MOURNING BELLS

Radio Record, 12 August 1938, Page 22

MOURNING BELLS

"PASSING OF NOTED ORGANIST A MUFFLED peal of bells rang from the Christchurch Cathedral on Sunday morning, July 31, and few people knew why. . Then the news soon spread that the city had lost, by death, one of its finest musicians, Mr. J. Maughan Barnett, Cathedral organist, at 72 years of age. Mr. Barnett had been organist at the cathedral for the last 16 months, taking over from Dr. J. C. Bradshaw. For over a period of 45 years, Mr. Barnett had offered a great personal contribution to New Zealand music, through his skill with his chosen musical instrument, the pipe organ. Dr. Borland, a_ visiting examiner, once wrote of him: "It is no exaggeration to say that the performances of Mr. Maughan Barnett in the Auckland Town Hall are worthy to rank with the concert recitals of such visitors as Backhaus." Though Mr. Barnett was city organist in Auckland for very many years, and kad been in Christchurch for a very short period, his ability as’ an-* organ executant was soon realised and his recitals in Christchurch were well attended. Mr. Barnett came from England to New Zealand in 1898 to become organ- ist at the Napier Cathedral. He was the first conductor of the Liedertafel shortly before he was appointed organist at St. John’s Church, Wellington, an appointment soon followed by one to the position of city organist, which he held for the next five years. He went to Auckland as. city. organist in’ 1913, and retired from that position in 1933. While in Auckland he gave weekly recitals and played considerably over a thousand different works. All his programmes were thoughtfully prepared and important new works were performed in -Auckland at the:same time as they appeared on the programmes of leading English and American organists. While in Auckland he composed the odes sung at the Canterbury jubilee exhibition, the words being written by the late Mr. Justice Alpers. Musicians and cathedral. adherents attended a memorial in the cathedral last week.