CANTERBURY BAND CONTEST.

Press, Volume XLII, Issue 6304, 2 December 1885, Page 4

CANTERBURY BAND CONTEST.

We have been requested to publi-.h the following detailed report on the recent band contest, and as the matter is, we understand, of considerable inttrest to a large number of musical people, we gladly comply with the request:— ' CHRISTCHTJECH OAXBISOH BAJKD.

Reminiscences of Verdi—Grave.—This movement was courageously attacked. From mezzolore it merges into piano, aad returns to messoforte, and, although not indicated in the copy, it is evidently intended to decline in tone and time daring- the few bars that precede the next movement. There is also a climax where the cornet rise* from Cto Q and drops to D. The time was a little unsteady, and the intonation inaccurate. The nice effective variations we have described were disregarded. The vo ume of sound throughout was too ponderous j no adequate respect was paid to the piano, the crescendo was unnoticed, and the mergence into the succeeding- movement was not characterised by sufficient delioaoy. Allegro Assai—This movement waa brilliantly played. Allegretto—Opening; piano not observed; the effective accent in the bar before the first pause omitted; tbe piano alternating with two forte notes not sufficiently pronounced, aad the time in the eighth and ninth bars bom the end a little unsteady. . Largo—A movement consisting ef a euphonium solo, with an accompaniment in broken time, and somewhat difficult. 'Ihe euphonium waa sharp and coarse in tone. The accompaniments were considerately and cleanly played, the accentuation being excellent; bnt where the oorneta descend in 6'a from A to V there should have been a gradual diminution of speed and tone to the bottom note, which was not effected. The euphonium cadence was played with excellent rhythmical effect. Allegretto—Opened very well by oorneta and baritone, and would have been effectively played but for defects in the bass parts, whioh was occasionally out of tune. , Andante Soetenuto — Euphonium solo. The accompaniment was undecided at commencement, and the euphonium was again out of tune. No attention was paid to decrescendo mark. In cornet ; solo horns out of tune, and second cornet wrong in triplets Duri. g remainder of movement euphonium improved, accompaniments weU together, cadence for euphonium and cornet excellently played, and final crescendo leading into vivace effective. Vivace—Spiritedly taken and well played throughout, though the crescendo, where the oorneta rise in triplets to fortissimo, Bhould have been more marked, and the final pause was much too Bhort. SJ Andante Bostenuto—Another euphonium solo. The dotted notes in the accompaniment were not well marked. As the dots were more or less ignored indecision was created. This fault is very prevalent in the brass bands of the colony. The c«ss part waa out of tune where the cornet drops from Ato Q sharp. Where the euphonium subsequently has a bhort and long note alternately with the accompaniment, gradually rising in the scale, each succeeding phrase should htve been longer and louder than that preceding it, but this declamatoiy and poetic effeot waa lost. Allegro—Solo for basses, &c, with syncopated accompaniment for cornets, should have started pianissimo, and been worked up to fortissimo. The piaa ssimo waa not cared for; the fortissimo, as ia usual in brass band performances, took care of itself. . The bass part waa outof tune. In eighth and ninth bars second cornet got wrong. The syncopation was played well by the first cornet, but defectively by subordinate cornets. Allegro Maziale—Hot played trippingly enengh. Too heavy. Horns out-of tune, and-too light in the last few bars, theeffeot of the passing harmonies thus being lost. Adagio—A difficult movement because of its delicacy. The opening ti«<nnn passages would have been well taken but for a little coarseness. The euphonium waa excellently played. The basses, io.i proved themselves equal to the unison passage that commences ia the bar succeeding the third pause. The cornets played well, in tone and. time, in the harmonious passage for those instruments that precedes the fortissimo: but tbs beauty of their performance would have been enhanced by an observance of the pathos which, altheughuot indicated, is evidently intended. ' . Allego-~A few bars •£ recitative. Basses again outof tune. ■ . '

- - Allegro Maestoso—Opened well. Baa* near commencement of piuvivo out of tune. After the pause a faltering start waa made. Instead of being worked up to a olimax, the presto was rather slower than the preceding movement. As a whole, the performance indicated that the band possesses many good executant*. The mechanical difficulties were overcome with ease, bat there was a tendency to rush everything, and to disregard all the finer effect*.

