CONCERT AND DANCE AT TAUWHARE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2493, 3 July 1888, Page 3

CONCERT AND DANCE AT TAUWHARE.

———-$ As was briefly announced in our last issue, the concert and dance held in the Tauwhare schoolhouse on Wednesday evening was a most pronounced success, aud although several performers were, by various causes, prevented from attending, their places were, at the last moment, filled by friends who happened to be presint, and the whole pivcjedings passed oil with eclat. The Rev. Mr Evans, of Cambridge, was to have taken the chair, but was unable to be present, and Mr Diprose very kindly officiated in his stead ; and although we missed the appropriate anecdote, to which the pastor would doubtless have treated us Mr Diprose in a few terse and pertinent remarks stated that the object of the meeting was to raise money for the school funds which wen.' greatly in need of assistance. Messrs George Shirley and W. S. Stewart, of Cambridge, being prevented from attending their places were ably filled by Miss Stewart and Mr Walter Chambeis, so the concert was not shorn of any of its attractiveness. The programme was as follows :— Piano solo, "March des Troubadours," MrT. Hartly ;song, "The Life of a Sailor Free," Mr Tyer; song, "Conic B.\ck lo Erin," Mrs Madigan ; song, " When all Nature smiles again," Miss Stewart; reading, "The Gridiron," Mr Newcomb; song, "Polly," Mr W. Chambers, encored, and "The roll of the drum," substituted; song, "Nancy," Miss Cassidy, (of Hamilton); song, •'Rory O'Morc." Mr S. Lawson ; song, "Tom Bowling," Mr H. Waring; song, " The Minstrel Boy," Miss Hansford. Interval. Song, "Many happy returns of the day," Mis Madigan; song, "The Warrior Bold," Mr Tyer ; _ reading, "General Tiurnps of the Militia," Mr Newtonb; song, "The Midshipmite," Mr W. Chambers ; duet, "The Cousins." Misses Cassidy; song, "The Little Coquitte," Miss Stewart; song, "Naney Lee," Mr H Waring; comi'j song, (in character), " When the Bulls Bellow," Mr S. Lawson. The concert was closed by the singing of the National Anthem. After a short adjournment, during which the school was cleared, dancing' was commenced, and was kept up in a spirited manner until 4 a.m., when everyone turned out into the cold (and it was cold, about ten degress of frost) and journeyed homewards. We have often been asked, " How it is that the Tauwharc concerts are always a success ?" and we think we can satisfactorily answer the question. It is because all the settlers in the neighbourhood take a lively interest iu the proceedings, and spare neither time nor trouble to make them so. We know that on the present occasion some of them drove a distance of over forty miles, bringing and taking back friends who took part in the proceedings. If a journey like that on such a. night along such roads did not command success, it would, indeed, bo "hard lines." The whole of the musical arrangements were under the management of Mr Kent, who accompanied several of the singers. The other accompanists were Miss Walworth, Mrs Mullholland, and Mr Hartly. The stage was prettily decorated with ferns, &c, which added greatly to the appearance of the room, anil in this respect we think some of the larger towns would do well to follow the example set by the Tauwhareites. That the concert was a success is an undeniable fact; still there are several little alterations that would have made it a greater one, had they been carried out. We know that it is not cuctomary to criticise amateurs, as they all sutler, more or less, from nervousness ; but we think we may be permitted to review the performance, and make a few suggestions to those who took part in it. Mrs Madigan wo have seldom heard to better advantage. A few years ago she must have had a very powerful soprano voice. She narrowly escaped an encore. Mi s Stewart has a very i-trong ' voice, but should try and cultivate tone in the upper register which would deprive it of a slight roughness that at present exists. These remarks also apply to the Miss Cassidy that sum; "Naney." The duet, " The Oou.-ins" took much too slow. If these, ladies had been at a ball, and were afterwards talking about their conquests, they woti'd — without wi are much mistaken—do it in a much more lively style than they portrayed the cousins as doing. The cantral'o was also out of tune. Miss Hansford has a sweet, pleasant voice, which would also be a powerful one if she could open her mouth wider, as it is she chokes it. Mr Tyer has a line b;is3 voice, but licks knowledge of music, or else he takes liberties with the compeer's idea of time. Mr Waring should face the audience, and put more life into his singing. "Nancy Lee" had tc.fl great a range for him in the bass. Mr Chambers sing his songs in his well-known style, but they were spoiled by the accompanist getting " fogged " in consequence of not having a copy to play from. Mr Lawson's '' get up'' in his comic song was immense. He was encored, but refused to respond to it. Mr Newcomb's read-ings-were good, Max Adeler's " General Trumus" being the better of the two.