PETERSFIELD MUSICAL FESTIVAL
Unqualified Success attends Thursday’s Interesting Competitions.
Thursday was a notable day in the annals of musical development in the Petersfield district. A musical festival organised chiefly through the efforts of Miss Craig Sellar, of Littlegreen, was held in the Drill Hall in the morning and afternoon there were some most interesting competitions between choirs in the neighbourhood, which were judged by Mr. Arthur Somervell, the well-known composer. A good many people listened to the singing, for which Mr. Henry Bird played accompaniments on the piano. The prizes were challenge banners. The first competition was for full choirs. The subject was the chorus “See what love,” from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “St. Paul.” Six choirs entered, viz. : Havant, Horndean, Purbrook, Petersfield Temperance, Littlegreen, and Langrish. In the rendering of the test piece Langrish (conducted by Mrs. Vaughan) was placed first, followed in order of merit by Havant, Petersfield, Littlegreen, Horndean, and Purbrook. But combined with this competition was reading at sight, and in this Havant (conducted by Mr. W. Packham) was far and away the best, and consequently took the banner and £4 offered. The second competition was also for full choirs and the subjects for performance were madrigals by Pearsall and Festa. The same six choirs competed and came out of the ordeal in the following order:— Petersfield (conducted by Mr. H. Sharp), Havant, Horndean, Littlegreen, Langrish, and Purbrook, but when the sight reading was taken into account Havant again took first place (the banner and £2), and Horndean second. Upon Havant winning another competition for female voices, the banner and £3 in the second choral competition was awarded to Horndean (conducted by Miss Long); Littlegreen (conducted by Miss R. Craig Sellar), won the banner and £2 in the competition for male voices. The test piece for the class for male voices was a delightful little part song of Mr. Somervell’s composition, and the four choirs who entered for the competition were remarkably close together in the result. Littlegreen secured 48 points, Havant 47, Horndean 44, and Langrish 40. The subject of the contest for female voices was ‟Orpheus with his lute” (German), and the competition was extremely interesting and even. The final marking was Havant 51, Purbrook 49, Horndean 48, Langrish 47, Littlegreen 46, At the close of each competition Mr. Somervell gave the choirs individually some valuable criticism and advice.
In the evening the whole of the choirs took part In a concert in the same hall, which was crowded with a most representative audience. The prizes were distributed by Mrs. Cave, of Ditcham Park, after some introductory remarks from the Rev. Cyril Edwards. The successful choirs sang the competitive pieces and united in a splendid performance of Mr. Somervell’s chorus, ‟The Charge of the Light Brigade,” assisted by an orchestra of some 40 instrumentalists, Miss Craig Sellar conducting. The Horndean, Purbrook, Littlegreen, and Havant choirs, with orchestra also, gave a most excellent performance of the chorus, ‟Hail, Bright Abode,” from ‟ Tannhauser,” under Miss Craig Sellar’s conductorship. The effect in both these choruses was capital, and roused the audience to a high pitch of enthusiasm. Miss Craig Sellar was presented with a lovely bouquet by the Vicar’s little son. The remainder of the programme consisted of songs, rendered in a very artistic and pleasing manner by Mrs. A. A. Montgomery and Mr. Lawrence Rea, both of whom were loudly encored, and violin solos played in accomplished style by Mr. F. Royston Cambridge, L.R.A.M. At the close a hearty vote of thanks was passed, with vociferous applause, to Miss Craig Sellar. and those who had assisted her, on the proposition of the Hon. S. H. Jolliffe, and Mr. Arthur Somervell briefly replied on Miss Craig Sellar’s behalf. The whole festival was an unqualified success.