Selection —Judas Jfaccabseus — Larghetto—" O Father, whose Almighty Power." In starting the time was undecided. The second cornet was out of tune, and the basses and cornet* overpowered the middle instruments. On the last note ia the twelfth bar from the end one of thd cornets made a slip, and where delicacy was imperative the seoond comet was rough. Pianissimo effects and all marks of expression were totally disregarded. The movement waa played as though the players were anxious to get through their task. Allegro—"And Grant a Leader Bold"—The fugue pas; ogee were well in time and cleanly played, though occasionally there were evidences ro the bass part of uncertainty. The tenor horns played excellently in time and tone. In the last few bars the time wss unsteady. Eccit.— •* I feel the Deity within."—This movement was characterised by haste. It had not the least resemblance to a recitative: should hove been treated with more deliberation. Tbe euphonium was sharp, and the bosses were also out of tune. "'■'..■ Allegro — " Arm, arm, ye brave " — Taken spiritedly. Cornets equal to the occasion; but the last note of the symphony was not cut sufficiently short, and the rallentandos were insufficiently observed.

Allegro Spiritoso—"See, the Conquering Hero comes —Taktn so slow as to be deprived of its martial character and pompons effect. In the fourth bar defectiveness of intonation sadly perceptible. targhetto— "Wise Men Flattering"—Too hurried and unrefined. As a rule the shakes were omitted; but where they were essayed by the leading cornet they were excellently played. Clarionet out of tuue. In. the thirteenth bar from tbe end tbe parte became involved, and in tbe succeeding bar the slur was pasted over. The faulty- intonation of the basses seemed to have become chronic. Andante—••We Never Will Bow Down"—The start was marred by indecision on the part of tbe basses. The clarionet was incapable of competing against the bass, and occasionally drowned. The fugue was taken up smartly. A Tempo Oiusto ("We worship God")—The fugue was out of time, the tenor horns and bantone being the chief offenders in this respect. In the twenty-fourth-and twenty-fifth bar* from the end the legato passage was tonared instead of slurred. ..:^ Due*- " Oh, lovely peace," could scarcely have

been played more unsatisfactorily, a lamentably poor interpretation. Instead of being smooth and sweet, it was jerky and loud. In the duet the second comet was in every respect badly played, and throughout the instruments seemed to be chasing one another. The thirteenth to fifteenth bars were played too abruptly. In the adagio the first cornet performed tbe shakes admirably, but tbe second cornet omitted them.- The first cornet would have been good throughout had the time not bean harried.

Allegro—'• Amen Chorus."—Tn the opening unison passage the basses and baritones strictly observed the phrasing, and played smartly and with precision. Towards tha end the second oornet played timidly, and out of time. The three concluding adagio bar* were much too Lurried. This movement, with the exception, of the defect* we have mentioned, was creditably performed. ADDIVGTOK WORKSHOPS BAUD. " Joan of Arc," andante moderato.—At th* start the basses were out of tune. The crescendo and diminuendo were effectively played. In ths ninth to the eleventh, bars the staccato accompaniment to the bass solo was too heavy; in the twelfth bar from the beginning the'three groups of three semiquavers which should have been played as portion* of four* were played a* triplet*. In tha sixth b>r f rom ihe end the oornet toogned a slurred passage. The ascension to B fiat immediately preceding the eadencawas not token with sufficiently increasing force. The cadecza was well played, though somewhat hurried.

Xiarghetto—Euphonium solo in the first past of whioh the performer failed on the top r. He seemed nervous and flurried, and accelerated the time ; hot his tone waa good and his interpretation intelligent, though the tadenza was somewhat agitated and indistinct. Tempo di March—The treble piano was faithfully observed; bnt in the few bars for tbe repieno cornet, introducing the grandioso, the crescendo to fortissimo was not weU worked np. The comets, in the eleventh bar from the end, improperly interpolated a slor. The piu-moeso waa not sufficiently marked. . Andante Beligioso—For horn* and trombone— Flayed carefully, bat horn* sightly oat of tone. Chorale—Too slow and legato; style not sufficiently pronounced. The clarionet andJJ o*"** in the succeeding movement were excellently played. Allegro Agifato-One of the best performance* of the evening. Taken with spirit and precision, the cornet* being especially good. The has aa*. however, did sot play with sufficient definition. The horn* were slightly out ia the chromatlo runs, and the crescendo and rallentando effect* at the end were not adeaoately observed. Allegretto—Another crisp performance, acurate in tone and time. The note—a minim—juat prior to the first doable bar wa* cut too short, 'ihe nUentendo passages, where considerable delicacy is necessary on the part of the horn*, were lent, though they would have been improved had the diminution of time been more marked. Pin mosao—ln the subordinate part* there wa* an absence of precision. The leading cornet

played tbe rapid runs with dexterity, but the] were weak and indefinite, and the last few bar lacked orispnesa. Pan Wait, " A Casket of Owns," allegr* (Kuhlau)—Courageously and tunefully attacked time also excelleat.

