-six. This year 182 had sat for the practical tions there were 366 students. In congratulating those who through hard work atained their ends in the past examinations, he extended a certain amount of sympathy to those parents who had submitted to the many hours of practice which were required by the students. He [ urged all those who had a taste for musk and a desire for self-culture to use every endeavor to increase their knowledge. The rev. doctor said it was unnecessary to say anything to encourage the students of that college to pursue their studies and to enter upon that world of delight they would find in the works of musical composers, but they should be careful -to play so that they might give pleasure. Thev must remember that the majority of their fellow-men were not musical experts. He spoke at some length upon the effect of lengthy compositions of a classical type upon untrained ears, and also of their being what might be called a habit in music, and pointed out that Beethoven's compositions were at first thought wild and lawless, but said that we had grown up to them, and many were now able to enjoy them earnestly. At orchestral concerts in the Old Country he remembered that a great many musical people had nothing severe enough to say about Wagner's music, and tney all knew that he bad come to his kingdom. So that when experts spoke constantly of those who "had not musical knowledge, they might just remember that even musical experts progressed in knowledge and appreciation as years went by. He urged them to disabuse their minds entirely of the idea that those who loved music were gentle and kind in their tempers. There .was ho country more enthusiastic- about music than Russia, and yet there were no people moro curel in their tempers than they were. He also referred to the convict band in Noumea as another illustration of this fart. Dr Nisbet then presented the prizes and diplomas won during the year. During the evening pianoforte solos were given by Miss M. Fieldwick (senior examination), ' Fantasie Impromptu in C Shaj-p Aiinor' (Uliapin) -, Miss Mary Brown <J an > or exhibitioner), * Allegro Buriesca' (KuhJan); Miss Mabel M'Crorie. A.T.C.L., ' Liebestrumm' (Lizst) ; Miss C. JS. Barr, A.X.C.L. (intermediate exhibitioner), 'Ballade in A Flat' (Chopin) ; Miss L. S. Fernie (intermediate exhibitioaer). 'Dngarisch' (David): and Miss Daniels, A.T.C.L., "Andante and Presto Agitate in B Minor* (Mendelssohn). Before the proceedings closed 1 , votes of thanks were given to Dr Nisbet for his address, to the performers, to Professor iSalfc, and to Miss Barth.