HARMONIC SOCIETY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3125, 2 July 1917, Page 3

HARMONIC SOCIETY

A SUCCESSFUL CONCERT... Tdie Wellington Harmonic Society gave a very successful concert in the Concert £^ bW rri, of ,. t1 ' 0 Town Hall on Saturday night. The hall was full and the audience appreciative, and the music provided during the evening was consistently good. The society had tho assistance of Miss Eileen Driscoll, mezzo-soprano, and Mr. -Herbert Bloy, violinist. Miss Driscoll's voice-is flexible and sympahetic, and although its tone quality leaves something to bo desired at times, her singing is always enjoyable. ■ She sang on Saturday night the recitative and air, "L'Enfant v Prodigue (Claude Debussy) and the mellow-sounding "Bredon Hill" (Dalhousio loung). Mr. Bloy gave a delightfully dexterous rendering ,of Tartini's "The Devils Trill,' a composition admittedly written chiefly as a medium for the exhibition of technical skill, but possessed at the same time of great intrinsic charm. Jhe violinist was in his best form, ,and thoroughly deserved tho very hearty encore accorded him. Later in the evening Mr. Bloy played "Melodic" (TschaiKowslti) and "Perpetuum Mobile" (Gore), both pleasant numbers. Tho choTUS, unaer the direction of Mr. Temple White presented a group of part-songs, ranging from Pmsuti's melodious "The Parting Kiss to Cyril ■ Jenkin's forceful "Tho btorm s Triumph." A number that gave scope for some pleasure effects in moduation was tho~intTioato "Weary Wind of the West (Llgar). Tho singing reached generally a fairly high standard. A certain amount of raggedness could bo detected In some of the numbers; and -the attack occasionally was weak. There was evidence of careful rehearsal, but the chorus had' not always the fulness that j eßS ? n , alt 0 tne maintenance of tone and balance. These are defects that probably would disappear if the public appearances of the society' were more frequent. Tho numbers were "all enjovable, and the audience made its approval mamfost in emphatio fashion. In addition -to the part-songs already mentioned the chorus gave "The Dawn of Song" ( ,S,°^ st ? w '' " The Serenade" (Brahms), and God in Nature" (Schubert), the last named being for ladies' voices only. Tho concluding number was Elgar's "It Comes from the. Misty Ages," the stirring epilogue from "The Banner of St. Gcor»e " fins composition tested tho ability'of "the society very thoroughly, and the conductor and members,'-as well as the audience, had reason to be pleased with the result.