Colonial Music and Musicians.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5337, 15 August 1895, Page 2

Colonial Music and Musicians.

♦ Dean Fitohelt, of Dunedin, hag contribated to the July number of j the Australasian edition of the Review of Reviews a paper on musicians and musical taste in New Zealand which 1 will be read with interest in all parts of the colony. It opens with the assertion that " there is no music in New Zealand," and goes on to declare that " taste is low and knowledge scanty j" but it tells a good deal, in a pleaeanter way, about the sounds we hare mistaken for musio and the men we have taken for musicians. The photographs by which it is illustrated remind us of the large proportion of talented professional performers who have at one time or another made their homes in Chriatohuroh. Mr Arthur Towsey ie given the place of honour among the illustrations, and he is followed by Profesßor Sohmitt, Air Tallis Trimnell, Mr Maughan Barnetfc, Mr Bobert Parker, Mr F. M. Wallace and Signor Squarige. Of Mr Wallace, who iB very much before the Christohurch public just now, we are told that daring twelve years of artist life in London he was a member of all the principal concert orchestras, and had an annual engagement to play at the State concerts at Buckingham Palace and Windsor. Mr Wallace himself is allowed to say a few wordß for our local artists. "The Cathedral organ and choir," he writes, " are in very able hands, and as the choir is supplied by a liberal foundation, provided by the foresight of the first Canterbury settlers, it bids fair to be a valuable echool of music Mr Wells, now of St Michael's, has the honour of having formed and trained the first Cathedral choir. The present organist, Mr Tendall, a pupil of Dr St&iner, is Leoturer on Music at Canterbury College, and has in his classes some sixty students. Mr H. M. Lund, a pupil of Taußßig, and a brilliant pianist, who holds diplomas from several European conservatoires, iB rendering good service to high-class music in Christohurch, and during recent years has turned out many excellent players." It seems from this that we may reasonably indulge the hope that one day we may have real music and real musicians in thiß inharmonious land.