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- Oratorio :Concerts at Tonypandy.

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Oratorio :Concerts at Tonypandy. Successful Appearance of a Local Singer. [By Our Musical Critic.] The tenth annual concert was given by the Ebenezer Choral Society on Thursday last at the Judge's Hall, Trealaw, when performances of Mendelssohn's y Hear My Prayer," and Sir Edward Elgars "Banner of St Geoige were given. It has been the writer's privilege to be present at every one of the previous con- certs, and the high standard reached bv the choir and artistes in the past enabled one to look forward to the present per- formance with considerable pleasure, and there is no doubt that such was the case with a large number of Mid-Rnondda with a large number of Mid-Rnondda mueio-lovers. There were two innovations that made this year's concert particularly interest- ing. Firstly, it was held, at" the local hall built to commemorate the late Judge Gwilyrii Williams, and second! only one opportunity was given to those who wished to attend, instead of two as in past years. Both innovations were pro- bably an experiment by the committee, who have always had considerable worry to make the concerts financially success- ful. The vocalists and instrumentalists have always been a sufficient attraction r in themselves to the patrons of the eon- •oei»ts, only those of acknowledged Miss BESSIE JONES. I ability have been engaged. This has been done at considerable exoense, and the result of this year's experiment, namely, holding the concert in a, building of a greater seating capacity, and only on one night, when the expenses will be about two-thirds of the customary two nights, will be awaited with interest by other societies similarly situated. There was a large audience, the higher or iced reserved seats having been apparently all taken. The artistes were Miiss Bessie Jones, Tonypandy (soprano); Mr. Cynlais Giblxs, London (tenor); and Mr. David Hughes, London (bass). The orchestra was led by Mr. Hulley, Swansea. The committee are to be heartily con- gratulated on again demonstrating their desire to give local aspirants to the con- cert nlatform an opportunity of display- ing their ability. One has noted that when a local singer has undergone suffi- cient training to enable him or her to appear successfully, and thus to maintain the standard set by other famous artistes the committee has only been too pleased to give the said singer honour in his own country." One has only to mention Miss Amy Evans and Messrs. W. Spencer Thomas and Ivor Foster, who have an- pea,red at these concerts from time to time, to prove this. A distinguished pro- fessor last week doubted whether there were not microbes in certain atmospheres that caused fiat-singing. If this be true, there must surely be germs of the oppo- site kind in the atmosphere of Ebenezer Chapel. If there be not, how can one account for the fact that another nne singer as Miss Jones undoubtedly is has sprung up from the choir? If rumour does not lie, there are again others who promise eventually to blossom into first- raters. Miss Jones' debut was quite a triumph. One. could forgive a few mis- takes in her solo work in "Hear My Prayer," for she evidently felt the im- portance of the occasion. In the follow- ing miscellaneous portion, however, she showed her interested listeners the great .,advance she had made, thanks to the training at the D.C.M. She has evidently been taught self-restraint, and also that the aim of a singer should from the first I be to secure a pure and beautiful tone. That she is keenly observant of the emotional side of her singing was also apparent, and it is because of this that one can safely prophecy a successful career for her. Her singing with the orchestra of Verdi's (great solo, "Ah Fors e lui from" La Traviata" (in Italian) was one of the best things of the whole evening, and thoroughly deserved the enthusiastic a,-Ia-uise which followed. An admirer also presented her with a lovely bouquet on her reappearance. Her other efforts were Gounod's Serenade with a violin obligato beautifully played by Mr. Hulley, and a Welsh folk-song, .Cwew Fach." Mr. David Hpghes was in bis customary good form," his sing- ing of "Jolly Jenkin" (Sullivan) and j I'm a roamer" (Mendelssohn) bringing I down the house. Mr. Cynlais Gibbs must have been a disappointment to those who had not had the pleasure of hearing him previously, as the writer has. He is evidently feeling the effect of his many engagements. His singing was not by any means up to his usual standard, his hr>*h notes being produced with difficulty. The choir is evidently in its lean year. Instead of the usual large body of voices, we heard only about eighty in number. The works selected, however, did not require a large choir. In Elgar's cantata, what is required is a body of artistic and intelligent: singers. There were frequently passages that depended almost entirely en the treatment of the words for their pi-oi,er effect, and these received particular attention by the con- ductor, Mr. W. T. David. A successful attempt was made to give a descriptive rendering of a work that has many diffi- ûTdt passages. v Mr. Hulley .proved to be a capable leader of an orchestra whose playing was satisfactory. The chairman was Mr. J. W. Jones (schoolmaster), Tonypandy, who fully deserved the honour for jÜs many yeans of valuable assistance to the choir as chairman of the committee and also member of the choir. The hon. secretary was Mr. John Lewis (draper), who with his lieutenants deserves our thanks for his courtesy and kindness.

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