OPENING OF ARTS EXHIBITION. The Musical Competition. (From the " Auckland Star.") April 25.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 48, 3 May 1884, Page 5

OPENING OF ARTS EXHIBITION. The Musical Competition. (From the " Auckland Star.") April 25.

The Auckland Society •of Arts' fourth annual exhibition was formally opened last night in the Choral Hall, by His Excellency the Governor, who delivered an appropriate address on the occasion, Everything is arranged with the nicest taste and judgment, and the tout ensemble is both striking and pretty. As, however, we intend to review the exhibits at our leisure, it is unnecessary to make further reference to them now. Suffice it to say that they are hung to great advantage, and that they mark a decided advance upon the exhibition of last year. Shortly after the doors were opened the public began to arrive in a steady stream, and by eight o'clock the place was completely thronged. His Excellency the Governor, accompanied by Miss A. Jervois, the Rev. W. H. H. Jervois, Mr Pennefather (Private Secretary), and Major Eccles (Aide-de- ! Camp), arrived at 8.15, and were received by the company standing, the band meanwhile playing the National Anthem. Mr J. M. Clark (President of the Society) and Mr Josiah Marfcin (Honorary Secretary) welcomed the distinguised visitors, and conducted chem to the platform. His Excellency, on coming forward to address the assemblage, was received with cheers. He said : Ladies and Gentlemen, — I first have to apologise for being somewhat late, but the fact is that I have just come down the Kaipara River in a steamer, and the draught of the steamer was too great for the conditions of the Kaipara River, and we stuck in the mud. (Laughter.) Hence my late appearance here. I can assure you that I consider it not only a pleasure, but a great privilege, to be present again at this meeting of the Auckland Society of Arts. I have not had as yet an opportunity of looking at the pictures, but I understand from several people that they are decidedly an advance on the exhibition of last year, and I think upon that the Society is to be congratulated. All things, even exhibitions of Societies of Arts, and such institutions as this, must have a commencement. And I think we shall do well to reflect what a modest commencement the Royal Academy in England had. When you go back in its history, and see how modest its commencement was, and then go through the galleries of the exhibition at the preaent day, and when you still further reflect that one of the great institutions of England is the annual dinner of the Royal Academy in London, at which the greatest men desire to have the privilege to be present, I am sure you will agree with me that the commencement that you have made here in establishing a Society of Arts may attain great proportions. Having in my juvenile days made some attempts at being an artist myself, I have some little knowledge on the subject, but I confess that it is chiefly knowledge which serves to show how little I know about it. The whole question of instruction in art has t undergone quite a revolution since the days when I learned drawing, some fifty years ago. After the Exhibition of 1851 quite a new era was introduced in instruction in art in England. I think we borrowed a great deal from the French. Probably you know that in the French schools they insist upon, I think, some four years' attention to drawing from models aud figures, and only with the pencil and the chalk, before they take to colours. New I recollect very well how, in the olden time, we were all inclined to rush into colour before we had a correct eye for drawing. (Hear, hear.) Well, I believe the instruction which takes place now in.New Zealand — I can answer for it in Christchurch — is quite on the modern principle, and lam sure that principle is correct ; for you can have no good pictures unless you have accurate drawing. (Applause. ) But I did not come here, I can assure you, to preach a sermon on art, but to see the pictures which are hanging on these wallp, and also to have the pleasure whilst I am here of distributing the medals which have been awarded to the successful competitors in art ; and I will now, with your permission, proceed to distribute those medals as they have been awarded. (Applause.) His Excellency then presented the following medals : — Silver Medal and Prize of £2, Mr Gilmore, for best pupil's study from Round. Bronze Medal and Prize of £1, for best Outline Drawing from Flat, Miss Nellie Havill. Silver Medal for special artistic excellence to Mr Samuel R. Keesing, for original design, Decorated Door Panel (Hawk on Hybiscus). Bronze Medal for special artistic excellence, to Miss Bleazard, for original design, Single Plaquet, hand painted. Silver Medal, the gift of Mrs J. McCosh Clark, to Miss Kate Ridings, the competitor receiving the highest number of First Class Certificates. Before presenting Herr Schmitt's gold medal for the berat original musical composition, His Excellency called upon Mr J . M. Clark to read the judge's report. Mr Clark, in responding, explained that the report he wa3 about to read had been prepared by Judge Fenton. His colleague, Professor Tyndall, of Christchurch, finding himself unable to be present, had telegraphed to the Committee the name of the composition whioh he considered to be the best, and it was found to be the one which Judge Fenton had already selected. The report was then read as follows : — " In response to the invitation of Herr Schmitt, there have been sent in twelve musical compositions. Before remarking upon them seriatim, I must express my great surprise at their general excellence. I should never have supposed that Auckland could have produced so much original good music, nor can I imagine where it can all have oome from. There are grammatical errors of more or less gravity in most of them. In one or two cases the errors may be clerical, but I do not feel myself permitted „to treat them as such. Errors are errors, and as such they must go for what they are worth. The general result cf Herr Schmitt's enterprise is so encouraging that I venture to hope that such a good ex- | ample will be followed, and that these contests may be made annual. From this small beginning may possibly be evolved the scheme of which the Professor and I have been long talking, that is, the affiliation of the Choral Society to the Auckland University College and the New Zealand University, and the ultimate establishment of a Professor's Chair of Music in this city. "In conclusion, I must place the compositions in the following order of ,merjt :— I. The Sonata $b. 9. 