Suburban Concerts. The complete Trilogy of Coleridge-Taylor's Scenes from the song of Hiawatha was performed on March 21, at the Baths, by the Barking Choral Society, under the direction of Mr. Stanley C. Attwood. The choir and orchestra of 120 fulfilled their task with highly creditable efficiency and expressive meaning. Solo parts were undertaken by Miss Edith Hays, Mr. A. Webster and Mr. D. S. Richards. 6 The concert given by the Dulwich Philharmonic Society at the Crystal Palace on March 23 was of exceptional interest. The chief work performed was Dvorák's 'Stabat Mater,' which the choir sang with an easy precision that indicated the efficiency of their training at the hands of Mr. Julius Harrison. The male and female sections of the choir were heard separately in Elgar's 'Songs from the Greek Anthology' for men's voices, and Mr. Harrison's Rosalys' for soprano ladies' voices and orchestra. This work, which was performed for the first time, is an expressive musical interpretation of a somewhat fantastic sentiment expressed in verse by Mr. Gerald Cumberland, and is remarkable for masterly orchestral coloration. The soloists of the concert were Miss Clara Butterworth, Miss Amy Bosworth, Mr. Harold Wilde and Mr. Robert Chignell. An exacting, varied, and highly agreeable choral programme was chosen for the concert given by the South London Institute of Music at Surrey Masonic Hall on March 25. It consisted of Coleridge-Taylor's 'A tale of Old Japan,' Stanford's The Revenge,' and Mendelssohn's Walpurgis Night,' which the choir sang with spirited expression and consistently good tone, under the able direction of Mr. L. C. Venables. The solo parts were taken by Miss Maude Willby, Miss Marion Battishill, Mr. Ben Morgan and Mr. Graham Smart. The orchestra, besides playing accompaniments, contributed three numbers from Moszkowski's suite 'From foreign parts.' The Great Western Railway Musical Society brought their season to a close with an admirable performance of Coleridge-Taylor's 'A tale of Old Japan' and a selection of orchestral and vocal music on March 26, at Paddington Station, under the able direction of Mr. Henry A. Hughes. The solos were sung by Miss Dorothy Cook-Smith, Miss Ethel Archer, Mr. Philip Ritte, and Mr. Joseph E. Farrington. Mr. Reginald Hughes was the pianist. Notable performances of Brahms's German Requiem' and Tragic' Overture, and Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise,' were given by the Ealing Choral and Orchestral Society on March 27, under the able direction of Mr. Albert Thompson. The solo parts were taken by Miss Carrie Tubb, Miss M. Allwright, Mr. Frank Mullings and Mr. Constantine Morris, and the organist was Mr. H. Goss Custard. The Chiswick and Gunnersbury Philharmonic Society gave a highly-effective performance of Gounod's 'The Redemption' on March 29 at Chiswick Town Hall. The choir numbered upwards of 150 voices and sang with great expression and good volume of tone. The clear enunciation of this choir has often been strongly commended, and in this performance it was again apparent. The orchestra, always a complete one for this Society's concerts, was specially increased to sixty-five performers. The conductor was Mr. David M. Davis, to whom the great success achieved is primarily due. The soloists were Miss Mary Fielding, Miss Daisy Collins, Mr. Ager Grover, Miss Nellie Cooper, and Messrs. Jackson Potter and Henry Piggott. Mr. A. J. Piper was the organist. Music in the Provinces. (BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.) BELFAST. The season of the Philharmonic Society ended on March 22 with a miscellaneous programme, the first half of which was entirely occupied by the Finale of the first Act of Wagner's Parsifal.' The solo parts were sung by Mr. Daniel Beddoe and Mr. Thorpe Bates, with whom was associated Mr. J. Frankland (a member of the Society). The choir performed their difficult part with much ability and steadiness. The second half was filled by songs by the artists named and Miss Raymonde Amy, and the orchestra gained credit for