WELLINGTON CHORAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5123, 24 August 1877, Page 3

WELLINGTON CHORAL SOCIETY.

The fourth private concert of the Wellington Choral Society took place on August 10th in tile Odd Fellows' Hall, which was crowded to •excess, although no tickets'were issued except to- subscribers,.'thus proving once more ! the •great want which, has, so; Jong .'been feltin this town; viz.; a larger and- well-constructed hall for performances of this; sort., The first part eppsisted entirely of selections from Weber’s opera, Oheron," the various parts being well sustained’by amateur 1 .soloists. The: introduction aild chorus were .well,,'rendered, although apparently., with; a lack of that hearty enthusiasm which'generally. characterises the performances of the‘society. The .short solos in the opening, scene were, however, very fairly sung, and the recitative and aria, “0 ! ’tis a glorious sight,” was!-also very'sweetly sung,, hut wanted , in .expression.' .“ Haste, / Gallant Knight ’ ’, followed, by, one. of the old Welling<tori favorites, who, .‘however, 'seems to have much fallen' off of; late, and'the sold lost liiuch ip, effect by the very indistinct pronunciation of the .singer the' duettino 1 “ Ah'!, happy maid,” which was next -on .the .programme, proving a very happy contrast in this respect. The scena and chorus . following were capitally sung by all performers, * and the chorus for Imhle voices . was also; well rendered. “ A /Jonely , Arab .maid, ” for mezzo soprano, was also very sweetly sung, . Although wanting in ’• power,' 'which, however, 'could not;' be blamed • to, the "singer/ who evidentlydid her best.The quartet, “ Overthe dark blue waters” was very fairly rendered, followed by “ Ocean, thou mighty monster,” splendidly. sung, and 'which deservedly gamed the first encore of the’ •evening, the beautifuls air '■ suiting• the ! fine ,'yfciicb‘of the' singer to perfection. “Oh! ’tis ’ pieasait”, l brought , forward, a lady who ; has ~ not a; before - taken . • any,- .prominent part 'in these 'concerts, and proved that '.there,, are [’still 1 good voices - in, the chorus, which ,mayffie brought forward with advantage* In the duet “ On the banks of sweet Garonne” Mr. Edwards,’ the'conductor, sang the baritone part exceedingly well, the,,voice of the lady :who took : the, part of Fatima blending well. Mr. Edwards also took part in the terzettino following. The cavatina “ Mourn thou poor heart” was entrusted to the lady whose debut proved so successful'at the last concert, but was not suited to her fine voice, and failed to 'bring ..the applause, whiph!it deserved! The • grand finale was excellently rendered by both band' and ’ chorus. ' The; second part; commenced witfi an/overture by, the band, played . >vith great spirit; and evidencing, careful attention by the various members. . The part song “ Tyrolese /Volkslied ”/was, sung "with; great spirit, and was followed by Finsuti’ a “ As you like it;’.’ very prettily sung, and a flute'solo displaying 1 great command of " the' instrument. Mr. ..Edwards .then' sang. Mblloy’s//‘King’s Highway” with great feeling and expression, and was 'rapturously encored,’’giving' “ Here "upon iriy vessel’s deck”, with immense;gusto. U'many/of the younger, members would endeavor.,to imitate this -gentleman’s distinct enunciation, and 'varied‘expression the result would be most gratifying,, ..The choral march fo/rmale .voices r “ Sing gallant. comrades” was . also well sung, and one of the * old Wellington fall,” with .full baud,, in V an exceedingly;/spirited imanner,’the song being .well suited to his fine voice. An encore/bring demahded the last / v.ers’e/.was. repeated! / /For., the orchestral selection, 1 however, which-, closed the entertainment; great praise'inust ' be reserved, as the band played with exceeding care,jhndtheyafibus solos which the selection brought- out, notably those iorocornet and clarionet, were magnificently /played. ; ; ; /' ; //'/.'/// : /,/!!:, ',/ ,';"V// ! 1 '/•'/.Mr. Edwards conducted throughout with his; usual energy and spirit, and''did much to fender the concert one of "the most successful of the season.'/'",,' /,'/.;,// /,,/././„, "... ; ■ . ANNUAL; MEE TING. The. annual-general meeting'of the Wellington Choral Society/' was held on August 20 at Mr! Hunter’s rooms/,/ • 'There was a,’ numerous alteridarioe,:. and amongst those present were several ladies. Alr.-JV Woodward occupied the chair; and haying read the , advertisment convening the meeting, called upon the secretary to‘ read - the report- and balance sheet; which were as follow 1 : , ; : . , ; ■'THA committee of '.tl-n Wellington Choral Society have now toplace before the members and subscribers their report and balance-sheet for the, fourteenth season, just concluded: Torenderit fully intelligible ; in all Its bearings a brief-retrospect Is necessary of the - circumstances under - which /the, present 7, cotrimlttee, which practically has been the same for the last three seasons, took office,, and of their proceedings while in office: 5L ’ , - . ‘"'At'tlie/dpenthg of the the,committee 1 found tiiemseiVeS .with/a debt/ whieh 1 , originally estimated at ‘ about ,£loo,'' proved, 1 when allOUtstandihg liabilties ,were ! taken4hto account;,nearly'£2oo; with; ’ a small ‘and dimiaishlng'iriobmß'frpra-sUßseriptiona, which to® decreased'tb / 'only;‘.