Musical Education of the Poor.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12466, 16 February 1909, Page 2

Musical Education of the Poor.

Organisations have been founded to make the London poor acquainted with the beauties of classical compositions. Ten years ago Miss Audrey Chapman founded an orchestra for this . purpose, and' half a dozen free concerts- have been given eyery winter. A writer in the "Standard" gives a very interesting ; account of the work of this and other societies. Miss Chapman's orchestra plays to crowded audiences in the slums the symphonies of Beethoven, Mozart, BrahmSj Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Haydn and Dvorak, and concertos, overtures and suites by composers from Handel to Elgar. Peoiple who unfeignedly love good music because they cannot help it are to be found among the poorest classes. "I have seen few sights more touching than the -pinched faces of women transfigured and kindling to rapture lihderthe influence of the kind, grave .message conveyed to their... .souls by composers . whOj being dead, yet speak* with- the voice, of melody. '•'- I have watched girls, who "looked as if their dinner had been but tea and bread and butter, moved to tears by a strain of Mozart, and boys, whose clothes scarce covered them, become excited by Beethoven as if they were looking on at a football match." Miss Chapman- once noticed a poor Whitechapel boy following a Bach concerto from a tattered score. At a performance of Handel's "Samson. in Poplar the writer sat in the penny seats beside a working man, and asked him how he liked it. "Well,"' he replied, its very different, from anything I expected. Seeing 'Samson' -in big letters at the door, I thought it" was an entertainment with Samson, the strong man, doing his show,, and that's why I came. But the music is beautiful, and I'm going to stay until the end," and T'd come again if 1 could."