ORGAN RECITAL.

Evening Star, Issue 12871, 21 July 1906, Page 5

ORGAN RECITAL.

J?he first- of a series rtf tluee . organ reeitals in aid of the fund for the renovation of the interior of Moray pla. ,■ CongregairmaL Church was given by the. church organist (Air D. Cooke) lari night. During m interval in the programme the Rev. W. •'minders explained that quite recently the debt on the church hax] been cleared off, and directly afterwards the exterior of the church wa® renovated and the manse ©n. trged. A collection for renovating the intuior. made list month, had realised £2OO, ird about another £IOO was required. It "as thought thnr perhaps those who could n it afford, ray, £5 and £2 donations would n - glad of an opportunity to contribute through the collections taken up at tho recitals.

J auger audiences than last night’s have ham attracted by previous recitals given ■on the same organ by Mr Cooke. Rather 1 10 the disappointment of some, the pro--1 gramme contained even less of organ music that would attract and appeal to th© student than Mr Cooke has before included in his programmes. In tin- first half of the recital, especially (there was an interval for I he collect-on), the bulk of the organ music " hardly of the class that one would expect to hear in a church, even though the day was not a Sunday. The selection from Bellini’* opera “ I PuriUmi ’ (played with consummate skill) was perhaps not ! obtrusively secular, but there were times 1 m the performance of an anaugement of i Gounods ‘Faust that prompted the regret that something more noble had not been übstituted. ihe music created an atmosphere anything hut sacred. The fair scene, better known as the ‘ Kcrmosse,’ was intro- ; cluued. Certainly, there arc such things 1 as church fairs, but even there drinking songs would be out of place. Perhaps it would be as well to quote the words of the ! opening chorus of tho ‘Kermease,’ along I with the reminder that Gounod’s music Is an admirably-conceived setting of them—a real reflex of their spirit; “ Still or sparkling, rough or tine ’. : What can it matter, so we have wine? What if the vintage great bo or small. Your jolly toper drinketh of all. Student vers’d in ©very barrel, Save water bright, ' To thy glory, to thy love, Drink away to-night.” ; Needless to say, the music was wefl performed, and that all tastes are not alike woe proved by tbo liberal applause given jat its conclusion. Two arrangements of Liszt were more appropriate to the ocoai won. One of them was an effective s©tting ■of tho “ Crusaders’ Hymn ’ —a, fine stirring melody. Tire second part of the programme j comprised organ compositions by Peace, i Lemaro, Wolstenholme, Buck, Batiste, hud Grison, and no exception, even by the most fartidious, could lie taken to the performance of these, for Mr Oooke is undoubtedly 1 a performer of great technical ability, who knows how to produce the effects of which his instrument is capable. Of the two singers, Mr James Jago seemed to be in better voice than. ever. Strung© to say, Ire began Gounod's ‘There is a green hill far iway ’ rather flat, hut he soon rectified that, and gave a rendering full of devotional feeling. In this song the carrying power of his voice (singing mezza voce throughout) was exemplified to a degree His second song was ‘ The mandoline player,’ also admirably sung. Miss Clark was attentively listened to in her renderings of the ‘Ave Maria’ arrangement of Alascagni’s well-known intermezzo and of Goring Thomas's ‘Heart’s fancies.’ Air E. Schnack produced a beautiful tone —smooth and pure—from his comet in playing ‘The soul’s awakening.’ Th© accompaniments were played by Mr Cooke.