MUSICAL RECIPROCITY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 691, 16 December 1909, Page 8

MUSICAL RECIPROCITY.

RECEPTION TO DR. CHAELES HAjBEISS. . ; A civic welcome was .tendered.yesterday-to •' Dr.' Charles .Harriss, whose intention it is to - ; •"" bring out 200 members of' tho Sheffield .Choir 'Von a tour'of Canada, Australia, and- New Zea« v.' laud in about a year's /time. ■ i.Tho Mayor (DivNeremarO extended a greeting to. Br. Harriss, who, ho considered, ; was an "Imperial musician."' He hoped that the moTcmont of which Dr. Harriss was the pioneerwould bo ! a great success. In Now Zealand '■',' there.was already a-high'standard of < music, . '; and London examiners frequently, came out Anything- that made- the lives of the,:people:■'■ pleasanter. was. of tho■ utmost value,.and- in,,' tho past, they had, been- pleased to hear, tho- ; Besses V tho:Barn. Band and? other musical combinations. The proposed tour,of 1911 would ~ be a stupendous ', musical;cntorpriso, consider- ■'■•■ ittg the lcngth.of thoWoyago ana the,number of; -J-. the'performers. Nothing.had jet approached it, .-,;, and he, felt sure that largo .crowds would conie ' > to. the Wellington festival. : , .;. :■,:,;,-•. Dr. Harriss, in reply, said that ho was on«' ! doavouring to do an Imperial • work through, tho medium of i music, an unselfish work, and." . -' a work- in which ho ; took great. pride. The'■,'.,•■' -.' Wholo. movement: hinged; on,, his. own: personal !'. : effort.-' Ho was..a musical- politician,-, knowing: . no party. ..If tho,, .singing ;.birds,'had:.'their .' throats cut,.land the.homes'of the: people .were: , . robbed of harmony,, life, would bo a-poor.sort'-;.' •""■ of. thing.,' It.had, taken", eight years to.' make Vv; even, preparatory; work possiblo in connection ■■/':. with tho projected' tour of, the Sheffield Choir. '■:-'' He had. allotted, himself ten years in which to go rcund tho- world, with: His propaganda.of.'."musical reciprocity, -and in Canada,' England, -'" and South: Africa, ho'kad met with, whole- >' : hearted support.;. The'. King 'himself; had been'; "■';. graciously pleased to' .'show! interest in the :,.' movement; vThe itour of the Sheffield Choir 'to ■ the' overseas beginning of '•',' \ his work." Two' hundred members of the' Sheffield' Choir had'spent twelve days hi' Canada, and, : on their return, they had given sixty lectures: all over- England,, After their visit to No\r ■Zealand, the, choir .would bo sure to; "talk their heads oft" about tho-wonders .of the;':--' country. The tour -.was going : to:cost JE50.000, ','; . and if there was any deficit iwhon "tho- .choir ,'■ returned, he would write a cheque, for tho ■■ amount.'.. Tho \ choir; although to be ; : the best in the world,- would not presuino.to ,-..'.' come 'out'to .teach.": colonials, 'but "-they "wished Vto show how thoy sang ■ certain 'works. ; More- \.':.■'■ over, it would be arranged that a largo number of local singers would, be associated with'the ;' r choir in tho different centres. Ho urged that'.':'-'.: a choir from New' Zealand should visit Eng-.; land,: and, if such a lour, were arranged,! ho ; would : gladly subscribe JC500,-and would pilot; •thorn- through England 'for -nothing/-..(Ap- ■.-..'■■' plausc.) Tho toiir "of "'Australasia' 'by' tho', ' Sheffield Choir -was restricted- to thirty-six days,: .',. ■'. They would visit Now Zealand,-Tasmania, and.:-; Australia on their way from Canada' to South'- ■' Africa. After a weeks sojourn in Canada, he- -V would shortly proceed to Loudon' to train : -a '.(■/ choir'of 5000-voices.'-- Ho had recently addressed ' ■.'•' a Glasgow musical' socioty and' -:had advised ■ -V; them to prepare for tho - next > trip 'round the ; : worlds ■■ '.'■■ : .-'.• ■:'" ; -::' : Mr. 'Maughan Barnett,' city? organist,•• ex- '.'■;' pressed his, sympathy with the schomo. ■•!; The .:'; question'was' sometimes asked:; Are. New Zea-:/ landers musical? Somo thought!that.they were••■ •• so taken up with sport that they had no -time,' " for art, but n number of visiting artists had . '. been surprisod nt the interest taken in-music,.:," Ho was glad that Now Zealand'had- booh in- -h eluded in the tour, and ho was sure ,that tho: .. local festivals would bo a. big success. \. : ,:.,?' ■', Mr, liobert Parker considered that there,would bo no difficulty-in getting a .thoroughly -.-.'■: representative chorus to supplement the choir:, • : locally.-' . ~".-'-. '.y. •,',.- -■'" ■-:'■:-,-v t Mr.J. G. W. Aitken ond Mr. J. W. Joynt, :,? also oxprcssed the hope that tho proposed visit - of the Sheffield Choir would bo successfully; - : brought nbbut. '■ . :'' : v"'< A committeo was .■ set up ' to', discuss th*-.: business sidoof tho' tour. ■-. ••--■—.■'■' At the' reception tendered- to -Dr. Harriss-'at '■■'":''. tho Town HaU yesterday," it was decided thai. ■ : the officers oi the Wellington Musical Union, ' - Choral Society, and' iAedortafol should con. ' . : stituto- &-- committee, to deal - with'. preliminary , /:■ -matters;in connection with the proposed visit V to New Zealand of the Sheffield; Choir, vti--' •meeting of' this committee will bo'hold at. St ■ ■ i ;,-' John's' Schoolroom this evening, at 7.30 p.m.' sharpy ■'-'"■".:' ■:':■ ... : -/..-.. ':....-.,' ~.%i:fi