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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District] Singers Professional singers are usually teachers, of vocal or instrumental music. One notable exception to this rule, however, is found in Wellington,-Mr. John Prouse, without some mention of whom no record of the musical talent of the Capital city would be complete. Mr. John Prouse, the well-known baritone singer, is the third son of the late Mr. Richard Prouse, one of the pioneer settlers of Wellington, and was born in 1856 in this district. From a very early age he displayed musical taste and the possession of a good singing voice, and as a lad he was a member of the church choirs at the Wainui and at the Taita, where his family resided. Mr. Prouse, however, was of a rather retiring disposition, and it was not until 1885 that he made his debut upon the concert platform at Wellington. At a bound he leaped into popularity. His rich rotund voice, and his faculty for fine and true expression, at once proclaimed the born artist, and local musicians cordially welcomed the young debutant as an acquisition to the musical resources of the City. At the Wellington Musical Festival of 1888, Mr. Prouse won golden opinions by his splendid singing of the music allotted to the rôle of "Elijah" in Mendelssohn's immortal oratorio. It is only just to observe that Mr. Prouse ascribes much of his success as a singer to the careful tuition he received during two years from Mr. Robert Parker. Acting upon the strong advice of his friends, Mr. Prouse, in 1890, left for England, accompanied by his wife and family, in order to have his voice and method trained and developed under good masters. For twelve months he studied with characteristic earnestness of purpose under Mr. T. A. Wallworth, ex-professor of the Royal Academy of Music, and at the Academy of Mr. Wilhelm Ganz, the well-known song-writer, devoting himself chiefly to oratorio work. During this period he also found time to accept concert engagements at the Crystal Palace, in St. James's Hall, London, and in the provinces, receiving many flattering notices for his performances. Mr. and Mrs. Prouse and family returned to Wellington in 1892, and since then Mr. Prouse has taken part in nearly all the principal concerts given in Wellington, besides filling engagements at Auckland, Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill. He was entrusted with the baritone solo parts in several of the musical works produced at the Wellington Musical Festival of 1894, and for oratorio work both here and in the South Island his services are in constant request. Mr. Prouse has a great love for his art, and a deep sense of its grandeur and dignity. As a consequence, he has consistently eschewed its lighter and ephemeral side, and devoted himself almost entirely to high class music, especially oratorio, of which he is one of the best exponents in the Colony. He certainly stands unrivalled in New Zealand as a baritone singer in oratorio, and in the rendering of such songs as "Nazareth" (Gounod), "Thou'rt Passing Hence, my Brother" (Sullivan), "The Holy City" (Adams), and "Les Rameaux" (Faure). Mr. Prouse has derived much advantage in his musical studies from the musical taste and enthusiasm of his wife, and, in this connection, it may be observed that the artistic gifts of the parents have descended to their children. Title: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]
Author: Cyclopedia Company Limited
Publication details: The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1897, Wellington
Part of: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand
License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence |