SUNDAY CONCERTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1539, 7 September 1912, Page 7

SUNDAY CONCERTS.

, report in Monday's issue of ■tno plight of tho Professional Orchestra makes strange reading. Tour "highly respected citizen" suggests that the orchestra win collapse if it cannot charge for 500 of its seats on .Sunday nights. But tho Orchestra has six days in tho week on wluoh to work for its living, and it does k> work when there is any man to hire it. Why-should this Orchestra be different from the other orchestra, and from every other musical association in the town? Why should it,-and it only, demand as the price of its continued existence the right to charge in front for a series of Sunday concerts? It almost seems as though, despairing of weekday gates; this 'orchestra were bent on securing a monopoly of Sunday traffic. It is perfectly plain that to concede this demand will not only break the spirit of city and State law, but also will open the door for illimitable invasions of Sunday quiet. However excellontly the orchestra plays, 'others play excellently, too,, and are not at all likely to sit down and see one set of their professional brethren enjoy a monopoly of the opportunities of tho one quiot evening in the week. If Sunday night people only subscribe 2d. ner head for their music that is the goodly piece Wherewith they price it. But even at 2d. the cost of hall and advertising is very fully met. Fot the hall is reduced on the .assumption of an entirely free entertainment. Under whatever courtesies of speech the request of tho .orchestra is veiled, .seats reserved for "subscribers to onr funds" aro seats paid for in advance.. And a prepaid concert ia a better financial proposition than a. pay-akthe-door -concert. Tho council is asked to allow on Sundays what it is almost impossible to get on Mondays.—l am, etc., ' BINGO.