NEW SONATA MOVEMENT

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 118, 26 September 1941, Page 12

NEW SONATA MOVEMENT

Auckland Composer $ Broadcast

ISTENERS who are interested in the work of John Tait, the Auckland composer, will be interested to learn that when, with Winifred Hayes, he presents his Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano from 1YA on Wednesday evening, October 1, it will include a new movement, The work is in three movements: (a) Grave -Allegro Moderato; (b) Larghetto; (c) Allegro Pomposo. This last movement replaces the original movement. It has been written for this broadcast and will be heard then for the first time. John Tait was born 76 years ago in the then important market town of Dalkeith, Mid-Lothian. He began his musical career when he was 1144 by

playing the organ in the little Wesleyan chapel in his native town, but though he was entirely self-taught at this period he later had pianoforte lessons from a pupil of Sterndale Bennett, followed by three years of serious study as a church organist, under the "organist of the Duke of Buccleuch’s private chapel of St. Mary’s, Dalkeith, This was, in those days, the only Teligious establishment in Scotland where daily choral services of a cathedral type were maintained. The choir consisted of six professional men singers and twelve boys. The late Sir George Martin, before his appointment to St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, was for some years organist at St. Mary’s.

After many years of service in various churches in Peebles, Edinburgh, London and elsewhere, Mr. Tait came out to New Zealand in 1913 with his wife and family and settled in Nelson, where he held the position of organist of All Saints Church and for some time taught organ, singing -and harmony at the Nelson School of Music. In 1924 he was appointed to St. Paul’s Church, Auckland. A few years ago, he retired from church work having completed 60 years of practically continuous work as an organist. He still continues, in a limited way, his work as a private teacher, but his chief interest is now in composition. Frequent broadcasts of his part-songs and instrumental music have been given from 1YA and 2YA. A> number of his compositions have been published in London and Melbourne and he has contributed to the wellknown "Scottish Students’ Song Book."