Concert and Ball.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 524, 25 May 1880, Page 2

Concert and Ball.

The Carlyle Harmonic Society gave a miscellaneous concert last evening, in the Town Hall, followed by a public ball. This mode of celebrating the Queen’s birthday was happily conceived, and the programme was carried through with admirable spirit and -judgment. So far as the Harmonic Society could ensure to the public an enjoyable and intellectual form of holiday amusement, they did well ; but that fickle factor, the winter weather, came in with damp and moody face to spoil the holiday fun,- upsetting people’s calculations, and “ sticking up” the settlers in their solitary homes just when the spirit of holiday frolic was abroad. Only a small audience assembled for the musical prelude to the dancing, and the Harmonic Society’s building fund will hardly profit by the limited receipts, although a number of tickets had been taken by neighbours who would not face the tantalising rain even on the natal day of our Sovereign Lady. The musical melange went off well. Among the pieces which told best were the brisk blustering chorus, “ Comrades in arms the basso song, “the Bell Ringers, - ’ sung with carefully modulated expression; the rattling bacchanalian trio, “ Mylmeer van Dunck,” who never got drunk, but managed to imbibe like' a water-wheel ; a concertina solo, played .with skilful expression ; that difficult but finely expressive song, “ The Wolf,” rendered by a light cultivated tenor voice of good range ; that blithsome and popular quartette, “ Here in cool grot and mossy dell song, “ The Minstrel Boy,” rendered by a high soprano voice with splendid expression ; and the fine national air, “ The Empress of the Wave,” given with unusual vigor by a baritone who was this time in excellent voice. The closing chorus, “ O’er the calm and sparkling water,” is a gem of lively sweetness. The flautist and pianists were alike good ; albeit there were passages when the piano seemed louder than was warranted by the limited strength of the voices .in so large a room. A fuller array of listeners in front would have had a more inspiriting influence on the singers, with whom these occasional performances are a labor of love which an appreciative public should not fail to mark in a suitable way. Dancing commenced in the Town Hall about ten o’clock, and the quadrilleparties were sufficiently numerous to fill the area, and to impart a graceful animation to the scene, bupper was spread upon tables on the stage, so that all, had equal chance of figuring as “ performers” more or less distinguished, The decoration .of the. hall with evergreeiis, military trophies, and what may be called chromatic lanterns, added a pleasing completeness to the airangements.., How long and.-how fast the dancing went bri, we hesitate to record. As the night drew on, a spirit of gaiety overcame the earlier reserve ; the waltzing couples swept ‘ found and round with romping zest; the quadrille sets rattled through the figures with, more of a tendency to rollicking-gaiety; arid the round and the square dances succeeded each other with untiring repetition, as they only cant “dvheii youth arid pleasured meet, to chase the glowing hours with flying feet.”