1914-07-15tt

“There was a very large crowd at the Armories last night to hear the famous 1,000-voice choir, under the able leadership of Bruce Carey.”

Hamilton Times.  July 14, 1914.

As the Hamilton Industrial Exposition was nearing the end of its two week run at the James Street North armories, two musical presentations, both made up of 1,000-voice choirs, were presented.

The first choir, made of men and women, was a great attraction. Its performance was the subject of close by a reporter with the Hamilton Times:

“This, the largest choir which has ever sung in the Dominion scrutiny should add greatly to the musical status of Canada, and should prove a great drawing card for the remaining nights of the Industrial Exposition.”¹

¹ “Huge Choir at Exposition a Grand Success : Choristers Under the Direction of Bruce Carey Showed Result of Fine Training”

Hamilton Times.  July 14, 1914.

The reporter described carefully how so many singers were positioned in the huge buildings and the slight drawbacks involved because of the environment:

“The choir made a very pretty sight as they stood on the south stand in the main hall of the Armories, the ladies in the lower rows and the gentlemen somewhere near the roof.

“This was the only possible arrangement of the chorus but it tended somewhat to unbalance the voices. Excepting for this almost unavoidable feature, the choir was magnificent and in their splendid rendering of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ they made for themselves and the city of Hamilton a reputation which will take many years to fade away.”¹

Choirmaster Bruce Carey came in for some well-deserved praise from the Times reporter:

“As usual, Bruce Carey had paid much attention to the rising and sitting of his choir at the motion of his baton, and to see the thousand people rise as one was a most impressive sight, which was fully recognized by the audience.”¹

Indeed the audience seemed entranced by the spectacle and sound of the 1,000-voice choir, accompanied by the members of the 13^th Battalion Band.

Hearty encores were accorded to the singers and musicians.

The following evening, another 1,000-voice choir sang at the Armories, a 1,000-voice, made up of children singers.

The Spectator reporter noted that the children appeared to be as disciplined as their elders were the previous evening:

“The children’s chorus of 1000 voices made its much-anticipated debut at the armories last night, and sang to an attentive audience in a style which suggested they were well accustomed to performances of the kind.

“Under the direction of Professor James Johnson, they responded to the conductor’s baton in a manner which was in no wise inferior to the performance of the seniors on the previous evening.”²

² “Children’s Chorus Sings With Splendid Effect : 1000 Voices Sing as One at the Exposition Under Prof. Johnson’s Baton.”

Hamilton Spectator.   July 15, 1914.

Professor Johnson, music teacher at the Central School, was lauded for the patience he must have displayed to bring the children together to perform at such a coordinated, high quality level :

“The only thing to be feared – as is always the case in a chorus of juvenile voices – was that the little ones might evince too great a desire to make themselves individually heard, but the professor had effectively eliminated any disposition that might have existed in that direction.

“Not that the children were afraid to let themselves go. They sang heartily and with a uniformity of tone which in volume sounded as one huge harmonious voice – an immense, melodious chord which began and ended with a precision which was remarkable,

“It was, perhaps, in the crescendo passages that they were heard at their best, and it was evident that these were the parts which the children themselves enjoyed most, for they entered into them with an enthusiasm which was exhilarating.”²

The following morning, an editorial appeared in the Times under the headline, “Musical Hamilton”

In the editorial, the success of Bruce Carey and Professor Johnson in pulling together their respective 1,000-voice choirs:

“During the last two nights at the Industrial Exposition at the armories, Hamilton people have had an opportunity to see and hear what Hamilton can do in the way of large choruses.

“Viewing them purely from an artistic standpoint, it must be said that the undertaking has proven a great success, and has done much to further distinguish Hamilton as a musical centre”^3.

³  “Musical Hamilton”

Hamilton Times. July 15, 1914