2, The song No. 1, 'Sweet Evening Hour.' - 3. The Marph, No. 10. "I should like to add, I hope that in future competition, musical compositions wilj fee confined to one class. I fyaye found *t very circuit to compare a sonata with a sphg, or a sons with a waltz pr march. One majjr be inpre lively to give greater pleasure to the greatest number of persons (which I tajce to fee the. trtye<f)ii4 only ffl<l # JWio), \WJ9

'ttief other may be praiseworthy "ais showing greater skill arid knowledge of the art, though affording lees delight, lam not certain that this is not. the case, here. It is very probable that Ellen Ley's song, if weU sung, or the, Triumphal March, will please more people than ' Omegas ' sonata j but • Omega' must haye the prize, because he or she (though I* think it must be a he), could have written any of the other things and I very much doubt whether any other of the competitors could at all have approached his or her Bonata. I congratulate ourselves on having such remarkable musical capacity existing among us, and I think that Herr Schmitt deserves many thanks for having thought of bringing it forward to public notice. I hope I have hurt no one's feelings. It is necessary I should give reasons for my judgment, and ,1 pray any competitor who may consider that I have made mistakes or judged badly to believe that I have done my best, and I willingly admit that if I had known that the works to be submitted to my scrutiny would have been generally of so much merit, I should not have undertaken the duty. F. D. Fenton, V.P. Choral Society." April 19, 1884. Mr Clark, then apologised for Judge Fenton's unavoidable absence, and also intimated that the Cavaliere Schmitt had promised during his residence in Auckland to give an annual medal for musical composition. His Excellency the Governor then said : Ladies and Gentlemen, — Before presenting these prizes I think it only my duty, as it is indeed also a great pleasure, to say something about the donor of this prize, Herr Schmitt. (Hear, hear). lam sure that the public of Auckland are greatly indebted to him for this encouragement that he has given to music here. It probably may not be known to you how eminent a man Herr Schmitt is — how eminent a musician you have amongst you. I asked my aide-de-camp, Major Eccles, who is himself, as you know, an admirable musician— a flute player — to note down for me particulars with regard to Herr Schmitt's careor, and I will, if you permit me, just read them to you— (Applause) :— "Herr Carl Schmitt began his musical education at the Conservatoire of Leipzig, and afterwards studied in Paris under Hector Berlioz, that great master of orchestration. At the age of 18, Herr Schmitt, having previously received several prize medals lor nis compositions, was appointed conductor of the opera at Warzburg, and two years afterwards he conducted the Royal Opera of IConigsberg. On account of ill -health, Herr Schmitt was obliged to leave Europe, and has since devoted his time to the culture and advancement of music in the colonies. The excellence of the Auckland Choral Society and its orchestra is a proof that he has not laboured in vain. The order of Croce Bianco- was conferred upon him a short time ago by the King of Italy, a decoration only bestowed upon scientific men and composers of distinction." (Applause. ) I wish also to refer to the advantage that the public of Auckland has derived from the fact of Judge Fenton having taken so great an interest in music here, j (Applause). Through evil report and , through good report, he has for years laboured in the cause of music in Auckland, and I am sure everybody heie who is a lover of music — or indeed, if not a lover of music— will agree with me that we are very greatly indebted to Judge Fenton for his hearty labours. (Applause.) And now, ladies and gentlemen, I have the great pleasure of presenting to Mr Thomas Wood this handsome gift of Herr Schmitt, he being the author of the sonata sent in under the name of " Omega," which has been awarded first prize by the judges. (Applause.) The second on the list is Mr Edger, and the third is an unknown competitor, Avho styles himself, or herself, "Delta." Mr Thomas Wood, barrister and solicitor (son of Mr Reader Wood), then came forward and received a handsomely-engraved gold medal in an appropriate case. Both were manufactured by Mr Teutenberg. At the request of His Excellency, Mr Ralph Hood then played upon the pianoforte the prize composition, and at his desire also Mrs Judfon sang the second best work, viz., the song, •' Sweet Evening Hour,'' composed by her brother, Mr H. F. Edger, who accompanied her upon the harmonium. Both pieces are possessed of considerable merit. The composer of the Triumphal March marked " Delta " was also called upon, but did not respond. It has since been ascertained to be Mr A. A. Whitehorne, C.E. His Excellency and suite then left the platform and inspected the pictures. Selections of instrumental music were performed throughout the evening, and Mr Knox sang the fine bravura from "Maritana," "No I My Courage." The Exhibition closed shortly after 10 o'clock.

