House Singing Competition

slight inaudibility of the lower notes. Hudson was particularly impressive in 'Thy rebuke hath broken His heart'; A. D. Bailey has a pleasant tone, and sustained the melismata very well in 'Thou art gone up on high'. The other soloist, Thirlwell, is more of a baritone than a tenor, but he tackled the high notes very well, and his phrasing was especially good.

The number of volunteers for singing in the chorus parts was encouraging, and their unison singing in 'How beautiful are the feet' and in Why do the nations?', was much appreciated.

Mr. Waine did well to keep both Chorus and Orchestra in control. The members of the latter who came from outside the School are to be thanked for their invaluable contribution, taking the lead in their various departments. D.A.B.

The cup for this competition was given by the late Colonel H. A. Cape D.S.O., formerly governor of the School and an enthusiastic lover of choral music. His object was to encourage the performance of vocal music especially by those who do not normally have the inclination to indulge in it. The idea, then, is to get as many performing as possible and in general we succeeded. In some houses all virtually speaking were put on to the platform. In others all the keen ones were put on the platform. The optimum probably lies between the two. Whatever policy is adopted, there is no doubt that those houses do best who understand the selection of leaders. Force of personality by itself will not win a competition, neither will just sheer musicianship. A judicious blend of the two is required.

The result of all the work was a most enjoyable concert with a tang of competition to add the spice of house loyalties. Temple gave a carefully thought-out interpretation of "Go down Moses" and Queen's likewise a pleasing performance of The Sheep Shearing. Manor earned and deserved a high place (3rd) for a real "choral society" performance of "Sing we and chaunt it" (Pearsall).

In the unison songs, Temple again came first with the simple but evocative Trade Winds (Keel). With this they did not aim very high, but they abundantly achieved what they set out to do. Queen's did not fare quite so well with the more ambitious Vagabond (Vaughan-Williams) but they deserved their second place for tackling a really big song. School House came third in this class with the topical "Drake's Drum" (Stanford) and Manor fourth with a performance of the old Somerset folk tune Bingo that made the most of the various opportunities for contrast, including a treble only verse.

M. N. Webster made an effective competition secretary. Dr. Francis Jackson, Organist of the Minster, an old friend of the school, judged the competition and gave, besides his adjudication, which was generally accepted (this is not always the case with singing competitions), an interesting introductory speech in which he stressed the importance of achieving the right spirit in any interpretation. He pointed out that the performers are the middlemen between composer and audience. Their aim by attention to detail and the understanding of the composer's intentions is to transmit what the composer has to say to the audience. It is a most fascinating assignment. F.W. 10