THE DUNEDIN CHORAL SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2738, 25 November 1871, Page 2

THE DUNEDIN CHORAL SOCIETY.

To the Editor. Sit:,—Every one interested in music, and entertaining any' desire for the production in Dunedin of the works of the greatest masters of song, must sympathise with the objects contemplated by the above-named society, and rejoice in what measure of success nny have attended its efforts. At the same time it appears to me that the Dunedin Choral Society has failed, at least to a very large extent, in the accomplishment of the purposes which such a society should work out, viz., t : at of developing and gathering together in one united association fhe musical talent of Dunedin. W$ have in Dunedin a population of somg 12,000 souls ; of tbe*e a large proportion are young people, available for the rank and file of a musical society, aud yet the Dunedin Choral Society on the occasion of a grand concert, can only bring forward eleven sopranos, with a corresponding number of voices to sustain the other parts, aud a band consisting of some five or six stringed instruments, and a single flute. To say that such is a fair representation of the muii'al strength of Dunedin is simply absurd. It appears to me there must be something amiss either du the constitution or working of the Choral .Society and I would earnestly urge the Committee to endeavour to discover the reason of their too obvioui failure, so that in the future they may gain for the society the popularity awanting in the past, and so obtain a fuller and more efficient muster both of vocalists and instrumentalists in the ranks of the society, that it may thus become more worthy to be named the Dunedin Choral .Society.—l am, &c. Sold.