several items. The concert concluded with excerpts from Tannhäuser.' After the concert a most remarkable and entirely spontaneous outburst of feeling was shown by the choir and orchestra by way of farewell to their conductor, Dr. F. Koeller, who has brought the Society to its present state by the patient and skilful training of twenty-five years. The best wishes of the Society and all his friends accompany Dr. Koeller to Australia, where he intends to make his future home. BIRMINGHAM. The local musical season is nearly ended, and already steps are taken towards securing sufficient choral rehearsals in connection with the Triennial Musical Festival to be held on October 1, 2, 3 and 4, the first rehearsal having taken place at the Midland Institute on April 15. There will be in all sixty-six rehearsals, the chorus-master being Mr. R. H. Wilson, of Manchester, and the choral steward Mr. E. P. Beale, in place of Mr. H. A. Wiggin. The newly-formed Birmingham Madrigal Singers held their first concert at Queen's College on March 26, under the direction of Miss Winifred Kingsford, the Society's trainer and conductor, assisted by the clever pianist Miss Kathleen Bruckshaw. The choir numbers at present thirty-seven mixed voices of an exceptionally fine timbre, and in due time their number will undoubtedly be augmented. The selection of madrigals and part-songs submitted to the large audience present covered a wide range, including examples from Orlando Gibbons, Palestrina, Schumann, Elgar, Bantock, Jensen, Wareing, Coleridge-Taylor, Cliffe and Forrester, and a melody by G. Hookham, arranged as a part-song by Miss Kingsford. The singing denoted careful training, sense of rhythm, and artistic gradation of light and shade. The hall The Birmingham Festival Choral Society's last concert of under Dr. Sinclair's excellent conductorship, the work the current series was given in the Town Hall on March 28, chosen for performance being Mendelssohn's Elijah,' last performed by this Society in October, 1905. was crowded to overflowing, and those present were rewarded by hearing a performance on lines of Festival grandeur, the singing of the choir being quite remarkable in perfect The ensemble, tone-power and declamatory nuances. Messrs. John Adams and Thorpe Bates, did their share of the principals, Mesdames Mary Conly and Ada Crossley, and work admirably, evidently being inspired by the singing of the choristers. B. A. Watt, and the organ part to Mr. C. W. Perkins. The part of the Youth was allotted to Master The Free Church Musicians' Union inaugurated their annual meetings on April 9 by holding a reception at the The Golders Green Garden Suburb Orchestral Society gave Y.M.C.A. building. The visitors, who came from all parts the second concert of the season at the Institute on April 13. of the country, were welcomed to Birmingham by a A large audience assembled to hear a somewhat ambitious deputation of Free Church ministers and local musicians. programme, to which the orchestra, under the conductorship Mr. J. Marriott, President of the Birmingham and District of Mr. Edric Greiffenhagen, did considerable justice. It Evangelical Free Church Council, said, in the name of included Weber's Overture to 'Freischütz,' Beethoven's the Free Churches of Birmingham, representing 144 Symphony No. 1, and Mendelssohn's G minor Pianoforte congregations, how pleased they were to welcome the concerto, the solo part of which was played by Miss Ivy Conference. Dr. Henry Coward, of Sheffield, President of Parkin. Songs were contributed by Miss Evelyne King. the Union, recalled with pleasure his previous visits to this city as music critic and conductor, and expressed his hope that the Conference would have beneficial results. The tenth musical festival of the Hackney and Finsbury Evening Schools Choral Union, which took place at the Alexandra Palace on March 30, under Mr. Allen Gill's direction, is reported in the School Music Review for May. The customary Good Friday Concert was again provided by the Midland Musical Society on April 5, the