The Exhibition was re-opened at noon today, and throughout the afternoon there was a good attendance of visitors, chiefly of the softer sex. By daylight the attractions of the pictures are better recognised and ap predated than at night, and for this reason many of those who took the opportunity of a first view last evening were present again to-day. The exhibition will be open from 7 till 9 to-night, and some means will boubtlesB be taken to add to the enjoyment of the visitors by the performance of, musical selections. April 26. Water-colour drawings are not so attractive to the eye of the general public as oilpaintings, and, for this reason, as well as owing to the fact that they are not hung so advantageously as could be wished, the water-colours in the present collection will not secure that attention which the merit of many of them deserves. On account of the exigencies of space, the water* colours are arranged around a table in the centre of the hall. They are not very numerous, a circumstance which is doubtless owing to the technical difficulties which beset the water-colourist. Mr John Gully has contributed three, and it goes without saying that they are all worthy of careful examination. They are first of all pictures ; and then the handling and treatment generally evince great skill. No. 146, " West Coast Road," is a grandly executed drawing of mountain, valley, cloud, rocks and foliage. "Golden Bay," No. 127, and " Lake Wanaka," No. 131, are in a quieter manner, but exhibit the same characteristics of skill and finish. Two at least of Mr J. C. Richmond's three drawings will arrest attention by their gorgeous colouring. They are botji sunset scenes, and sunset in tropical latitudes. The first is entitled. " Twiliglit at Jtewfi Biyer, tfijji " (ifo. 123) j the second, "fort of Qran," No. 151; It must; however Jb,e conceded that the brilliance of the colours is justified by some* of the recent reward able sunsets.' Mr Richmond's thfrd pjctu,re is a study 'pf forage at Tafcaka, Golden Bay. " ,;■„.,' Mr T, Ryan furnishes seven drawings, aH 'of fnem, executed wftV care and thoroughness. , HThe4>ortfiUlf sfo£a. : sjfo^storn^ fcyftettPn. »\(N,o,< 4?s) .^pMu,Q# f^tftfcing

■Bceft'crwith;;&^S^^oWneßB. The fcops 6: jbh^iHililg^^lcQVißred with, a garment^ snow, Vnd^hOjitonn ; appears passing off te the "rights/ A&othOT-jsnowy scene lithai represehteS i9':K6. 143, " Calm' day, pffjbli* Sugar LoavespTaranaki," where the giant Fgmont lifts; Ins form to heaven. "Hole in ttie,:Wall, Bay," No. 142, is another study of rock and coaet scenery j as is also "View, in Blind Bay, Great Barrier Islands (No. 126). Mr Ryan has got' inspiration in several instances, we notice, from the last named locality, which would ajrpear to be a sketching ground worth visiting. Each of Mr E. A. Chapman's four water colours exhibits careful work. They are all of lake scenery, and represent respectively, Lakes Wanaka (121). Wakatipu (139), Hawea (145), and Waihora (149). It is difficult to choose between them ; but perhaps No. 145 deserves to carry off the palm. We should have liked to have seen more of Mr E. W. Gifford's work, for he is represented by only a single drawing, No. 147, " Fiord on the West Coast of New Zealand. " The effect of the sun behind the clouds, the light on the rippling waters, and on the hills by the shore, is managed with moderate success. His Excellency the Governor has contributed to the collection, " Sketch in Dusky Sound," No. 137, in which may be teen the Hinemoa lying at anchor on a calm fine day, the enclosing conical hills being reflected in the placid waters of the Sound. The technical handling, we may be allowed to say, shows long practice ; though the tints and colours are perhaps hardly those of New Zealand.' Mrs George Parsons is represented among the water-colours by two very creditable drawings, No, 122, "Mountain Stream, near Bright, Victoria," and "View from the hillside at Bright, Victoria," No. 135. We prefer the former, which is a pleasant bit of Australian bush ; the latter is somewhat flat. From Mr Alfred Sharpes easel there is but one product, viz., No. 138, "Grey day off Tiritiri," wherein one recognises the Triumph on the rocks under the lighthouse. The tone and general effect of the whole is ! full of truth, the approaching rain-cloud, j the dark sea, and the gloom in under the cliffs being realistically depicted. It is needless to describe with what painstaking Mr Sharpe has worked. Mr George Gregory, in " Early Morning, New-street, Ponsonby" (No. 141), has made an effective picture out of a very simple subject. The foliage has had much careful work bestowed on it. The sketches in oil by