A NATION OF SINGERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19086, 3 August 1925, Page 9

A NATION OF SINGERS.

WELSH FOLK; AND MUSIC. " ONE VAST SEA OF SONG." The great part that music plays as art element in the social life of the Welsh people was described by Sir Harry Reichel in an address at Timaru last week. Sir Harry said that he went to Wales first in 1884 knowing .that the Welsh were great singers. He heard three hymns in a cathedral and the people sang as if they would bring the roof down. The singing possessed great rhythm and harmony, and the swinging motion with which the people sang had the effect of captivating all within hearing. At times it was almost impossible to Tefrain from joining. He was of opinion that the Welsh hymns, as far as sweep and rhythm were concerned, were perhaps the. greatest in the world. Proceeding, the speaker said that a great number of "milk-and-water"-hymn tunes were now being sung in churches. These, he believed, did great harm, giving the younger people ih« idea that religion was weak instead o£ strong. He dwelt on how Sir John Farmer had made music one of the greatest features in Balliol College. First-class hymn tunes were difficult to compose, and a really good hymn tune was rare indeed. Sir Johii Farmer 5 declared that no one ever entered a Welsh college who could not sing. . Sir Harry quoted an old saying;: "TIIO whole of Wales is one vast. sea of song." On going for a stroll on a Sunday, he said, one could hear qu.arrymen sitting down on the backs of streams singing hymns, each taking his own separate part. The effect was most striking. Commenting on the three test pieces in a London Competition by Bach, Mendelssohn and Handel, ho said that the sing« ing of the choirs took over five hours for the three pieces. He expatiated at some length on the. enchanting, melodious effect the Welshmen produced. One section of the tiioir sang in a deep, rolling bass while the others Bang their separate parts. The effect was perfect, resembling some enormous super-human voice singing in perfect, tune and rhythm.' '