THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 751, 6 September 1878, Page 2

THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

Last night's Concert at the Volunteer Hall was in every respect creditable to the Philharmonic Society. Mozart's Twelfth Mass was surprisingly well performed ; and strange to say, the " Cum Sancto Spiritii " was as free from any important defects as.any portions of the Mass. But we were best pleased with the " Et Incarnatus est," in which the quartette of stringed instruments so faithfully filled in the accompaniments to one of the most delightful of tenor solos, and the chorus so correctly sung the richly harmonious parts which burst in here and there. The " Benedictus," too, was enchanting, and owed its merit principally to the singing of Mrs. Clowes, to whom the Society should feel greatly indebted for her able assistance. The small orchestra in this piece acquitted itself well, for the symphony was tastefully played. There was not a single item in the Mass the performance of which would not have done credit to any Colonial Society. True, the band was meagre ; but it is usual in these parts on such occasions to dispense with a band altogether and to depend entirely upon the aid of a piano- -i forte. Last night there were four violins, big and little (played by the Messrs. Jones and Pheloung), a piano, and a harmonium, and the two latter presided at by Mrs. J. Booth and Miss Fen-ier, filled in the various parts. To Mr. Geo. Finch, the Conductor of the Society, is due the greatest praise for his energy and tact in the management of the performances. Good as the Society is, there is room for improvement. Instead of thirty or forty performers there should be at least sixty or seventy, and we would suggest that immediately on the Society recommencing its rehearsals for the next Concert, there will be numerous fresh accessions to its ranks.

The second part was opened by th« overture to "Dur Freisohurz, spiritedly played by Mrs. Brunton, Mrs. Booth, and Mr. Jones. Then came one of the several glees, in the performance of which the members of the Society exceeded all other previous efforts of a similar kind. Nothing could have been more enticing than the strains of " Spirits Advance," the solo of which was nicely sung by Miss Balfie Hardy, whilst "La Carita" was one of the gems of the concert. Mrs. Clowes' singing of the solo in this piece was most finished. The two selections from the May Queen, "Shall a clown" and " Can I not find thee a warrant for changing," with their simple melodies and pretty vocal harmonies, pleased everybody. In these pieces Mrs. Clowes, Miss Balfie Hardy, and Messrs. J. Booth, Fraser, and Corbett sang with great precision. A pretty duet by the Misses Hardy secured an encore, and so did Mrs. Kinnear's " Far away from bonnie Scotland." "Albion on thy fertile plains" was capitally sung by Mr. Daniel Booth and Mr. Fraser, and the concert cJ-~«3ed with a piece called " Aldiberonti," which caused some of the performers to laugh so immoderately that they forgot to sing, and the National Anthem.