The 8th Intervarsity Choral Festival: MELBOURNE, 31 May-7 June

Camp Venue: Guest houses in Anglesea
Participants: MUCS, NEUCS, TUMS, QUMS, SUMS

COMMITTEE

MUCS Committee
President: Tony Helm Secretary: Aaron Sassoon

CONCERT

8pm, 6 June, Wilson Hall, University of Melbourne Conductor: Charles Colman, David Barkla, Harold Badger, Gordon Spearritt, Hugh Brandon, Donald Britton Soloists: Ralph Middenway Program: Roberts My mistress sings no other song, Dowland Stay time awhile, Tomkins When David heard, Kodály Hymn to King Stephen (SUMS Madrigal Group); Finzi Four Partsongs (SUMS); Brahms Noenia (MUCS+TUMS); Weelkes Tan ta ra cries Mars, Palestrina Tell me what master hand, Weelkes Come sirrah Jack ho (QUMS Madrigal Group); Kodály Missa Brevis (QUMS); Oldroyd A Spiritual Rhapsody (combined); Gaudeamus Igitur. Notes: Piano: Michael Wentzell; Org: John Mallinson. Also Bach Toccata in C for organ, played by Keith Taylor, and Parry Chorale Prelude on ‘Christe Redemptor Omnium’, played by John Mallinson. First Australian performance of Oldroyd. Review: Dorian Le Gallienne, “Student choirs in festival concert”, Age, 7 June 1957, p.2. “There are several impressive things about the annual inter-varsity choral concert, which was held in the Wilson Hall last night. First of all, it is exciting that such a large number of students from the universities of Queensland, New England, Sydney and Tasmania should come to Melbourne for the sake of choral music … then their standard of the programme was exceptionally high … the standard of the performance was, naturally enough, not up to the music: it often had verve and freshness, but the problem of singing in time in extended and difficult music seems insuperable … like all joint musical efforts, this concert was too long from the reviewer’s point of view …”.

• John Sinclair, “Festival of voices”, Herald, 7 June 1957, p.9. “Despite its excessive length and the many gaps between aims and achievements, last night’s Inter-Varsity Choral Festival in Wilson Hall was a stimulating success … Unfortunately last night’s programme took some time to become interesting … then came what was probably the best item of the evening, a beautiful ‘Missa Brevis’ by Kodaly, which brought some brave, if faulty, singing from the Queensland madrigal group …”.

OTHER COMMENTS

Camp concert in Geelong on 3 June. Tapes sent to Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd (AWA) to make discs. Article, “Musicians active”, Semper Floreat, 12 Sept. 1957. Television coverage of interstate choristers arriving by train, and of the Presidents’ Pyjamas. Short preview, “Eighth Inter-Varsity Choral Festival”, Australian Musical News, vol.47, no.12 (June 1957), p.38.