£9o; ..per annum; with’a’poor and badly' selected' library,, the greater portion'being practically Useless'; ‘and/with absolutely no property to'show.fone dcjhble-bass‘exceptbd),for an expenditure oh the pkrt of fbfmet obtamitteesamount-, liig -to-several "hundred^"of .pounds.;' /By’./djnt of ’■streririorisßxertioris srid/strict eebriomy the nbw committee' succeeded during’ the 5 twelfth and thirteenth seasons in. effecting a steady, reduction bt the’society’s ' heavf;debt, and at the close of the latter season it was found to have been, reduced to .C.S9 10.1. 3d.; 1 which.was the'debit'balance at the colrimericement of the season Just expired ' \ ' ■ ' • At 1 the last annUal meeting, the qonfiuptor and pianist wbfe hot’ elected/It being, deemed advisable •for special reasons to leave the appointment of these' 'officers in the hands of the committee;' • Several meet•tags ’wore’ held before' 5 a’corifse/bf action was Anally fesolvfed on, as It was' felt that a crisis In the history of the-society had arrived, and that its dissolution could be averted ‘ only by ’ talcing a fresh ‘departure, and making a bold effort to’ introduce a more satisfactory system of working. ,V 1 i 1 Wheii it is recollected that the season opened with butstahding liabilities equal to the whole of its regular income from subscriptions during the previous year, the difficulty with which the committee had to contend will be obvious.’ After mature consideration, it was resolved to prosecute an active personal canvas of the citj for new subscribers; and, should the result prove favorable, to take advantage of the presence in Wellington bf a professional gentleman; bringing high musical ‘ credentials 1 from Melbourne, to secure for the society a conductor In whom both tlie members and the subscribers would repose that confidence which is rarely accorded wholly' to an-amateur however exceptional his Skill;' ... The result of the canvas was eminently satisfactory, the roll of the subscribers being increased to .200 at £l-ls; : ; thus; ensuring a 1 positive and substantial; income' for the year. The committee therefore’felt justified in appointing Mr.J. A. Edwards, the gentleman above referred to. conductor to the society at a salary of £SO per annum,, while Miss Black was appointed to the post of pianlste./’Both have performed their arduous duties with admirable efficiency.'and unwearied zeal 1 , the result being that the concerts of the past season have been of an exceedingly high character to.regards, the finished 5 stylo in which the respective programmes have been ;>erformeil. * - Thb usual ■ four' subscription concerts were given; the first and third comprising miscellaneous selec- ■ tions of-sacred, and secular music of the'highest class, ’ while’ the second ’ consisted of Sir M. Costa s oratorio “Naaman,” and the fourth mainly of C. M. Von Weber's opera “Oheron,” both these great. works - being" given almost in their entirety, and with full orchestral accompaniments. . ; ~ - -• In addition to these,’the usual extra public concert at 5 Christmas 5 took place, when Handel’s oratorio “The Messiah ” was performed for the fifth time in annual succession. -. .Through the kindness of the trustees of the Wesleyah Church’, • Manners-street, it Was given as before in that building, a concession for which the warmest,ttonks,of the society’are. due; . 1 While the musical success of these concerts may be regarded as thoroughly satisfactory, the-financial results were no loss favorable.' The balance-sheet shows the total revenue for the year from all’sources to, have been £40003. lid.; wjiilo the expenditure; including the liquidation of the balance of the old,' debt, .was; £39£ 16s 8d ; thus leaving a small balance to the society's credit, showing that but for the liabilities left (from former seasons’trie Society wolild not only have! paid 'its'way.’hut have had a balance of'nearij' £OO, on.the. right’side,and it is-'with'great' satisfaction “that the committee are enabled to place before this meeting a statement showing this society to he free from all encumbrance—a position it has not been in for many years past. - . • . Fdr this’satisfactory stale'of affairs the society is indebted largely to the able and zealous management on the part of the hon. sec., Mr. T.-Garrard, who undertook gratuitously the onerous duties of secretary and'librarian on the resignation of Mr. W. G. Smith .at the beginning of tho season. To the President (Mr. George Hunter. M.H.E.) ' the society owes a debt of gratitude Impossible to be ‘over-rated. Indeed; ibut for his continued kindness and liberality in providing,' free of all' charge to the society, practice and committee rooms, arid a grand piano for use both at,rehearsals and at concerts, even the' increased income of the present 1 season would have, been'iriauffleierit. 5 , ’■/;" V*v . 1 A"very 5 serious difficulty has'been the want ,of a suitable liall in which to give the subscription concerts.' At- present ; there Is no building in this city of adequate size’ or possessing the , necessary . acoustic qualities. It is hoped that the approaching completion of the‘new theatre in Manners-street may tide over this difficulty-for, a tins 1 ; but .the question’ of erecting a Choral Hall must engage the attention of ’ the society at no very’diatarit date. . ’ . . r • . ■’".• The'society's library has /been augmented by the purchase of the cantatas “ Paradise and; the Perl” (I. F. Barnett) and ” The Dream” (Sir M. Costa), the operas “ Oheron” (Weber) and ‘‘Masaniello” (Auber), and several other choral works, as well as a large and valuable supply of orchestral' music, sufficient fev several seasons; blit tbe library still requires replanishing bothas to new works and additional copies of those already in stock, rendered needfvl by the in-

