DUNEDIN CHORAL SOCIETY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 241, 12 September 1872, Page 6

DUNEDIN CHORAL SOCIETY.

Last evening the first concert of the second year of the Dunedin Choral Society was given in the University Hall. Previous concerts have been well attended, but last night the hall was crowded ; in fact, many persons disappointed at not obtaining seats went away, 'the first part was Romberg's "Lay of the Bell." The title of the piece affords very little clue to its character. It may be fairly considered a domestic operetta. The chief personage in it is the master bell ■founder. Our hard matter-of-fact mechanical habits would hardly invest the casting of bells with.such romance as to found a poetic or musical tbeiri£ upon. Not so our German brethren in humanity ; bell casting with them can be made the subject of moral lessons iv verss aud' song. The poet tells the processes in verse, and the composer celebrates them in music. We do do not purpose giving an analysis of the peculiar merits of each vocalist in the rendering of Romberg's chef d'awvre. Amateur performances, although aided by professional musicians, invariably lack something, but we do not know that we ever heard a musical performance to which less exception could be taken than to the "Lay of the BelL" The master bell founder, though occasionally somewhat sharp in expressing his sentiments in song, on the whole was very effective j there was some pretty part singing and occasional sweet melodies by tenor and treble voices. Romberg's melodies are sweet aud flowing, but they never will be popular, however well sung, but the choruses were given in a masterly style. This is the more remarkable, as they are complicated in harmony, and can only be mastered by amateurs by persistent and determined efforts. We consider that the conductor, Mr West, deserves great praise for the effective manner in which they were given. They were evidently carefully rehearsed, and the success that has attended their practise should lead the members to feel the benefit of giving close attention to it. The " Lay of the Bell ' ? would lose nothing by repetition, for music to be thoroughly appreciated, must be familiar. On the whole we were disappointed with the second part. We do not know that there was much to find fault with, and there were some efforts that really deserved praise. Two ladies, sopranos, received deserved encores, and two gentlemen sang with good taste. Of the choruses, the gem was " Comrades in arms," by male voices. The instrumental portion failed more iv the selection than the performance. There was a very effective auxiliary to the band in a gentleman who played the cornet. He played in excellent tone and taste. The stringed band was not well balanced, for the bass preponderated, but their precision and execution, as a rule, tended much to the effective manner in which the choruses were rendered. Mr G. R. West conducted and must have felt gratified that his labours, during the existence of the society, had proved so efficient. Mr A. Towsey accompanied en the piano throughout the eveaing, and by his skilful playing contributed much to the steadiness with which the instrumental parts were gone through. We consider, on the whole, the concert of last evening the best performed of any given by the society.— Star, Sept 3.