To the Editor of the "Norta-Cuina Dairy News."
Sir,—The amount of detail connected with the building-up of our Symphony Orchestra, and the enthusiasm shown by the conductor in his task are perhaps not adequately realized by the community, and it is just as well, at a moment when some are agitating for a reduction in the Band estimates, to recall the years of patient labour involved in bringing the orchestra up to its present state of efficiency. The Council have for years been working for its perfection with the full knowledge of the ratepayers and the approval of the majority, and now the reward for their perseverance is seen in the admirable orchestra we possess today, one of which Shanghai may justly be proud.
It is almost inconceivable that at~ the very moment when all the spade-work has been accomplished and the goal has been reached, there are certain people who would render' these labours vain by destroying.its efficiency. Yet that is the only possible outcome of a. reduction in the expenditure which is urged in some quarters. The present number of musicians, 45, is the absolute minimum for a symphony orchestra, With any reduction in stringed, brass or reed instruments, the performance' of the majority of masterpieces would become farcical. It would be like trying to perform one of Shakespeare's plays with one or two of tha principal parts missing. One would rather not hear the play at all under such conditions and the same would apply to the orchestra. If in a thoughtless moment a reduction in the estimate were made which would reduce the number of performers and thereby destroy the efficiency of the band, I think it would be a retrograde step which Shanghai would have reason to regret. The provision of good music is a form of higher education indispensable to a civilized community; its educational value in the formation of character has been emphasized by philosophers; in time more and more will learn to appreciate it; and this will specially apply when people as a whole interest themselves more in the Arts and Culture generally than has been possible in the reaction following the War.
Occasional references have been made to the small attendance at some of the concerts and I have no hesitation in saying that this is in great measure due to inadequate advertising and press support. For some reason, no programme had appeared in the papers regarding the concert ta which a correspondent recently referred, and unless one got out of one's convey-. ance to peruse the small printed notice posted outside the Town Hall there was no means of knowing in advance what was to be performed. Announcements of the programmes a few days beforehand,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.