MUNICIPAL BAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 185, 7 August 1925, Page 8

MUNICIPAL BAND.

WIDE RANGE OF MUSIC. : i BANDMASTER'S EEPOET. CONCERT CHARGES RAISED. i The work of tbe Municipal Band was | the subject of an interesting report sub- i mitted by Bandmaster C. Smith to the City Council la*t evening. He reported | a ftiecetsfu! 12 months' work. A band had been formed, organised, and trained. ; The fiirt performance was given on ; November 10. 1924. in Albert Park, and t'mc-e then Oβ public appearances had been made, as follows: 3(> at the Zoo- j logical Park. I~> in the Town IlalL 12 j in the various park?, and on three other ' occasions, viz.. Anzae Day, the Massey cornmernoratifin, and at Mr. Brett's ; residence. The first full band rehearsal ', took place on October 13, 1924. since | which 7H rehearsals had t«esn held. The j attendance of members at the*e rehear- I sals reached tbe high average of 97 J>er ! cent. A very wide range of music had been . presented. Upwards of 300 pieces of j music have been played, ranging from j simple hymn tunes, marches, etc., lo | the most complex works of the masters. With the present hand, and an addition to be named hater, anything written for j a military band ifi possible of per- > fornianct. The band was at prefieut 4.'5 strong, with conductor 44. Of these 11 only are j employed by the council, and he strongly urged the rtabilifiatiou of the baud by plaeinjr more of the leading players in council employ. The city had a fine baud now, 'but it will be far finer in another 12 months. The band might be used to greater advantage in the warmer month*. Bunday evening recitals would be welcomed j by thousands who perhaps do not find a mid-week evening convenient. Recent visits of well-known bands had shown the public taste in this direction. "The Town Hall concerts,*' continued the report, "though not at present financially successful, nevertheless present j the finest opportunity to band and con- | ductor to reach out and give of the high- ! pst and best. Every concert given in th«* I Town Hall is an earnest uplift in the direction of the highest art. and as such should be assessed at its true artistic worth and not by financial considerations for some time to come. Much propaganda and advertising work has pot to be done. My faith, however, is such that 1 am convinced of the ultimate financial success when the charge-; for admission shall have been made commensurate with the standard of the , performance given, and the public shall j have become educated to that standard.* . Later on in the evening a joint report from the Finance and Parks Committee, which followed a complaint that equal j treatment was not accorded to band concerts and organ recitals in the Saturday allocations, recommended, besides allotting the concerts, that the prices of i admission in future be: Circle, 1/; I ground floor and top gallery, Gd; reserved j seats in the circle, to a number not lees | than 81, 2/; also that free concerts from September 1 be given every Kunday evening, organ and band alternately. Another recommendation was that a subcommittee, consisting of the DeputyMayor, the chairman of the Finance and ! Legal Committee, and Messrs. Eady, | Phelan, Brinsden, Paterson, and Miss Melville, be appointed to deal with concert, management. ■ j Mr. Bloodworth strongly protested | against the usual price of sixpence to all parts being increased, and mentioned | that in a democratic hall it was not ' right to make some seats dearer than others. He could not understand why there should be so much alarm over the band and organ recitals, because nobody expected the organ to pay in £ s. d. He attended the recitals fairly regularly, and he did not see councillors there very often. He would move as an amendment that the prices 2/ and 1/ contained in the recommendation be struck out. Mr. Knight was the only one to speak in' support of the amendment, which was defeated, and the recommendation of the joint, committee adopted.