St. Cecilia Choral Society.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7812, 3 May 1905, Page 2

St. Cecilia Choral Society.

The initial concert of the St. Cecelia Choral Society, held In St. Mary's Hall on Tuesday evening, proved very successful both from a musical and financial point of view. The halll was filled to overflowing, while the concert programme, rendered was received with enthusiastic tokens of approval. Considering that the Society has only been established since March last, the conductor (Mr G. 11. White) and the member.-* arc to bo congratulated on their achie\ enient.

The programme was made up of choruses, part songs and glees by the St. Cecilia choir, and instrumental and vocal music by some of tho leading concert performers. Though not yet balanced as perfectly as might be desired, tho choir wore in good form and made a distinctly favourable, impression; The various numbers were well selected for the opening performance,, and were rendered in an artistic and pleasing manner that evoked hearty applause from the large audience. The Hems wcro :—Chorus, "0, Wh 0 Will O'er the Downs" (rears-all) ; part song (a) ■'Farewe.'l to live Forest" (b) unucqompanied, "Tho Nightingale," (Mendelssohn) ; part song, "Brightest Hopes are Fleetest" (ancient melody) ; unaccompanied, "Once I loved a Maiden Fair, But She Did Deceive Me"; glee, '•'May Day" (Muller) ; glee, "From Oberon in Fairyland " (Stevens). In the first part Mr l\ Cornwall, tho popular vocaßist, sang "A Clinking Toust," and'for his seerod number ''The Admiral's Broom" he evoked an undeniable encore,' in rcsijonse to which Mr Cornwall, who was in good voice, complied wpth "The Yeoman's Wedding." A feature of the concert was the Singing of Miess Alcorn, a visitor froni Ashburton. l'osscssing a rich a nd cultured contralto voice MissAJeorn was heard to great advunrage in "Out on tho Rocks," and for an encore "Tho Sweetest Flower That Blows." She sang "To-night" in the second part, being received with much applause, and the visitor responded wit'li "Summer Rain." Miss Chong added to fcer reputation as a capable vocalist by soma charming numbers, rendered with sympathy and expression. Her opening selcotion was "When Daisies Pied." The pretty and melodious "Butterflies" was encored, and Miss Chong delighted the audience with an additional number. Mliss Nixon's solo contribution "A Song of Thanksgiving" was admirably treated, and many of tho audience would have relished an additional selection. The Uov. A. Bradbury sang "An Old Garden."_ which met tho taste for sentiment and won a recall. The instrumental items were a violin solo by Mr A. L. Cook (encored), and it pianoforte selection "I.a Sonnambula." by Miss Moore, who was a capable accompanist for the whole of the programme, 'the concluding ■lorn was the quartette and chorus . Ku e Britannia," the audience joining in the refrain.