MUSIC IN WORSHIP

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 297, 13 November 1934, Page 6

MUSIC IN WORSHIP

OUR CHOIRS TOO BIG. DR. NICHOLSON’S SURVEY. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Nov. 13. “The choirs in New Zealand are too big. There are too many women in them, and you use organ music too much,” said Dr. Sydney H. Nicholson, director of the School of English Church Music, when summing up his impressions of Anglican Church music after touring the Dominion. “You must have boys’ voices nr a choir to be any good,” he added. ‘ln England the proportion of women s to male voices is about one in twenty. There is a place for women altos in a choir, but for other female voices there's only limited need. “Another thing I noticed is the enormous size of choirs in this Dominion. Many are double the size of that in Westminster Abbey; a far more rigorous selection of voices could be made. There should be far more unaccompanied singing, and the organ should not be used to pull an inefficient choir through.” The choice of music was often unfortun ate, Dr. Nicholson proceeded. During the whole of hi 6 tour, with the single exception of the Christchurch Cathedral, he had not heard a piece of classical Church music. He suggested a of scholarships to enable capable New Zealanders to study in England. Everything depended on the support of the general body of Church-goers and on their being persua<led to explore the treasures of Church music.