MUSIC IN SCHOOLS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 751, 4 December 1953, Page 5

MUSIC IN SCHOOLS

Sir-In your issue ‘of October 2, Mr. Arthur Jacobs referred to some aspects of the music in this College. While he made some complimentary rematks concerning our music he did create a quite erroneous impréssion concerning composers used. He suggested that "far too much of it is by New Zealand composers of only local importance, and by other composers who do not matter a scrap." "Children should be brought as much as possible into contact with the great composers." The following is an alphabetical list of composers represented in our work and Festival programmes, choral or instrumental, or both, over a period of years: Avison, J. C. Bach, J. S. Bach, Bantock, Beethoven, Bizet, Brent Smith, Frank Bridge, Hubert Clifford, Walford Davies, Elgar, Franck, Balfour Gardiner, Edward German, Gluck, Gossec, Grainger, Gretry, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Holst, John Ireland, Gordon Jacob, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Parry, Purcell, Quilter, Saint-Saens, Schubert, Schumann, Cyril Scott, Sibelius, Stanford, Sullivan, Coleridge. Taylor, R. S. Thatcher, Thiman, Vaughan Williams, Wagner, Weber, Charles Wood, Thomas Wood. Mr. Jacobs did less than justice to the New Zealand composers, whose work we are honoured to use. Some of these composers have reputations extending over- seas, and have been recognised as outstanding leaders in the music life of New Zealand. To some of them New Zealand schools owe a debt which can

never be repaid.

J. V.

BURTON

Principal and Secretary, King Edward Technical College, Dunedin,