PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY

Evening Star, Issue 19273, 11 June 1926, Page 11

PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY

' ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting of the Dunedin Philharmonic Society thus held in the Congregational Church Hall last night. Sir William Sim .(president) occupied the chair. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the annual report and balancesheet, congratulated the society on a fairly successful year. The only mat-ter-for regret was that the society had gone to the bad financially. ■ The motion was seconded by Mr VV. J. Morrell, who said that Signor Squarise, the virtual founder of the society, had celebrated the twenty-first anniversary of his connection with it. The motion was carried. The following office-bearers were elected :—President, Sir William Simj vice-presidents—Drs A. J. Hall, W. Evans, W. Gowland, Miss M. D. Stewart, Messrs P. R. Sargood. W. J. Morrell, and J. Renfrew White; treasurer, Mr J. H. Matheson; secretary, Mr B. S. Wilson; solicitor, Mr E. J. Smith; auditor, Mr A. Williamson; librarian, Mr N. Shepherd; assistant librarian, Mr W. P. Miles; council—Messrs G. A. Burns, N. Shepherd, <T. Himburg, W. P. Milos, and, VV. Fielden.

During the _ evening items were given by a string quartet, wood-wind quartet, Mr JT Leech and Miss M'Curdy (songs), Miss M. Frazer (piano solo), ami Mr J. W. Stewart (flute solo). HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY.

Signor Squarise, in delivering an address on the history of the said that it was in the month of May, 1904, that, in looking through his book of past and present pupils, ho discovered what splendid material ho had to form a string orchestra. He called a meeting, and it was decided that they should start practising string quartets. At the first practice thirty-two players assembled. For the first three months they practised quartet and string compositions, and so proficient were they in their playing that it was decided that they should give a concert. At the following practice it was suggested to him that he could get some reeds and brass players to join them in one item to open and one to close the programme. At that time the Citizens’ Band (now defunct), of which ho was also the founder, was still in existence. He asked some of the reed and brass players if they would come to the society’s assistance. They were enthusiastic, and tho following week the first practice' was started with a complete orchestra of fifty performers. It was on Friday, September 16, 1904, that the society gave its “inaugural ” concert. It proved a tremendous success. Tho following week they started practice in earnest, and ( tho society was properly formed. They started tho list of honorary 'members, and on December 16 of tho same year the first subscribers’ concert was given. It also proved a tremendous success. From that time on the society progressed by leaps and bounds, and in a very short time, through the members’ enthusiasm and attention at practices, it became one of the best musical organisations in New Zealand. Many towns and countries had bonefitted by the players. To his own knowledge there wore twelve string players in Wellington, six in Auckland, three in Christchurch, fiyo in America, one in China, and two in Japan. Of the fifty original performers only eight were still active members of jthe .society. Those were: Mrs H. De C. M‘Arthur, Mrs C. W. Sundstrum,, Mrs C. Begg, Miss L. Rattigan, Miss E. Rattigan, Mr W. V. Miles,' Mr IV. Fielden, and Mr J. Himburg. The library of the society was one of tho best and most modern in New Zealand. It comprised works by modern composers of America and every country in Europe, and the best and most successful of their works had been acquired. Items the society had given included ‘1812,’ tho grand fantasia from ‘La Boheme,’ ‘Los Preludes,’ ‘Lohengrin,’ tho overture to ‘ Tannhauscr.’ and ‘Hungarian Rhapsody.’ “ From my experience the general public must hear music of that calibre at least three times to appreciate it, but when it comes to the fourth, fifth, and sixth performance, these works me fully appreciated, and their beauty of melody, contrapuntal work, and instrumentation are fully enjoyed,” concluded Signor Squarise.