Tempo dl Menuetto—ln the solo the C net clarionet; played admirably, thrasing and expr**. sion were good, both iv solo and accompaniment, tho lattir being played with unusual taste and consideration.

Allegretto (Schumann) —In this movement, the subject of which is a now popular melody, tha basses took up and sustained the theme with a good solid unfaltering tone, whilst the accompuk stents were equally accurate and otherwise praise, worthy. Allegro con spirito—Oavotte (Handel)— Tim* and rythm well marked. The Handelian style wa* realised and intelligently observed. Andante Oraeioeo (Beethoven)— Started w«]L Cornet solo characterised by mv h expression. Vibrato effect introduced, and diccreetly and charmingly used by cornet in parts partionlarfv pathetic In the fourteenth bar, where intricate harmonies occur, some of the subordinate instruments were out of tune, and in tho nineteenth bar th* basses were similarly at fault in taking the C Andante Soateuuto (Mendelssohn)—a careful and almost perfeot performance, noUrithstandina the exactitude necessary iv tho observanceof marks of expression, which are, in this movement, very numerous. Moderato, by the- mmo com. poser,token at a pace much too quick. Ho poetct infused into the performance. Tbis fault waa car. ticularly observable in the fourth and fifth bars from the end, where aa indispeuaibl* decadence was entirely overlooked. Allegretto moderato (Weber).—There was nothing in the performance of this simple movement that calls for criticism.

Adagio (Mendelssohn).—Very fairly taken, ok though started a little too hurriedly, it afterwards improved. The olarionet faltered occasionally fa a manner most damaging to the effectivenessof a classical pertormance.

