Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

29 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

Neu Wpeichion Oddiar yr Eingion

8EAMEN'S FOOD.

TIMBERMEN'S DISCONTENT.

Federation Conference.

FEDERATION NOMINATIONS.

AN IRISHMAN'S RECITAL

BREAKING AND ENTERING CHARGE.

Gwyneth Vaughan. .

1 * Council Chairmen

BRYNMAWR WIFE'S PLAINT.

The Whtle t. the Salvors .

Budget Battle's Close.

WORK FOR WOMEN.

RESULT OF LANDSLIDE.' -

STRANGE TRA6EDY.

SHOP HOURS ACT AND BAZAARS.

BRECON CHAUFFEUR FINED,

Letchworth Baby. .

Alarming Explosion. .

BURIALS IN CARDIFF.

T AMPERtNQ WITH TAXI-METER

SPEECH BY MR BALFOUR.

TARIFF MENACE TO TRADE.

Dover Cliff Sensation. .

MARK TWAIN'S EARLY DAYS.

TRAMWAYMEN'S ,UNION.

SCHOOL SINGING.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

By D. EMLYN EVANS. SCHOOL SINGING. A letter from the Royal Academy of proposing that school teachers should be s^w for a course of lessons in voice production was recently laid before the Montgomeryshire Education Committee. Opionions may possibly vary in regard to the appositeness of the chairman's first remark, viz., that though they belonged to a musical nation there seemed to him to be something of greater important to them as an educational authority than musical instruction. But he added tbaB inasmuch as the committee were already send" i ing teachers to the summer short course Aberystwyth, where music was in the syilaboS, that sufficiently met the case, without tb taking any further action an argument tha* seepaed to have commended itself to tbf" majority of the committee. A lady member, however, of acknowledge" ability, if somewhat peculiar views, radically differed from aU and sundry concerning tb8 school music question, it being her belief that one oi the best things they could do was to banish the teaching ot singing from the eJr mentary schools entirely. Experts on the sub" ject said, so the lady contended that tb* years from 12 to 16 were the least suitable for encouraging children to exercise their voiced at all, and as a proof of the statement on* authority said it was a striking fact th** scarcely any cathedral choristers when therf came to mature age had any voice." Also tha* many of the great singers of the present day never began training until 16 or 17, and conj siderably over that age in the case of men* Finally asserting her firm belief that it waN the teaching of singing in school that had spoil* so much of the singing of the present day." Such views and tions as these afe,indeedt more peculiar, flying as they do right in the face of acknowledged fact and the opinion of experienced musical edu("ati0T\i"tS generally. Of course, there are difflult e to be met with in training young voices (as 1 are in training adults) and the results may n< • be always satisfactory, but that does not justify the contention that the proper and only remedy is the banishment of singing froCt children's schooLs altogether. It is also begging the question to assume that so much of the singing of the present day is spoilt," W the alleged cause what it may. That therema1 be more or less bad singing in our day schooJl is granted much of it, at least, being due to lack of system and poor management, priate music (now, however, improving with the more liberal selection of suitable National airs, etc.), and the want of teachers who hav# had a certain amount of training in the art ua singing, and correct voice production—just the question raised by the communication sent out by the R.A.M., and which originated this dis* cussion. But should any one require evident of the ability of Welsh children to sing, him attend some popular eisteddfod which ID" eludes a juvenile choral prize in its list of sub" jects, when he will probably listen to very con* vincing proofs on the question—and it is hardly necessary to explain that the children of on* competing choirs all attend some day school ct another. When to Sing. Apropos the assertion respecting cathedra choristers, a correspondent in a Montgomery* shire weekly contemporary says that "With* out regarding the fact that Madame Patt" began to sing at the age of five, and has sun £ ever since until to-day, and that the greal tenor Edward Lloyd, started as a cathedr" cLo ister, let me remind your readers of tbØ following excellent vocalists who are fit to appear on the platform of any concert rooØ in Europe, each and all of whom started theit rnqfical career as choir boys in one of tbØ smallest cathedrals in Wales ;—Messrs. Setb Hughes, tenor of the Moody-Manners Co off* pany Llew. Roberts, solo bass, DurhaU* Cathedral: Charles James, solo bass, Cheated Cathedral Dan Jones, tenor, Christ Church* Dublin; J. R. Morgan, alto soloist. Trinity Chapel, Dublin W. Hughes, Svlo tenor, ear" lisle Cathedral; and R. Morris, bass soloistJ King's College, Cambridge. These gentlr men," the writer proceeds to say, stand i* the very foremost rank of Welsh singers, aø- not one of them would for a moment defl7 the immense advantages they received frOIØ their early training 5 and adds that "bJf experience has been that if we want to ha9Ø sound, dogmatic, teaching on any srabjeA commend us not to the man of experience, but to the dabbling amateur." We imagine that most people will agree wit* the sentiments of the editor in hie Not- by jlJI Way, when he says that he should greatly dë- plore it if he thought this lady-member's via#* were held by anybody else. "Songless school* would be as desolate as songless woods. It ill the instinct of every healthy child we hope- especially of every healthy Welsh child—f sing. Being healthy Welsh children they sinflf like Tennyson's linnet: because they must He thinks it would be but little short of atrocity to attempt to banish the their young voices from the schools." consoles himself with the thought that the lady holds some curious notions, and which, pee; haps, should not be taken very sAriocisiy- Be that as it may, it is pretty certain that sácII notions as the above are totally at variant with the opinions held by the vast majority of Welsh people, alike among practical e*tflr cationists and the public at large. The Prince of Wales in "Gwtad Y Delyn." An interesting little incident which occurrt^ in connection with his Royal Highness' W- visit to Lake Vyrnwy, has rather escaped tIJ' attention of the ubiquitous and lynx-eyed p reporter. At the hotel awaiting the arrivm of the Prince were the Lord Mayor of Lïver "pool, the Lady Mayoress, and members of tfcj Corporation. There also were the Vicar Llanwddyn, Rev. John Williams, and M* daughter, Miss Ethel Williams, with her harpl an instrument on which she is an accomplish^ player, having some important eistedcø- prizes to her credit for its effefctive manipulW tion. The prince on being told of her preseoiC* at once expressed his wish that she presented to him. This having been done byttg Lady Mayoress, his Royal Highness with fcp accustomed graciousness cordially shook with the young lady, conversing with her musical subjects, and especially the tabyn "—harp—of Wales. Subsequtmdt Miss Williams played several pieces, her fatbjt^ was introduced to the prince, and no doufcj father and daughter were delighted with th^* day's experiences.

UNITARIANS IN WALES. \

ALLEGE® BREACH OF CONTRACT.