Town Hall being crowded to its utmost seating capacity. Mr. the concert being devoted to Hamish MacCunn's 'Lay of the A. J. Cotton, the conductor, for once discarded last Minstrel.' The principal vocalists were Madame Alice Gounod's Redemption,' which has been given almost every Boaden, Miss Marion Neale, Mr. R. Hoare Byers, and Mr. year since the oratorio was first heard at the Birmingham | Graham Smart. The performance was highly creditable, Festival of 1882, and in its place came Brahms's 'Requiem' and the audience gave frequent tokens of gratification. and Bach's church cantata, Sleepers, wake,' in addition to Elgar's melodious instrumental interlude, 'Sursum Corda,' finely played by the orchestra. In spite of the ambitious nature of this effort on the part of an amateur Society, the performance far exceeded one's expectation-indeed, Mr. Cotton and his rank and file never did better work. Mr. C. W. Perkins was the organist. Mr. Thomas Facer, the founder, trainer and conductor of the Birmingham Choral Union, who retires after twentyfive years' service, was entertained at dinner by the committee and his colleagues on March 30. His successor, Mr. Richard Wassall, was one of the invited guests, and the chair was occupied by the president, Mr. P. H. Deacon. · BOURNEMOUTH. Mr. Dan Godfrey has seen to it that the interest of the current musical season shall be sustained to the finish, and in illustration of this it is sufficient merely to glance at the programmes of the recent Symphony concerts. A notable date, for instance, was March 21, when Mr. Granville Bantock conducted performances of two of his compositions, the lovely Dante and Beatrice' tone-poem exceeding all anticipations. Then we have had Symphonies by Goldmark (in E flat), Brahms (in C minor), Tchaikovsky (the 'Pathetic'), Elgar (No. 2), and that ascribed to Beethoven and entitled the Jena. Among the soloists brought to our notice, with the works they played, have been Miss Lena Kontorwitch (Mendelssohn's Violin concerto), Miss Phyllis Emanuel (Saint-Saëns's Pianoforte concerto in C minor), Miss Grace Triggs (Violin concerto by D'Ambrosio), forte and orchestra), and Mr. Arnold Trowell (Violoncello Miss Marie Novello (Liszt's Hungarian Fantasie' for piano concerto in A minor by Saint-Saëns). Excellent per formances of the following interesting compositions must not be overlooked: Weber's Oberon' Overture, Three Celtic Dances,' by Edgar Bainton (conducted by the composer), Morceau Symphonique, from César Franck's 'Redemption,' Prelude and Angel's Farewell (The dream of Gerontius') by Elgar, Glazounow's 'Chopiniana' Suite, and Goldmark's Sakuntala' Overture. Other events at the Winter Gardens have included the fulfilling of engagements by Godowsky, Pablo Casals (orchestral concert), Miss Marie Hall (orchestral concert), and Madame Alice Esty. Nor must reference be omitted of the well-earned Benefit Concerts of the Municipal Orchestra, on March 30, which brought welcome visitors in the persons of Miss Esta D'Argo, Mr. Philip Simmons, and Mr. Peter Dawson. The Poole and Parkstone Philharmonic Society gave a performance of Handel's Messiah' on March 27 at the Gymnasium, the soloists being Madame Hilda Sands, Miss Hazel Gray, Mr. George Sands, and Mr. A. R. Mutter. Mr. A. E. Wilshire is the Society's conductor. A development in the policy of the management of the Westover Palace, primarily a skating rink, was the important concert given on April 13. The chief attraction was the appearance of Miss Felice Lyne and Mr. Orville Harrold, and if the vocalism of the former was not quite so electrifying as the London critics would have us believe, the balance was more than restored by the phenomenal singing of Mr. Harrold. A word of praise must be bestowed on Mr. Adolph Mann's solo-playing and accompanying. BRISTOL. The most recently formed musical association in Bristol, the Cecilian Choral Society, gave their first concert at the Victoria Rooms on March 23, when there was a large attendance. This new Society is composed of employees of Messrs. J. S. Fry & Sons, Ltd., who rehearsed under the direction of Mr. Charles Read, conductor of the West Bristol Choral Society, and a member of the firm's staff. Band and choir numbered 200. Appropriately the preliminary work performed was 'St. Cecilia,' by Benedict, the second part of On March 30, the second concert of the season given by the Bristol Musical Society was held at the Victoria Rooms, and there was a performance of Sullivan's 'The Golden Legend.' The musical forces numbered 300, Mr. Hubert W. Hunt (organist of Bristol Cathedral) being at the organ, and Mr. F. S. Gardner heading the principal violins. The soloists were Miss Winifred Thomas, Miss Joan Ashley, Mr. Alexander Webster, Mr. Charles Tree and Mr. James York. Mr. C. W. Stear conducted with his accustomed judgment, and the manner in which the work was presented reflected credit upon all concerned. A miscellaneous selection followed. The Bristol Branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants gave their annual concert at Colston Hall on April 5, and there was a crowded audience. The Bristol and Clifton Orchestral Society played agreeably, the leader being Mr. Charles Lovell and the conductor Mr. Edward Pavey, whose daughter, Miss Nellie Pavey, was solo violoncellist in a concerto by Golterman. Miss Carrie Lanceley, Miss Lucy Nuttall, and Mr. Anderson Nicol were the vocalists, and Miss Daisy Randall was the accompanist. enthusiastic manner in which most of the pieces were That the concert afforded gratification was evinced by the received. were On April 17 the West Bristol Choral Society performed Judas Maccabeus' at the Victoria Rooms, band and choir Mr. Charles Read was the conductor. numbering 150. The principal vocalists Miss Marion Neale, Mr. D. Appleyard (Wells Cathedral), Madame Alice Boaden, and Mr. Herbert Tracey. A creditable performance was given, and considering the comparatively limited number of Hubert Hunt and given by him during the past season at singers, the choruses were effective. The series of four chamber concerts organized by Mr. Victoria Rooms, Clifton, has been a consistent artistic success The regular performers and has moreover paid its way. Home (viola), and Mr. Roger Bucknall, replaced during were Mr. Hunt and Miss K. Tudor Pole (violin), Miss Gladys indisposition by Mr. Percy Lewis (violoncello). They were joined from time to time by pianists. The programmes, which were almost entirely classical, were of unbroken merit. Mr. Hunt deserves congratulation upon the gratifying result of his venture. DEVON AND CORNWALL. THE THREE TOWNS. Chief among musical commemorations and celebrations of Good Friday and Easter were two performances of 'The Redemption' on March 30 by the Guildhall Choir, with orchestra conducted by Mr. H. Moreton, borough organist. The chorus-singing was artistic and technically good. The principals were the Misses Emily Breare and Emily Sutton, and Messrs. Hughes Macklin, Graham Smart and Bridge Peters. Mr. Maurice Alexander led a good band. Members of the Western Amateur Operatic Society gave a miscellaneous concert from their répertoire at Plymouth on March 25, Mr. E. Astbury conducting. On April 3 The Hymn of Praise' was excellently sung by an augmented choir with band in Ebenezer Wesleyan Church, under the direction of Mr. David Parkes, good performances being given also of God is a Spirit' (Bennett) and Beethoven's Hallelujah Chorus. Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens,' Mendelssohn's Hear my prayer,' and 'Come, let us sing were given with artistic success on April 17 by the choir of Mutley Baptist Church, Mr. Harold Lake conducting the choir and a small band. The principals were Madame Lillian Langdon and Mr. Aldrovand Maynard. The cantata, Sir Francis Drake,' was given by St. Gabriel's Junior Choir on April 17, with Mr. L. A. Dobson as accompanist. The penultimate concert of the present series of Mr. J. W. Newton's Symphony Concerts on April 11, at Stonehouse, was the occasion of a pleasurable performance of Schumann's first Symphony, Op. 38, and of a fine