MUSICIAN SPEARS WELL OF MUNICIPAL ORGAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19154, 21 August 1930, Page 15

MUSICIAN SPEARS WELL OF MUNICIPAL ORGAN.

* j That musical education and the work !of furthering musical appreciation is ; being satisfactorily catered for in i Christchurch is the opinion of Dr C. Edgar Ford, Mus. Doc., who is at present in Christchurch as examiner for the Trinity College of Music. Dr Ford was rather diffident about expressing an opinion on the standard of musical api preciation of the Dominion, as he has only been in New Zealand six weeks He has already done two weeks’ examining in Christchurch, but has three more weeks to do. During his time here he has heard some very good work ,and also some very bad work, but some of it showed that there is no lack of good teaching in the Dominion. What he had heard in Christchurch of the work of choral societies and such organisations was performed in a very finished manner, he said. He had visited the Anglican Cathedral and was impressed greatly with the singing of the choir, particularly the ensemble work and the delicate recitation of the Lord's Prayer. The Civic Organ. Dr Ford has tried the organ in the Municipal Concert Hall, and will give a

recital on Sunday week, besides a few items to-morrow; The organ was easy to play, he said, vyhile the voicing throughout was excellent. Some people objected to the stop key system, added the speaker, but persona,ll} r he considered that such a system was by far the most easy to manage. He did not think that there was a single bad stop on the organ, and he found that the only drawback was the fact that the console was situated in a pit, which made it almost impossible for the organist to hear the effects he was obtaining. Some magnificent pieces that sounded excellent in the hall itself, did not sound at all well in the console pit. The ideal thing would be a moveable console, but that would be more expensive. The boxed work was really good, the stops were excellent, and he considered that the organ would prove an acquisition to the city. emmusunußssnsiinnsiiginig