THE CALEDONIAN SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 21 August 1880, Page 2

THE CALEDONIAN SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

Seldom, if ever, has the Volunteei Hall been so densely packed with peoplt as it was last evening, on the occasion o: the concert given under the auspices oi the Caledonian Society in aid of the funds of the Oamaru Hospital and Benevoleni Society. Long before the time for commencing the entertainment every available spa,t was filled, and at eight o'clock there was not even standing room left, and about 100 persons were turned away from the door. Of course the deserving nature of the objects in aid of which the entertainment was given, had a great deal to do with the overflowing state of th« house, but in the main we think }t was more attributable to the indefatigible manner in which & of the. directors oi the pushed, "op: the tickets. Whatever, however might have been the cause, tiie result must ha,ve been highly gratifying to the promoters of the entertainment, for bath institutions will assuredly obtain substantial aid. The chair was occupied by the President of the Society (Mr. D. Sutherland), and Mr. J. G. Finch officiated as accompanist. Though the eßtQi'tainmenl cannot by any stretch, of th,e imagination be designated a success, it maj fairly be said that many of the items were very' well given, and as the audience was large and thoroughly good-natured, while the aid obtained for two deserving institutions was very welcome, the main object of the promoters of the concert was served, and well served too. Afy?r Mr. Elder, one of the best piperst that we have heard iu the Southern Hemisphere, had, while pacing the stage, played some Scottish national airs on the Scottish national instrument, the chairman opened the proceedings with a few remarks. He said some exception had been taken tc the programme on account of its uncompromisingly Scotch nature. It frad b.eer. said that it commenced with burgoo and was burgoo to the end. (Laughter.) Now. Scotchmen were proud of two firstly, their national musicj which had invariably led the Irtish farces to victory ; a,nd seQondly, of being able to say. am a Scotchman born." He concluded by calling upon Mr. Fleming tc sing £< Tak' yer auld cloak aboot ye." Mr. Fleming, after, as is his wont, introducing the theme with a funny anecdote, gave the song with that verve and bonhomie which invariably characterises his public performances. He was very nicely accompanied by one of his little daughters. Miss Flora Fleming. Mr.. Bowling's recitation flf Spptt's poem descriptive oi th§ figlit between Fitzjames and Roderic Dhu was not only one of the best items on the programme, bqt decidedly the besl piece of dramatio reading that we have listened to in Oamaru for a long time. Added to clear articlation, a well modulated voice, Mr. Dowling possesses the rare ability to suit the action to the word. The success of Mrs. Graham's rendering of " Rory of the Glen" was gre&tlj marred by excessive nervousness,'consequent, no doubt, Ujpon a first appearanct in public, followed a dialogue ii character Messrs. G. Harper anc R! Mackay, " Lochiel's Warning." Th* Chairman explained that this dialogue hac been given by the sarne gentlemen 15 years ago in o.arparu, and the item was welcome to many of the audience ai carrying back their memories to the earb days of the settlement and the primitiv< entertainments of those primitive times, Mr. Morrison's rendering of " Scotlanc yet" was only a partial success. A High land fling danced to Mr. Elder's piping b] Mr. Watson, was loudly applauded' though few could obtain a fair view o the danger. Mv. W. Fraser sang a Th< fliarph of the Cameron men " fairly, bu he was certainly not heard to advantage the national character and martial ardoui of the melody being rendered subservien to a desire to give the song in an artistii manner. Then followed a Gaelic song bj Mr. R. Mackay, which Qft\}sed grea amusement, though Sew, if any, of tin audience ?a«ld understand the words P.qring the interval some bagpipe musii was supplied by a couple of pipers, wh< played well together. The second pari opened with a Highland reel (in costume] tastefully and correctly danced by M'lntosh and Pelvin ancl Wa,tso.n and Sinclair, The " Huntingtower ** duet, by Mrs. Graham and Mr. Peattie, was not an unqualified success, owing chiefly tc\ the gentleman forgetting the woyds, the clear enunciation of which forms the chief element of success of the duet. Mr. Morrison gave " The Blue Alsatian Mountains" very creditably indeed, and shortly afterwards sang " Happy Dreamland " in a highly pleasing manner. Mr. M'Gregor's recitation, " Edinburgh after Flodden," was given with care and some attention to light and sf\ade, but it wa§ flionotpnous, owing to the want of greater dramatic force in the more declamatory passages. Mr. A. Fraser sang " Jessie, the flower of Dumblane," with great taste, though somewhat too pianissimo for the entire satisfaction of the audience at the back part of the hall. Then followed "Bonnie Prince Charlie, by Mr. N". Fleming, introduced as usual with a funny anecdote —this time of a lpcal nature, The song was rendered with considerable spirit, SJiss Flora Fleming playing the aeoompaniment, Loud applause followed, and Mr. Fleming then gave "Cruiskeen lawn," saying that when engaged selling tickets he stated he would sing an Irish song, and he meant to keep his word. Mr. W. Fraser sang " The Battle of Stirling " in a manner that fully compensated for any shortcomings in his previous efforts. After a Reel of fnlloph had been danced by four gentlemen' Auld Lang Syne" waasung by the company and the eonoert was brought to a close. The Chairman, on behalf of the Benevolent Sooiety and Hospital Committee and the members of the Caledonian Society, thanked the audience for their attendance, saying the concert had proved even a greater financial suocess than was anticipated. He also thanked the lady and gentlemen amateurs who had provided the entertainment. He mentioned that it had been suggested to give i similar entertainment in a,id of the Fire Brigade, and expressed the pleasure it vould afford the {ppnibers of the Society :q sssi§t Brigade. A dance was aftervardl held, at which there were nearly LOQ couples present. Dancing was kept ip until half-past 2 o'clock this morning, tome very good music being supplied by Messrs. Cook (violin), Powell (cornet), md Fitzroy (piano),