BRASS BANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 46, 23 February 1940, Page 7

BRASS BANDS.

STANDARD PRAISED. • CENTENARY CONTEST. i ST. KILDA WINS A GRADE. » (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. An audience that filled the Wellington Town Hall last night heard the St. Kilda Municipal Band (Dunedin) win the A Grade championship in the New Zealand Centennial Brass Band Contest to-night. Timaru Municipal was adjudged second, and Port Nicholson and Wanganui Garrison tied for third. The first test was played by eight A Grade bands on Tuesday night, and was a selection from Beethoven's works by W. Rimmer, and last night they played a selection from Tschaikowsky arranged by Rimmer. The chief musical adjudicator, Mr. Frank Wright, L.R.S.M., M.R.S.T. (London), said there had been some very fine performances. On Tuesday there were some unfortunate lapses as regards intonation, which really were unaccountable, because from other points of view the bands were very fine. In the A Grade bands, one could not make allowances for playing out of tune. The playing last night was much better than on Tuesday. Results were:-— A Grade Bands. St. Kilda Municipal: First test, 143; second test. 136; total. 279. Timaru Municipal: 139, 139. 278. Port Nicholson: 135, 141, 276 Wanganui Garrison: 128, 148, 276. Woolston: 125. 135, 2CO. Auckland Artillery: 131. 127. 258. Queen Alexandra: 123, 120, 243. Invercargill Civic: 126, 110, 236. Quartets, Hymn to Music. — (Dudley Clarke) St. Kilda Municipal No. 2, 87 points, 1; Wellington Municipal Tramways, 85 points, 2; Woolston No. 2, 82 points, 3. An interesting feature last night was the presentation of a baton by Mr. Wright to Mr. E. Palliser, president of the New Zealand Brass Bands' Association. "Here is a small, unpretentious stick which I brought from London/' said Mr. Wright, "but it has a history. It was cut from one of the piers of Waterloo Bridge, and has been submerged in mud in the waters of the Thames since 1806. I am going to ask Mr. Palliser to accept it for himself as a memento of this Centennial occasion." Mr. Palliser expressed thanks for the gift, and said that he wanted to take this opportunity, on behalf of the association, of thanking Mr. Wright for coming from the other side of the world to adjudicate at the contest, which was one J of the finest they had had for the past 20 years, particularly so far as 'A Grade was concerned.