crease of performing members, the numbers now on the roll beinv. sopranos 33, alto 10, tenor 10, bass 15, band 22; total, S 9. Tho committee suggest that the appointment of conductor and pianiste for the ensuing" season should be left in the hands'of the new committee. In conclusion, the committee desire to express their thanks to the members for their regular and assiduous attendance and cordial support; to the band and their leader, Mr. Isherwood, for their powerful and most valuable assistance, to Messrs. <T. Graham Anderson, and dohwartze for their gifts of orchestral music: to the Auckland, Dunedin, Nelson, and Wanganui societies and Mr. C. Bonnington for the loan of music and instruments, and to the conductor, pianist, treasurer, and lion, .secretary for,their zealous and efficient performance of their arduous and responsible dffties; It now only remains for the committee to resign their, trust into the hands of their successors.

The Chairman moved the adoption of th. rep irt 1 and balahce-shedt, which he observed were very minute, and left him really little or nothing to say. It was a matter if congratulation that the society’s affairs were in such a satisfactory condition. . (The. society was now free from debt, and that was chiefly due to the large number of additional subscribers. He regretted that they had not a larger room in which to hold concerts, so that all who desired to attend might' have seats. He hoped that an adequate hall would be provided. There was a good hall in ‘Auckland, and there was certainly as much enterprise here as there, and therefore he did net think the idea altogether Utopian that a suitable concert hall would eventually be built in Wellington. He paid a high compliment to the conductor for his very valuable services. The obligation ’'which the society was under to its President, Mr./Hnntev, could not be over-rated, for. without his assistance tiie society could not have prospered as it had done; indeed he doubted whether it would have been ,in .existence /withput him, and this was only one of the many instances in which that gentleman had evinced his public spirit in this community. 5 " The society also owed much to the exertions of the secretary, the treasurer, and other office-bearers.