interpretation of the Böellmann 'Variations Symphoniques' for violoncello and orchestra, with Mr. C. G. Pike as soloist. Beethoven's overture, 'King Stephen,' and some Massenet music were included. OTHER DEVONSHIRE TOWNS. The South-Western section of the Incorporated Society of Musicians' meeting at Tavistock on March 30, under the chairmanship of Mr. W. Clotworthy, discussed methods for increasing the interest of the sectional meetings. ་ On April 10 Ermington Church choir sang the cantata 'The Village Blacksmith (Moyse), and Chagford Musical Society, on the same date, gave good performances of 'Hiawatha's Wedding-feast' and Mendelssohn's Walpurgis Night,' conducted by Mr. R. Percy Collings. Mr. F. J. Pinn, conductor of the Exeter Male-Voice Choir, realised some good results of his training at the annual concert on April 11, when a varied programme of pieces by Goss, Sullivan, Cruickshank, Girschner, Bridge, Mackenzie, Lloyd and Cooke was crowned by a good performance of Mendelssohn's 'Festgesang.' Dr. H. J. Edwards, conductor of the Barnstaple Musical Society, received honour on April 15 by a second performance (the former was in 1886) of his oratorio The Ascension,' when choir and band evidenced their high regard for the work and its composer by giving of their very best. The Misses Christine Bywater and May Peters, and Messrs. H. Turnpenney and J. M. Northcote were the principals, and Mr. P. Parish led the band. Melusine,' MacCunn's delightful cantata, was creditably performed on April 16 by the Plympton Choral Society, conducted by Mr. David Parkes. On the same date Ilfracombe Choral Society made a new start after several years' suspension, and gave a good performance of Gade's Psyche,' under the baton of Mr. A. W. S. Salter, the soloists being Miss Copner, Mrs. Dew, Mr. J. M. Northcote, Mr. C. G. Pike (violoncello), and Miss Hilda Pugsley (leader of the band). April 17 was a big day for the Exeter Oratorio Society, with which is incorporated the Western Counties Musical Association. The works comprising the Festival were Hamish MacCunn's Lord Ullin's Daughter' and overture The land of the mountain and the flood,' Smart's 'The Bride of Dunkerron,' and Haydn's 'The Creation.' The first three works were conducted by Dr. D. J. Wood, and the oratorio in the evening by Dr. H. J. Edwards. The work of both conductors was honorary. Mr. Allan Allen has trained the choir as hon. chorus-master. Band and singers numbered 350, and the choir showed advance in refinement, as well as volume of tone and general intelligence, though in attack and enunciation they were somewhat deficient. The principals were Miss Doris Carter and Messrs. H. Turnpenney and W. Douthitt. At their eighteenth concert on April 11, at Torquay, the Haydn String Quartet played Mendelssohn's Quartet in E flat (Op. 12) and Mozart's in G, No. 14. Miss Vera Watkins gave a vocal recital at Exeter on April 12; and on April 19 Miss Morwenna Trefusis, at her pianoforte recital in the same city, gave further evidence of her artistic qualities and technical attainments. St. Mary's Church organ was re-opened after reconstruction and enlargement by Hele & Co. with two organ recitals by Mr. H. Moreton (Plymouth). Miscellaneous events have included a concert at Elburton on March 23, when quartets were sung by the Misses Moore and Shillabeer and Messrs. Lawry and Read; and a concert in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, at Torquay, arranged by Miss Middleton on April 10. A new fantastic opera by Mr. de Blois Rowe was produced at Tavistock on April 10 and 11. The name of the piece, 'Dido,' is that of the heroine of a slight libretto written by D. G. Arkell and De Blois Rowe. The opera needs revision, especially as regards the orchestration. The subject matter of the music is too good to be lost, and it is cleverly worked and treated, and many ingenious effects are suggested. The operetta The Court Card' was creditably given at Broadhempston on April 11 by the junior choir. CORNWALL. Camborne Methodist Church choir sang Saviour of Men' on March 