Miss Home have considerable merit. This lady is making great progress, as her industry and application certainly deserve. But we may be pardoned for suggesting that some of the sketches have a set, Christmas card look about them ; and throughout the whole there is a striking sameness both in the colouring and the arrangement. "Point Chevalier," No. 129, by Mr G. N. Sturtevant, is not a great success. The contrast between the glooni on the left and j the brilliant colouring on the right might be admissible if the drawing of the objects epshrouded in the gloom were sharply enough defined. As it is this, portion of the picture is simply a haze or mist. The figures in the boat are poorly drawn. We cannot consider this drawing equal to the study of ferns which Mr Sturtevant exhibited two years ago. The work of Miss E. M. Cheeseman in her drawings Nos. 153 and 155 is painfully minute and conscientious. They require a far broader treatment and freer handling to make pictures of them. In No. 153, "View in Lower Remuera," there is no sense of distance ; the background is just as exact, and in precisely the same colours as the immediate foreground. The cabbage-tree has had much pains bestowed on it, and must be regarded as a successful piece of work. Other exhibitors of water-colours are — Messrs E. W. Payton, G. T. Bowring, J. McPherson, Thos. Ball, E. Hayter Cox, D. Martin, Mrs F. Brodie, Miss Wyke3, and Rev. J. Palmer. In one of the smaller rooms of the Choral Hall will be found a collection of drawings and colour studies from the Canterbury College School of Art. They arrived unfortunately too late for competition. Had they come in time, there is no doubt thatseveral would have carried off prizes. They are evidence of what good work is being accomplished in Christchurch under the direction of Mr David Blair, Head-master, and his assistant, Mr Elliott. There is here exhibited a specimen of what the latter gentleman can do. It is a study of still-life in water colours, and to it was awarded in 1880 the National Gold Medal at South Kensington. The subject is simple enough, a thickly-bound tattered old tome, an empty jar or small bowl resting on the former, with a tall stoppered bottle behind; part of the furniture, in fact, of an alchemist's laboratory. The execution is well-nigh perfect. The ragged edges of old book, the hollow bowl, and the light on the bottle, are done to the life. Canterbury College has attained to the dignity of a " life " school of sketching. There are several v 6 ry creditable sketches, rapidly excecuted, sent up. Those by Miss Louise Bradbury (of man and boy) and Miss Rosa Budden (of man) deserve special mention. Some of the drawings from the round in pencil, stump, and oils, are excellent. It is really difficult to choose between the performances of the following, W. G. Hamilton, J. B. Spensley, W. Knott'Hill, Stanley Roscoe, and Miss Louise Bradbury. In water-colour sketches there is work equally successful. A drawing of a parti- coloured glazed jar by Miss Margaret Stoddart cannot fail to attract notice. The play of the light upon it, the shadows reflected on its surface, its rotundity, are all brought out very cleverly. In flower studies the same lady seems to carry off the palm. A group containing roses, lilies of two - kinds, fuchsias, dahlias, and other blossoms, is a charming piece of work. Miss M. Stoddart, if we remember rightly, is the artist whose study of lilies attracted so much attention last year. Not far behind in point of merit come, Miss Frances Stbddart, Miss Rosa Budden, and Miss Matilda Gee. It is to be hoped that the Christchurch exhibits on the next occasion will arrive in time to take part in the competition. If they maintain i their present high standard, there cannot; be much doubt as to the result. {

By telegram from Christchurch, we learn that Messrs Weston and Allan Holmes have reported favourably to^ His Honor the 'Acting Chief Justice upon the legal attainments of the following candidates for admission to New Zealand, Courts :— JT. W. Pennefather, barrister, admitted elsewhere j Riohard, Butt, and Cfalhraith, solicitors, admitted elsewhere j Levie and Buqkland, colonial students, as barristers j , Gribbon; Skeripett, |Cirk, Kennery, Jgai^ltam, Franklin,. Moorhousej Sinclair,, pignap, Ddub^day, Ha^Hada.y, Richmond^ TM^ln^^ arid St^n ford,: also colonial stude«ts,4af?s6lipit"9rsi. The last two eentlewen,, wj^o ;claini iio'hold the. degree or&fyß., were'e^^ainedmerely \n TsBw #ealand law, ahd v .praotice. are four AucHlandn:am'es'MtKel.;albi6ve l^tj ; *vi?;>,Messrs \Y. T( ssoWsn&sQM\ oribhon,^altef |)ignan, ahd,^^fi#^;^l ' ; j lt:h% been rwSalyeji tp;9 tw ¥ #dpefft« •