DUNEDIN MALE CHOIR

Evening Star, Issue 16716, 24 April 1918, Page 6

DUNEDIN MALE CHOIR

The attendance at Burns Hall last night was probably the largest that the Dunedin Hale Choir have ever faced at an ordinary concert. Mr J. Timsou conducted. Mr Ethclbert Heywood appeared for the first time as the pianist. Mr I ,V. Paget Gale, who has acted, as substitute pianist ever since Mr C. Martin enlisted, resigned recently, owing to his temporary illness, and Mr Heywood succeeds to the position. All present last night mnst have felt grateful to Mr Hey',vo x: for his services at the piano. His accompanying was consistently sure and supporting, and very helpful in clever cues. In addition he played a couple of solos, and conferred a favor on the audience by presenting two of his own compositions, heard hero for the first time. One of these is a delightful fluent melody, most chastely harmonised, tfcg other a valse entitled. ‘ La Joyeuse ’ whfab quite captivated the listeners, it having a nice flavor of freshness yet perfectly in-’-mt of that straining for new effect*

win i is almost a vice in many modem works, especially valse measures. Wo bope to hear these enchanting pieees again. Last night Mr Heywooa played them from manuscript and in a weak light. An extension light for the instrument would bo a help at these con-

Fight part songs were sung. Manrider's • Song of the Xorthmen ’ seemed to give the choir anxiety about getting everything in. and the singing was somewhat labored, and another defect was the ragged ness of the earlier leads, the, hist of them, by the second bass, being the only one that was quite right. Foote’s noble setting of ‘ The Bedouin Love Song.’ which in beauty of thought eclipses the original song, was sung with splendid effect. It is all-important in this to keep dead in tune and to have the bass firm.

also to make the words plain, and to impart the sense of rest'ess passion, and these points were all made, besides which Mr Keyword did all that can lawfully be done on a piano to give the required orchestral effects. ‘ Lend an Ear ’ (Abt) was at the best but a partial success. Tenors were getting flat, and the crescendos from the basses rough and inclined in get out of tune. ‘ The Anvil ’ (Ada.m) was cleverly sung right up to the finale, where the tenors were tiring. The hammer strokes never missed, and it was true art to get the contrasting tones so accurately. It is a )cr-.-- part-song which we hone to hear again. Tu its fourth verse the bass advances remind one of a passage in ‘ Comrades in Arm?.’ and the singers apparently saw the resemblance. The second part opened with ‘Martyrs of the Arena ’ tile Rille). The majestic opening was probably the choir’s greatest success of the evening, and all through tile singing was marked by breadth and urddiit’'. Once or twice a tenor anticipated the Peal, and at the very end the voices had to rush the summit rather wildly to got there. But th« wod: as a whole gave much satisfaction. The feature of the treat ment of ‘Queen of the Night ' {‘-martl was the consistent observance of the legate, and it was no*.’d with pleasure Buif. the note? were sung right, nut to their full value, also that the swell was nl.'dv managed. The latter part of the work nerds a little more study. Kipling’s ‘ Hymn Before Action’ /Davie.-'! wa interpreted with due seriousness, and the words were given the attention they merit. A certain coarseness in the double fortes was the only fault. To wi»,j up, we had ‘The Merry Frogs’ . coeisev:. and in this the story was so well told that the audience asked for more.

Throe* ladies :mdert.ivik Use solo singing, anil thev nil >■?:il well. Hiss A. L. Mills sail" ' How Many Thiusucd Years Ago ’ and ‘ The Vtlley of Laughter.’ and seen red. much "A! *n in** applause, for she ha= an minin',ged slvh- and a most pleasant voire of the linnid quality. Miss Madge Emery coin*erred a favor on old opera "O'-jw by reviving ‘ Nohil Signor,* and hrr eimore song was ‘ All on a Summer's Day. Tsoi.ii wen- charmingly sting with care and grnc<>, M’-s Gordon Macdonald. mho -ho=p ‘ Omhra. Mai Fn.’ and then ‘ Purple Pansies." mas in good voice, and presented a. thoughtful -and mneieisnlv reading of each song. Miss Flores’e Pncev recited in each part. Tier ct-iel contribution was s‘medley's ‘ The Ball.id of War.’ and in this and in each of her other pieces Miss Pacey crave of her host, which is equal to saying that she afforded the audience an artistic treat.