DR. CHARLES HARRISS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 690, 15 December 1909, Page 3

DR. CHARLES HARRISS.

MUSIC AS AN BtPEIttAL BOND. THE".SHEFFIELD CHOlll. i Dr. Charles llarriss, who believes that the great influence of music may bo raado to holp to strengthen tlio bonds of Empire, and whoso intention it is to tour tho Sheffield Choir'of 200 voices through Canada, Australia, and New Zealand next year, will arrivo in Wellington from tho south this morning. In conversation «ith a "Lyttelton Times" reporter, Dr. Harriss „ talked of Ins plans. "My mission to Anstra- i • Jasin," lie said, "is to seek the influences of , those born to high places together with the * , sympathy and support of your patriotic Dominion, in a world movement which, through > llio medium of 'musical-rcciprocity-within'thc-' Empire, , has for its,* idea—(l) A speedier un- '. demanding of our overseas Dominion? in the heart of the Empire and throughout'tho Home- V landj (2) interchange of hubinoss relationships; (3) tho 'getting together' for that mightv causo n Inch is making day by day for the solidarity of our British Umpire, a causo so dear to tho hearts of us nil. Tho musical policy which I havo formulated knows no party, it seeks to , preach and Spread tho gospel of tho new worlds in that of tho old through llio mouthpiece of music, and now two hundred nrcai- , UCTS of the world-famed Sheffield choir, under ' „ • the joint direction of Dr. Henry Coward and mysolf, will mako a musical festival of tho Empire in 1911. Musical reciprocity with us m Canada passed experimental stages when, in i > 1901, wo started tho propaganda—started it , in no small way either, for after two years of i ' organising and preparation wo cavo a cycloi ; of musical festivals throughout tho Dominion, in 1903, in which 4000 Canadian choristers participated in tho principal cities extending from tho Atlantic to tho Pacific Const, tho • ; festival lasting five ,w<»ks. The works performed, both cl\oral and orchestral, woro nil Hiitish works, in tho conducting of which my dear friend, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, of the Koyal Academy of Music, London, slrarcd the i duties with'our Canadian conductors. These x 4000 bingers from as many homes represented! • ■ 20,000 people in their families, all mtorcstcd v in tho work of preparation; tho festivals them-' selves were listened to,by 100,000 of our peoplo; (his multitude and tho press of Canada i '.. and Britain did the rest." '" Tho Vocal Bond. • ( ' • In 1900 Dr. Harris? and his fuionds found reciprocal treatment in' London \then Canad* held a Canadian-Britislv musical festival in ' which tho leading composers of England took ' ' part, namely, Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Yillicrs ■" x Stanford, Sir AJcxandor Mackonzie, Sir Hubert Parry and Dr. Frederick Cowen. Sinco then, Sir Frederick Bridge, of Westminster Abbey ■ fame, has paid Canada a visit, making a festival of cathedral music, through tho Dominion, spreading his influence by co-operation amongst ' churches, and enabling 1500 church choristers t of all donominations to gain a larger insight ,' into tho traditions of cathedral musio as sung ' nt tho Abbey from tho time of 1540 till the i present. In November of 1908 two hundred members of the Sheffield choir wont to Canada for n short period; their singing and th<s spirit of their visit found the whole of. Canada with them, and buildings somo of them with a capacity of 7000 people, proved none too capacious to scat tho gatherings that assembled to hear tho great choir from Eng-| land. Columns of matter found their way into tho London and provincial press, and whon, . tho members of tho Shoffield Choir returned , homo they themselves rhyo over sixty publio ' - ' lectures in all parts of England, on Canada t and their impressions of the New "World. Thoso lectnres wero listened to by many thou- ' sands of people in tho Old Lnnd.'bosidcs being ' fully reported. . , \ , Advertise! "This is the 6ort of advertising, and more ', of it,' said tho doctor, "wo of tho oversea I dominions require to-day, and primarily from/ the mouths of men who havo through some source or another been tiblo to see for them- . l selves. This is what musical Teciprocitji within tho Empire is accomplishing all alonsi l ■ tho line, and it is to beat tho big drum for'. Isew Zealand in Great Britain that finds' me an honoured visitor to your last and glorious country to-day. I have yet to learn of a movement bringine to your shores, as I purpose bringing,, a ship-load of England's representative captains of industry, who' sock interchange ' .with you in business life and fco'mmercial pursuits, Mid at the same time exchange with ' .tou thoso edifying influences which, born of 'the things that matter , through 'tho power ' of sound/ find expression ih musio ana har™ol? oi J h % K" 1 - Tll ° ;two hundred mombere of tho Sheffield Choir who will sing in NewZealand aro conceded to bo unrivalled ex. , ponents of choral music. They aro known an ," tho greatest choir in the world, and because ' they arc what they are, they are mrao 'too good at their best for the enlightened populace of our British dominions beyond tho sea., Wo shall hope, in certain of our festival performances, to amalgamate with tho excellent choral elements which long sinco I lidvo been awaro exist in most cities throughout Australasia. Ihis is part and parcel of tho wholo reciprocal propaganda, tho essence of which - » spells 'Eot together.' In each of tho loadine ' cities of New Zealand I hopo to make a fo*. tival of two or throe ilbvf. ,Onr repertoire will . "• include: "The Mc'sinii,' 'Wijali,' 'Golden N Legend, Gerontius,' 'The Kingdom, , Verdi'* ' RctHhom.'•Berlioz's Taust,' Bach.'s B Minor ' Jfass, B-ichs 'Sing Ye, Blessed Pair of Sirom,' "ThP Eovongp/ 'Ode to the North-east > ftiml, Harris's chonp-idyll 'Pan,' The Sands ot iJoe, part -songs, glees madrigals, and or- ' , chestral works." The' Sheffield Choir, which "' W m ? r ; owy Coward ' s creation, Dr. Harris ' " added, hart in its conductor u man univcrsalW x conceded to bo the king of chorus masters, 'h ' ' wonderful man, a man of extraordinary power and magnetism. A Big Responsibility. ' . Tho entire cost; of the Cis months' festival ' ' of the BiiUt-h Umpire the doctor alouo ,» ' hnancally responsible for. He has alreidy spent eight years in dm doping musical iC c.proci y throughout (ho Umpire, , rn cn \% menUin- already cost me over .£IO,OOO, besides ni.v gratuitous -,01 vices I a* but tho y ra . , pathy of the Mv, Zealand peoplo in my work tlioir" «,m am r n i° f coloml and - norhnn S!l a ' Hl co -°Pf r , at ' o » whilst Hi this ' portion ot the new world when the time a •- ™~°nf f ,4 " s "?' vllidl lms bccn ">y adopted country for the past twenty-seven wars, will pilot mo through 1 hat fair laud of 'the mnnlo ~ oaf, I hai,o no fear; «hcn in South •«,"« /' . : S'F*«2£- ?? f a ,urm an(i he<lvt y welcome : u^^^wn'^.T^tc -