WOMEN MUSICIANS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24631, 12 June 1941, Page 10

WOMEN MUSICIANS

The June meeting of the Women Musicians was held on Monday, the speaker for the evening being Dr Vernon Griffiths. Miss Paine, the president, welcomed four new members— Mrs Hudson, and Misses Workman. Macleod and Phillips. Mrs L; Beaumont sang “ Slave ” (Lalo) and ‘ Midsummer” (Amy Worth), the accompanist being Mrs Willis. Miss Marion Jeffery played “Romance” (Schumann. Miss Paine introduced Dr Griffiths, whose subject was ' “ Church Music.” Dr Griffiths stated that the difficulty in dealing with such a subject was to avoid platitudes. For any understanding of church 'music, definite convictions on the part of the listener were necessary, about both church and music, and the function of the latter in regard to the former. He quoted from an Encyclical of Pope Pius X, wherein the functions of church music were inquired into and stated succinctly. Sacred music must be a complementary part of the solemn liturgy. Its aim is to add greater efficiency to the text. It must conform to the decorum of the service, no matter in what church, and enhance the meaning of that service. It must exclude profanity. It must be true art, the best of its kind, rendered in the best possible manner. Thus at the outset a very high standard was set and demanded for the performance as well as the composition of church music The most important thing, however, was that the music must possess the quality of universality, so that, even divorced from the words, it would still give listeners of any nationality or creed its message of divine inspiration. Dr Griffiths illustrated his talk with gramophone records, comprising examples of Plainsong and Organum, and showing the development through the Contrapuntal Works of Gibbons, Byrd, and other early composers, through Bach and Purcell to the present day when such men as Parry are continuing to write church music, devout in inspiration yet modern in technique All around us, Dr Griffiths concluded we hear people saying that the future is going to be different —after the war That will not happen unless every individual begins here and now to do his part in making things different. Among other' very necessary future changes is the’ improvement of church music. This can be done by getting congregations to express themselves in the singing. bv encouraging and financing those who are training choirs, by choosing none but the best works set to the best),music. and by co-operating to put church music back on a pinnacle. Miss Rona Thomson thanked Dr Griffiths for his sincere and inspiring address.