was any liveliness shown. Singing in Chapel has been poor, some trebles not really making any effort. Strictly speaking, there is not enough practice time available for the quintuple task of teaching the reading of music, drilling the choir into a unit, preparing hymns, learning secular songs, and preparing the occasional anthem. A full lesson daily is really required,instead of virtually only one session a week. J.F.R. The singing in the lower school can seldom have been as poor as It has been during the first half of this year. It is disturbing to find that out of such a large number of new boys there are so few with singing voices at an age when one expects an abundance, and more disturbing still to find that the majority have had little or no instruction in this almost natural medium of expression. This, apart from making it difficult to fill the many vacant places in the treble section of the choir, has had its effect on the school singing in general, especially in Assemblies and Chapel Services where little sound, except for much coughing and nose-blowing, has been forthcoming from the front benches. However, the choir has been held together by older members and, considering the number of passengers it carries in the treble section—those who haven't good voices and those who have but are too lazy to use them—has done quite well. It was occupied during the first term with parts of the "Peasant Cantata"of Bach, and in the second with "Gloria in Excelsis" (performed at Westville Methodist Church),"Holy City","Soldiers Chorus"from "Faust"and a harmonized version of"Swazi Warrior". R.Q. MUSIC SOCIETY The Music Society this year has been limited to about twelve members, all of whom manage to squeeze into Mr. Quarmby's study on Sunday nignts after chapel. We have had a most interesting and varied time during the past two terms,soaking in the impressive music of great composers. Pride of place has been taken by the concerto form, and four of the five piano concertos of Beethoven were heard during the second term. A few of us were fortunate enough to go to Durban to hear Paul Badura-Skoda playing a concerto with the orchestra in the City Hall. We were all dazzled by his magnificent performance. A couple of weeks later, Mr. Penney kindly demonstrated the hi-fi apparatus which he himself constructed at his home. Never have 224
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