CHORAL SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 3509, 22 May 1874, Page 2

CHORAL SOCIETY.

To the Editor. Siiy—Haviog .unavoidably been absent from the annual meeting of the Choral Society, I am indebted H6 your 'papef'for tKe account of the business transacted at if m 'I see that a suggestion made by some of the members that the committee be elected annually was thrown out, on the grounds that it would cause the Society «to flv to pieces." That the Society is in[such aW perou B conditien r (exc6pt as regards finance) r beg to deny. If lam wrong, perhaps th 6 Committee Would'kindly inform toe Why So few members atten^edthe'Wuctor'sbenel at concert, or ev«n the last one of the season! when the ranks of both performing'members and band were very bare, and (l write under correction) the majority hardly sufficiently acquainted with the music. The perforinauce at Mr Towsey's concert was a disgrace not attributable to the conductor-far from it; and I have much pleasure in stating mv opinion that that gentleman performs his very arduous duties in a most creditable manner, as we are not aU of us born with talent and temper equal to it—and I think he has both. »«««.

, S rac J ica i being desired, as I .ntiersfcand, from the chairman’s remarks, perhaps the fyUbwing meet with ap. provalt -eg the Society Btahds w at p'reaept, the members are obliged to do just as self-coustitnted committee determine, which xanot.to my mind fair play; neither is it right wh ». B* vo time, t01a.,. JU money to ,an asaociaaoD should hare no roioe 1 1 n d«pting of the same. As a sign of the prosperous” condition of the Society

I may mentions that, for twelve months there has been ho secretary, the gentleman who has all that time been “acting” as such I as a member should have been better pleased to hear singing instead of only “anting,” and thus using his talent and ex* perionce in leading the new members on bis side. To say the Society would fall to pieces if allowed to elect a committee to conduct its own business, is all nonsense, Ar. the same time it should be understood that fie committee do not meddle with the' s lec . tion of singers, oi in any way .with the conduct of the music itself; experience has taught us that that can be done by one person only, and that is in this case the conductor. I would suggest, that a committee of five, with a treasurer, conductor, president, and vice-president ex-officio be elected annually by the performing members. That a paid secretary be appointed, whose duty shall include taking the roll each practice, so, that before every concert only those performing members who comply with the rules receive their tickets. That the rues, &c., be printed on or embodied with the card of membership (I do not remember having ever seen any printed rules). By the adoption of the above or similar resolutions, the Society would be enabled to change its office-bearers, if they did not consider that they did their duty. As constituted at present, the performing members act like a bellows-blower to an organist, I am much suprised this subject has not been mooted before, as L know the performing members are very much dissatisfied with the existing rules. I must apologize for troubling you, but unless one happens to be at the annual meeting, there isno opportunity for one to make any suggestions; and knowing the interest yea-take in the Society, I hope you will publish this in fall.—l am, &c., P.B. P. Dunedin, May 21.