The greatest thing that happened to bring music to the masses was the introduction of the tonic sol-fa. It was first brought into the lives of Glasgow working folk by Mr. W. M. Miller. He was a working man himself. The strange thing is that he couldn’t sing. But he was a great teacher. .... Mr. Corbett... bought Perry’s Theatre in Green-dyke Street, and founded a Social Reform Society. One of the great events was Miller’s Choir night. We paid 1s. to join, and had thirteen nights of singing. It wasn’t a choir in the sense that choirs are known now. The great choirs for which Glasgow is famous sing to their audiences. We were both choir and audience! It was real community singing. Night after night nearly a thousand came to the choir practices, and only serious reasons would cause anyone to miss. I see it all now. The hall packed with lads and lassies who had already done a heavy day’s work, and Miller standing, not on a platform at the end of the hall, but right in the centre of the crowd. First we had a lesson in the doh-ray-me, and then sang altogether. Often, the day after the practice, have I seen the young folk going to their work before six o'clock in the morning singing in part. Years later, when I was in charge of Waterloo Rooms, I arranged similar community singings. W. M. Miller gladly gave his services as conductor. In our first season we had 800 present, and they all sang! The happiest soul amongst us was the conductor! When I read that community singing “ has been introduced into Scotland from New Zealand,” I cannot help thinking that it was our young folk from Glasgow who carried it there, for New Zealand is a real Scots Colony. What would a modern artiste (other than a comedian) say if the audience joined in the chorus of one of his songs? It would be dreadful! But in earlier days it was the sign of success. Even in opera the audience joined in. They considered it their right to do so. << less