Aiiimato (Schumann)—A 6-S time rollicUsc movement, in which the elariouet got Into trouble. Baritone cleverly t» kled h b quick and peculiar passages; but much more practice and care wen required to make the pertormance any thing Eke perfect. Polonaise-moderato (Heller)—E flat clarionet and horn have the start. The horn was oat of time at the commencement, and subsequently at intervals. The clarionet was creditably played, bat the accompaniments were not of the ugh*, character necessary to the correct mterpretatiaa of such a movement Acdiuitino (Bossini)—Played with a great deal of delicacy, especially towards the end. B safe clarionet was flat, and his playing was devoid of expression and character. Accompaniments ia the middle parts were undecided; bnt therallesv tando at tho cud was effectively produced. Allegro Moderato (Meyerbeer)—A successful performance all round the ttunds. Crisp and rhythmical -'from beginning to end. Lending cornet deserves Bpeciol mention for his playing, of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh bars more part ticularly, aud tbobusses tor the verve and corrert. ■ ness with whioh they played their solo. N 1 his performance of highly classical music of afc ever-changing, aud by no means easy, description proved that in the Addington Hand there is material capable of great musical achievmeots. siAnoaa sun, " Manrico " (a selection from " Trovatore"}.—Allegro assai sostenuto-Jb'irst six bars, which cos. cists of a drum solo, were played coarsely, ant without regard to the three crescendo marks with which it ia embellished. The ff that follows waa moderately well takes up, though the unison paasege exposed lb* fact that the instruments were out of tuna. The first phrase, which ends with a semibreve and a crotchet tied, was improperly finished with a jerk. The pianissimo for tenor horn wae tairt* taken. In resuming the phrase at the forte mark an absence of time aud phrasing waa sadly per* oeptible, this fault being mainly the result or | cutting short two tied notes at tho commence. meat of the phrase, and of neglect to aoctat' the second of the tied not-a. The performance [ was more or less out of time to the cud of the movement. Andante Assai Bostenuto, " Miserere."—This movenien- was played out of tune, bat the chUt fault in its rendering was a waut of expression. Andante. Tenor Born Solo in {-time —The sole instrument was out of time. Iv the third bar th* first note was out short. That note in the Judges* copy is a crotchet followed by three semiquavers. It should obviously have been a dotted quaver, aa the three semiquavers are not, and cannot be» played as a triplet; but, although written as a crotchet the soloist did not sustain it with the duration of a dotted quaver, and thus he entire]* spoiled the effect of bis solo, and threw everything out of time. Similarly tbe seventh to the fifteenth, bars were defeotive, the cotes tied across the bars having been played as though the second of the tied noteß waa non-existent. Allegro—" Anvil Chorus."—Played vigorously, ia time and tune, and with considerable power, Ia the twenty-second and twenty-third bars from the I beginning ono vf the subordinate cornets plsyedou* of time. 1 Andautino in Q .minor, but played at the commenceineat in the major key. In tho seventh bar E natural ocours instead of E flat, and was played accordingly. Subsequently the subordinate in- [ Btruments relapsed into toe major, and some oi them seemed to lose their places jnst prior to where the movement merges into G major, and the solo is taken by the soprano. Immediately before the solo for the B fiat cornet the second cornet got ; out of time. The baritone's playing in the cornet solo was noticeable for goodness of tone, and sinfulness of manipulation, and the euphonium part was excellently taken. Toe basses persistently played wrong notoo in the tutti postages, and also lacked point and qttalfty of tone. Allegro—Not sufficiently staccato. The dotted* notes, commencing in. the ninth bar, were no* adequately sustained. Ihe recitative (euphonium solo) was taken too fast, in too strict time, ana without any expression. Allegro—Played moderately well, but no attention paid to accents marked in ninth, tenth, and other bus. . Andante Religiose—The first comst waa remarkably well played. In the tenth bar the second cornet made a false note, largo— *" II Balen "—The triplets in the aooon* Saniment were hurried ] but, notwithstanding tin* isadvantage, the euphonium, to which the theme is given, was played with considerable artistic taste* . In the tenth bar the tenor born got wrong. The.accompaniment throughout was unsteady ia time and too heavy. Allegro Cantabile— In this movement, in which the solo was girt n to the tenor trombone, the band polled itself well together. The accompaniments were accurately and softly played, and the trombone solo was one of the features of the contest ea account of the nicety of the performer's manipulation. Tbe agitato, however, was, strange to say. entirely disregarded. Ihe movement eosolndeO with an effective crescendo up t- fortissimo. Allegro—The performance of this movement would not have admitted cf adverse criticism bafi it not been tbat in it tha familiar blunder, cutting the dotted notes too short (in the rallentando passage), was committed. Allegro Moderato—The same fault occurred in this movement, throughout which rests wave substituted for dote, ihe aecetaranfto finish was played with energy and accuracy. "Joan of Arc "—Andante moderato opened well; the cornet faltered in the ninth and sixteenth bare. In the twelfth bar, as was the case in the second band's playing of this passage, the three i groups of three semiquavers -were played as triplet* instead of as portions of foms. A fa to the I seventh bar from the end was entirely disregarded, a B was made natural instead of flat in the but group of tour semiquavers in the cornet cadenza, with the exception if which the cadenza was artistically played. The transition into the succeeding movement was much too abrupt. _ ■ Laxgbetto—The euphonium solo in this movement was excellent. The performer's phrasing, force, and general taste were unusually good, ana tbe cadenza was treated in a finished manner. Tha rollentando at the end of the movement was weß marked, bat the silent bar was too hurriedly disposed of. ■ i March—The treble piano wae caretuUy observed. The lower notes of thu basses were slightly out of tune, where the ripiento cornet introduces th* grundioßO, the rallentando waa not sufficiently tapering. The grandioso waa in time, in tone, and vigorous. .The pia-mosso was weU marked, bit th* rallentando leaoing into the succeeding movement was quite ignored. Andante Eeligioto—As a whole, this movefflenS was well played, though tbe time of iome of th* horns, which are so prominent in this movement, waa defective. ' Chorale—Time not well marked, ana ao»*»h*» slow. The cornets in the succeeding phrase was* remarkably- good. The upper notes <-t tbe aopraa* part, which are by no means easy to sustain, were taken with great facility and correctness; and her* we must remark that this band possesses an advantage over the second band, inasmuch aa it «obaists wholly of brass instruments. AHegio Agitato—Played with coasiderobJetT/irfi, and well iv tune, with the exception of I fals*. not* by the basses at the commencement. In tflaicrtissimo the volume and quality of toaaa we** good, and the creseendos and chromatio P******* were excellently taken. The horns in &»#*&**» made the mistake of tongoeing, instead of «c d'ltoAeg*. aagea for the euphonium were neatly and dexterously played. The effective rsUenteadovra* iot ZLBSSfuvAtiuA. The unjso»JPM«f »« horns and basses wa* accurate j end of the fantem, with tbe exception of two unimportant alio* by U* leading oornet, -bC"** done morethan Ma share of the work,waa mar*** by courage and unanimity. Quo. A. Mabtw, Madge*. Baanr. Burron-, J