Musical.

Southern Cross, Volume 9, Issue 52, 15 March 1902, Page 10

Musical.

ST, PAUL’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CHOIR. We have been favoured with the following' note from Mr J. Hayes, formerly choirmaster at St. Paul’s Wesleyan Church, Invercargill, who during a recent visit here had an opportunity of testing the qualities of the organ made by Mr Pearce to the order of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church ; —■

Sir, —It gives me much pleasure to accede to your request for an opinion of the new organ built by Mr iST. T. Pearce, of Invercargill. The study of organ design and construction has been a pet hobby of mine for many years, and having on several occasions been entrusted with the work of designing organs for churches in the Old Country and superintending their construction, I naturally obtained the run of a few organ builders’ factories. The experience so gained, combined with the close examination of the material and workmanship of a very large number of instruments, varying in size from a small instrument of one manual to large instruments of four manuals for concert halls and cathedrals, has enabled me to judge the merits of an organ with at least a tolerable degree of accuracy. The number of organs upon which I have played is probably nearer 200 than 100. Many of these have been built by firms or individual builders of world-wide repute, but I have no hesitation in saying that for its size, the organ in question certainly ranks as one of the very finest it has ever been my privilege to touch, and I consider the congregation of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church have every reason to be proud of their instrument. It is a worthy monument of Mr Pearce’s skill and a credit to the town, and is, in every sense of the word, a thoroughly artistic instrument.