DUNEDIN ST CECILIA SOCIETY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 13, 28 July 1893, Page 13

DUNEDIN ST CECILIA SOCIETY.

There were about ninety members \ resent at tte weekly meeting of 8t Cecilia Society on last Monday evening. After a half-hour's instruction by the musical director on the theory of music, a part song by MUller was attacked and fairly mastered, Mr Davis, during aa interval, gave a pianoforte sehc ion. RevJ. O'Neill of Miltoa at the invitation of the Bey President, gave a very interesting address. After a brief account of the life of St Cecilia, Father O'Neill described places which be had visited in Europe, and spoke of the sacred music to which he had listened. He hid baen ia the house in which in the 3rd century St Cecilia had lived, and in the very room in which the saint used to pray. A beautiful church was built io. Rome to the honour of this holy martyr, who is universally calle 1 the patroness of music. In the cemetery of St CaHixtus by ttu Aupiaa way — the tomb in the Catacombs is shown where she was buried, and where the body was found in pc feet preservation after many hundred years. The rev lecturer gave a rapid ekefch of various notable places — ■ in Italy, the " Mamertine Prison,"' the scene of much suffering in the days of the early martyrs, the church of " 3 Peter in Chains," where the very chains with which, while in this Roman prison, the apostle was bound, were to be seen, and where the famous statue of ilosea— the masterpiece of Michael Angelo is preserved— St Peter's Basilica, where the music of the boyt,' voices in the dome on the Jubilee day and

the sound of the silver trumpetagave one some idea of what heavenly music must bo — The Sistine CSapel, where the •' Dies Irre," sung by tho Paotl choir at the anniversary Requiem for the popular Pio Noro stirred the aoul with deepest religious feeling, the Cithedral of Florence, of which the people are bo justly proud — tbe Cathedral. Baptistery, Oimpo t-anto, and Leaning Tower of Pisa — Genoa, where Columbus was bom, and Daniel O'Uonneil died. In the course of the address F ither O'Neill told in capital style, a number of personal reaniniscenesces of the town > At Genoa he was most desirous of seeing tbe spot where the great Irish Liberator died. He hailed a cabman, and asked him to drive to the house where Daniel O'Connell died. The man was pjrpltxecL Did milor mean the American who died six weeks b«fore 7 Attracted by the cooveration Dearly alt the drivers in the square came around, but the wbcle council of cabmeu could not decide in what house Daniel O'Connell died. Recourse was then had to thu officials at the Cathedral. Could they tell where O'Connell died ? " You are a few days too late," was the reply, ll be is dead and buried." He hal no time to tarry longer in Genoa, and had to hurry oa without seeing the house in which Daniel O'Connell died, Speaking of singer*, while in Italy, he was particularly struck with the sweetness and range of the soprano voices. He thought at first, listening to the grand music in St Peter's, they were women with exceptionally high voices, but fonnd that they were men.— At the conclusion of the lectuie Father Lynch proposed a hearty vote of thanks for the admirable address to which they lis'ened with great pleasure. Father O'Neill thanked the members. He congratulated them on the strength of their organisation. He had listened with great pleasure <o the conclu ling strains of the chorus which they had been practising that evening, and dwelt on tbe advantages to the Church of music, and to individual members rendered by the Saint Ceclia Society.