November 1898: Glasgow Glee and Catch Club – “Ladies’ Night” Concert, in the Queen’s Rooms

An article on page three of The Daily Record, on Wednesday the 23rd of November, 1898, reads:

 

“GLASGOW GLEE AND CATCH CLUB.

 

The large hall of the Queen’s Rooms was crowded to excess last night when the Glasgow Glee and Catch Club

gave their ‘ladies’ night’ concert. The Club has long been recognised as a factor for musical culture on a limited

scale, and its concerts are always anticipated with pleasurable feelings. Nowadays the old catches and glees are

passing out of fashion, and we welcome any efforts made to retain and, if possible, make more popular the quaint,

tuneful little ditties, which, without the aid of orchestra or accompaniment of any kind, delighted a past generation.

This we take to be the mission of the Glasgow Club, and that body has succeeded admirably, while at the same time

it introduces pieces of later date which are less known but none the less lacking in attractiveness. Mr George Taggart

has proved a worthy successor to the late Mr. Young as conductor of the little choir, and last night he achieved some

wonderful effects. Durrner’s ‘The Storm,’ for instance, was sung with fine appreciation of the sentiment; and ‘The

Swallows’ and ‘I wish to tune my quiv’ring lyre’ were equally well rendered. A pleasing item of the programme was

the serenade, ‘Good-night, my love,’ by Mr. Joseph Bradley, composed for and dedicated to the Club by the popular

conductor of the Glasgow Choral Union. The soloists—might not their names have been given in the programme?—

were equally successful, among the most popular rendering being that of Loge’s ‘In her garden.’ ”

 

 

The British Newspaper Archive.

 

 

George Fairfull-Smith, August 2023.