STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Appeal For Support

VALUE OF MUSIC

By Mr. H. Brewster-Jones

The great educational value of music is not often rightly stated at the present time because musicians are so apt to allow people who have no proper conception of the functions of this art to make unchallenged statements of its relative - position in learning.

Present-day non-musical writers and educationists are too often prone to look upon music as an ingenuous recreation, because it appeals through the senses rather than through the intellect.

The President of the Legislative Council (Sir David Gordon), making his plea through the columns of "The Advertiser" for the support of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, has stressed the civic value of music and, judged by the reception given to his views by various leading citizens of Adelaide, his appeal has not fallen on deaf ears.

The Chief Secretary (Sir George Ritchie) said yesterday that anything that would uplift the music of the State was well worth while.

The Director of Education (Mr. Adey) thinks that the permanent establishment of a symphony orchestra would be particularly valuable and definitely in the interests of all the young people in the State.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr. J. H. Gosse) said that Adelaide was worthy of a Symphony Orchestra, and South Australian musicians should receive the same encouragement as those of the eastern States in this respect. That could be achieved only by adequate public patronage of concerts.

“The musicians must work and the public must support them if permanent success is to be obtained,” said Professor Georg Schneevoigt the Finnish conductor. “In Finland all musicians who are worthy receive a pension. and all the members of my orchestra there, at the age of 67, or if they retire earlier through ill-health receive two-thirds of their existing salary as a pension for life. So we are able to command the best players who can devote their life to their art.”

Practical Suggestions

The Director of the Elder Conservatorium (Dr E. Harold Davies) said that he entirely approved of Sir David Gordon’s appeal.

“From a practical point of view, it would be far better for a time in Australia if the Broadcasting Commission provided the necessary facilities for music students to take up orchestral instruments to develop a full technical and musical competency,” he said. “Such a step would ultimately provide first-class professional material for eminent visiting conductors to work upon. As a concrete suggestion to this end it should be possible for the Commission to place in each capital city a number of key players of the highest musical standing, if necessary imported from overseas, who could be retained as teachers on the staff of the various conservatoriums. As a further inducement two scholarships could be offered by the Commission for each instrument. This would enormously stimulate the study of orchestral instruments, and would eventually furnish a large number of orchestral players on the other side of the world.”

In view of the fact that the Adelaide Town Hall is probably the best broadcasting hall in Australia, from an acoustic aspect, and last week’s concert was such a pronounced success from a broadcasting point of view, South Australian music lovers should see to it that the present excellent gesture of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in sending such a notable conductor as Georg Schneevoigt and in financing the expensive series of orchestral concerts which are scheduled to be given this year, should be encouraged to the utmost and continue its support of orchestral activities in this State in the years to come.

The Advertiser, May 26, 1937