OCR Text |
Show DUNDALK CHURCH CHOIRS. On Sunday a Competition of Catholic church choirs, in connection with tho Castlebcllingham Feis, was held at Dundalk. The work selected wa3 the plain chant Mass, "Missa de Angelis," and to afford those at present not familiar with the notation nota-tion of the Benedictine Solesmes chant, the music was specially translated into tonic sol fa and staff notation, and issued in the series of Arundel masses selected by Henry Duke of Norfolk and C. T. Gatti. The prize was endowed by Mr. Thomas Kelly of Castletown, whose liberality in connection with the Irish school is well known. It is worthy of note. that this competition was inaugurated before be-fore the publication of the "Motu Proprio" of his Holiness. The first choir of boys, to the number of sixteen, sang the Mas in the Church of St. Mary' at 10 o'clock, and subsequently a choir of girls, numbering twenty-four, rendered it in!the Church of St. Patrick, Dundalk. At the termination of the performances the adjudicator said that he had heard the choirs with much pleasure. Very great intelligence had beeen displayed by both in the rendering of the "Missa de Angelis," and the efforts ef-forts of both .choirs were worthy of much praise. The character of the music and the interpretations had evidently beeen the subject of much thought and study. He subjected the performances to careful care-ful criticism, and, taking all the elements into con-sideration. con-sideration. he was of opinion 'that the better rendering ren-dering had been by the second choir, heard in St. Patrick's church, to which he awarded the prize. He complemented the boys on their excellent efforts, and he thought from their performance that they would have been successful in a competition with other schoolboys, as their attack, phrasing, pronunciation, pronun-ciation, accenting and expression were admirable. Ife hoped that more choirs of equal voices would enter for the next competition, and said that arrangements ar-rangements would be made by the promoters of tho Castlebellingham Feis to have the attendance of an adjudicator in remote districts, obviating the necessity neces-sity of choirs desirous of competing having to meet '. at one centre. The credit of organizing the competitions com-petitions was mainly due to Mr. Thomas Barry of Castlebellingham. The adjudicator was Mr. Chriis-topher Chriis-topher Murray, St. Mary of tho Angels, Church street, Dublin. . |