Mr. Kennedy seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. ~ ’’ The' following .gentlemen weye, re-elected office-bearers for the ensuing year:—-President: Mr. G. Hunter, 5 M.H.E. - "Vice-Presidents: Mr.’ 5 J. Woodward and the Hon. Mr. Hart; M.L.C.; Treasurer: Mr. J. R. George"; Secretary.and Librarian:/Mr. Thos. Garrard; Committee ; Messrs. Hammerton, R. Marten, Whitaker, Widdop, - Plimmer, • Reeves, Bull, Bonnington, Hollister, and’ Spreat., A cordial vote,'of thanks/to the President for his continued’liberality oh behalf of the society was proposed from the’ chair, seconded by Mr. lahe rwood, and carried unanimously. The Pbesedent briefly thanked the meeting for this mark of their confidence, saying it afforded him great gratification to have been of use to the society. (Mr. Plympton said before the meeting separated he wished. to read a memorandum of a scheme for providing a new hall, and haring obtained permission so to do, read as follows;

The promoters of the toll feel that the time has arrived when the society should make a strong effort to obtain for itself a local habitation and a borne, and ills believed that a deputation to the members of the' Government (composed of the city representa lives and others interested) would be able to lay the case before them in such a manner that a piece of land might be obtained on, ; the new reclamation, on which to erect a building for'the purposes required. The promoters ,of the above scheme are anxious to lay before the society the, present statc'of affairs, and particularly to point out ; that however desirous the committee may Be .that the society should progress both in numbers and in the estimation of, the public, they are met by one great obstacle—want of accommoda- ■ tion- there being no. building sufficiently large to meet their requirements, Unless at a rental entirely beyond their means. It is felt, 1 therefore, that the society has arrived at a very critical point of its existence, when it is, absolutely necessary that it should keep pace with the spirit of the times, or retrograde, perhaps to give place to another with more energy and enterprise. Should this or any scheme’ be favorably received, it is first proposed to make a strong canvas of the city for donations .in. aid, and in fact to use every means tq get together as much capital as possible before commencing the building; when it is believed that little;'difficulty . will be experienced in raising'the rest,' either, by way of ’ .mortgages or on sborfdated debentures; ’ The building intended to be erected should consist of a central halt,'with a moveable proscenium, and an auditorium to seat not less than 1500 persons comfortably; there should be siderooms forpraotiees, besides a library, ladies’and gen- ‘ tleriSen’s - dfessirig : rooms, etc., . with lavatories and every convenience,’' In' advocating ’the erection of such a building the promoters feel that a great saving td'tfie funds of" the society, would be.made/if it tod ’some permanent place of abode ; toyfor instance, the erection of platforms, ’ carriage of timber’for such, removals of piano, etc., all which would be avoided if some such plan as sketched were carried out; and it ,is thought that a considerable income might be derived from the leasing of such a hall for concerts, lee tures, etc. ::

, /The President pointed , out that this'matter had* engaged the attention of the committee, as would be seen by reference to the report. He'then moved-that a vote of thanks should be passed to Mr. Edwards, the conductor, for his valuable services;. ' , ' , : This was seconded, and carried by acclamation;:. ■ ... ...I," ■/ . - ••■ ,

(.. Mr. Edwards briefly returned thanks for the compliment paid: to him. ; -Mr. Reeves suggested that Mr. Plympton should be elected an extra member of the committee. ‘

The Chairman said .he thought it would he enough,if the committee invited Air. Plympton to attend their meetings, when they could discuss with him the question of the erection of a suitable concert hall. - , . ■ • . Air. .George moved ■ a vote of thanks to the chairman, and expressed the pleasure, he felt at' seeing so many ladies present,on this ocoation and interesting themselves iu the proceedings. • - • , The Chairman returned thinly, and the meeting then separated.. . .