ANNUAL VOCAL RECITAL

Southland Times, Issue 23677, 28 November 1938, Page 2

ANNUAL VOCAL RECITAL

MR L. E. DALLEY’S PUPILS OUTSTANDING MUSICAL TREAT The vocal recital given every year by pupils of Mr L. E. Dailey has come to be regarded as one of the outstanding musical treats of the year in Invercargill and there was a big audience in Victoria Hall on Saturday night to hear the pupils taking part in their annual performance. Part songs, duets, trios and solos all made up a programme as varied as it was comprehensive and the audience was treated to a delightful selection of songs. The standard of singing was uniformly high. The programme was opened by the choir, which sang “Come to the Greenwood” and “Shall we go Dance.” Judicious use of light and shade produced a pleasing effect in these two part songs and the volume was well controlled. Miss Nan Brumby showed that she had a delightful voice of good range when she sang “A Heart That’s Free” and “Spring is a Lovely Lady.” This young singer reached her high notes with an ease that created much admiration. Entering into the spirit of the pieces, Mr W. C. Liddell sang “The Wanderer” and “From Oberon in Fairyland” in a manner that left no doubt about his ability as a bass singer. “My Lady Spring” by Gullan was the first of a bracket of two duets sung by Miss Dorothy Walker and Mr J. Wilson. The voices of these two performers harmonized well and they did full justice to the second number, “The Apple Woman.” “White in the Moon” and “The Fool Hath Said” were sung by Mr L. R. Evans. The choice of his songs was a happy one and Mr Evans responded with a fluent performance. Misses G. Hunter, G. Hayden and M. Arnott appeared as a trio and sang two numbers, “Sleep Little Princess” and “Rain.” Their voices blended delightfully and the second . song, a fine example of onomatopoeia, was especially outstanding. Singing with a clarity of voice, Miss Jean Waddell next entertained with “Slow, Horses, Slow” and “Evening.” “Bush Song at Dawn” was the first of a bracket sung by Mr R. Wesney. This singer showed himself capable of using strength and softness with good effect and his second number, “The Lilac-Spotted Gown” was well received by file audience. Two duets, “The Angel” and “With Pipe and Flute” were sung with feeling by Miss J. Waddell and Mr J. Waddell. “The Almond Tree” and “Blackbird’s Song” were well sung by Miss Leone Watson, who made full use of her soprano voice. A rousing song, “Honour and Arms” was sung with vigour by Mr T. Granger and was enthusiastically received. His second number was “Tomorrow.” The last item on the first half was “O Happy Eyes,” sung by the choir. “Hark, Jolly Shepherds” and “Phillis is My Only Joy” were sung by the choir as the first numbers on the second half of the programme. With a voice of good quality Mr C. Stroud sang “Your Tiny Hand” and “I Hear a Song” with feeling. Miss Gwen Hayden, scholarship winner, 1938, a contralto with an excellent range, sang delightfully in “Ring Bells Ring.” After a sombre opening this song swung into a change of tempo and the singer made the most of the contrast. Miss Hayden sang with feeling in “A Summer Night.” The cello obbligato in this song was supplied by Mr V. le Petit. “The Open Door” and “Christmas Blessing” were sung by the trio, consisting of Misses Hunter, Hayden and Arnott. A good performance was given by Miss Olive Stroud, who sang “Be Still, Blackbird” and “Gentle Stour.” Mr L. Hinkley has a voice of excellent timbre and he used it to advantage in “The Linden Tree” and “Till I Wake.” Two duets, “Oh, the Summer” and “Sing Heigh-Ho!” were pleasingly sung by Miss L. Watson and Mr R. Wesney. Mr Dailey replaced Miss Dorothy Olive, who was absent because of sickness, and sang “Listen Mary,” “The Spanish Lady,” and “Lord Randall.” Mr Dailey sang splendidly and enhanced his reputation as a tenor with an outstanding voice. “Three Good Souls” and “Harlequin” were sung by Mr J. Stevenson, whose efforts were much appreciated by the audience. The final number on the programme was: “Ring Out Wild Bells,” which was sung by the choir and was a fitting conclusion to a splendid programme. Mr Dailey was the choirmaster. The accompanist, Mrs L. E. Dailey,! whose sympathetic playing contributed much to the success of the programme, was presented with a spray of flowers by Miss Nan Brumby.