24, conducted by Mr. W. Clemo. Paignton Choral Society gave good performances on March 27 of Schubert's Song of Miriam' and Bach's God so loved the world,' the ladies also singing Max Bruch's 'Die flucht nach Egypten' with Miss Margaret Layton as soloist. Mr. Wilfrid Layton conducted, and an efficient orchestra participated; Beethoven's Prometheus overture was also in the programme. On April 7, Gunnislake Male-Voice Choir were conducted in the singing of several choruses by Rev. W. Bickford, and on the same date Ferris Tozer's The Way of the Cross' was sung by Kenwyn Church Choir, under Mr. A. W. Gill; and The Elder Brother' was sung at Rosendian, Miss Annie James being at the organ. Mullion Choral Society sang miscellaneous pieces on April 8, under the direction of Mrs. Odgers and Miss M. Davies. Marazion Ladies' Choir, at their annual concert on April 10, sang Smart's King Rene's daughter,' and concerted numbers, Mr. A. H. Thorne conducting. DUBLIN. On March 21 a performance was given of The Messiah' by the Philharmonic Society, under Dr. Charles Marchant. The soloists were Miss Agnes Treacy, Miss Alicia Keogh, Mr. Robert Harrison and Mr. Percy Whitehead. Hilda, and Lilian Dowse, gave a recital on March 22 in The Dowse Quartet, consisting of the Misses Marie, Bertha, the Aberdeen Hall. Mozart and Beethoven, and Saint-Saëns's Sextet with The programme included quartets by pianoforte and double-bass, in which the string quartet were joined by Miss Annie Lord and Miss Lily Simpson. W. Egbert Trimble, a Feis Ceoil gold medallist, was the vocalist, and Miss Madeleine Moore the accompanist. Mr. On April the Dublin Orchestral Society gave an evening concert in the Gaiety Theatre. The programme, conducted by Dr. Esposito, consisted of Wagner's Faust Overture and Tristan' Vorspiel, Beethoven's C minor Symphony, Elgar's funeral march, Grania and Diarmid,' and Dukas's 'L'apprenti sorcier.' Their Excellencies The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the Countess of Aberdeen were present. Vincent O'Brien, gave a performance of The dream of On April 2 the Dublin Oratorio Society, under Mr. Gerontius' at the Theatre Royal. The soloists were Miss Alice Lakin, Mr. Hay and Mr. Wilfrid Douthitt. Much regret was expressed at the absence through indisposition of Mr. Gervase Elwes. The usual performances of Bach's 'Passion' were given in St. Patrick's Cathedral on the first four evenings of Holy Week, Mr. Walter Bapty once again taking the tenor solos. On April 17, Mr. Percy Whitehead gave a song recital at the Aberdeen Hall. His programme included songs by Brahms, Schumann, Stanford, Vaughan-Williams, and traditional airs arranged by Somerville, Hamilton Harty and Herbert Hughes. Mr. Whitehead was assisted by Mr. Sydney Rosenbloom (solo pianist) and Mr. C. W. Wilson (accompanist). EDINBURGH. Miss Jessie Davidson, a promising young pianist, who is a pupil of Madame Carreño, assisted by Miss Agnes Copeland (violinist) and Miss Edith Leitch (contralto), gave a wellattended concert in the Oak Hall on March 21. The third concert of the Amateur Orchestral Society's present series was held in the Music Hall on March 25. Under Mr. T. H. Collinson's able direction praiseworthy performances were given of Mendelssohn's 'Melusina' Overture, Haydn's 'Oxford' Symphony, and pieces by Elgar, Thomé, Moszkowski, Dvorák, and Rossini. The soloist was Miss Wilfreyda Jamieson. The first concert of Mr. Little's choir took place on March 25; the programme included madrigals and part-songs. In conjunction with the St. George Orchestra the Western Choral Society, conducted by Mr. W. B. Moonie, gave its eleventh annual concert in the Music Hall on March 27. Goring Thomas's 'The sun worshippers' and MacCunn's The wreck of the Hesperus,' were the works performed, and in these the choir gave evidence of careful training. Miss Marie Thomson and Mr. W. H. Oldham were the soloists. Mr. Paterson Lamb was the accompanist. The pupils of the advanced class of the Choral Union gave their twenty-third annual concert to a crowded audience in |