THE PETERSFIELD FESTIVAL.
A CHILDREN’S DAY OF MUSIC.
The annual three days’ musical festival, which has become one of the most popular institutions in Petersfield, opened on Tuesday. This was the eighth festival. As usual, excellent arrangements had been made by the zealous local Committee, with Miss Grace Keily again acting as Hon. Secretary. On the opening day rain fell in torrents all the morning, but this failed to damp the ardour of the children, who came to the Drill Hall to enter the lists, and the attendance of the public, both at the competitions and the concert, was in excess of any previous first day’s figures.
Eight children’s choirs participated, compared with five last year, and their performance generally was extremely good, the judge, Mr. James Bates, principal of the London College for Choristers, testifying to the improvement which had taken place since he last officiated at the festival two years ago. The feature of the competitions was the success of two novice choirs. Privett (conducted by the Rev. W. H. Thomas) signalised their first appearance by winning the prize for sight-reading with 19 marks, and East Tisted, the smallest of the choirs (conducted by Mr. Arthur S. Elson), also won distinction as a new choir by carrying off the prize for the best rendering of a round and catch with 87 marks. Sheet (conducted by the Rev. G. Sampson) were second for sight-reading, and Horndean (conducted by Miss Long) were only one point behind East Tisted in the second competition. Sheet won the banner for the folk-song with 93 marks, Westmeon (conducted by Miss Helen Fair) coming next with 90 marks. At the concert in the afternoon the combined choirs sang several pieces remarkably well. Mrs. Alexander Maitland, one of the founders of the festival, charmed the audience with her songs, and distributed the banners and prizes. Miss Margaret Deneke contributed pianoforte solos with marked ability. Miss Dorothy Fletcher, Miss Justine King, Miss Olive Bell and Mr. Percy Such gave a delightful rendering of Schubert’s string quartette in B flat, and Miss Fletcher, Miss Bell, Mr. Such and Miss Deneke were associated in a very fine interpretation of Brahm’s quartette in A Major. Mr. Percy Whitehead, A.R.C.M., acted as accompanist throughout the day.