HASTINGS BAND CONTEST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 442, 26 February 1909, Page 9

HASTINGS BAND CONTEST.

.v !■;• qf ■the.-evmts.; " '::: ; :p? ':...;till. i«.ioßirß.rrep*oii.t;-co*«MroiiDKNt'.r..'!.■■■. ; '■ A- : ■■<: :i-1> J : '•'.:■-"■ '"■ Hastlngs, February! 25.yi;' V'; The'MOi) Brass Baiid'.Contest of the.North Island . Btass/Band-' ; Assooiation ,;is' in '-.. full : swing:at. present. Hastings seems to-have ■.risen .to-the occasion, '■ and : is;doing things; in. .'firstcclass style," though/they claim that;pere ! is;aVgood.teal■ of;local' feeling'at the.apathy .ahpTrn--by';'Napior. ', The ■:.Nopior J Citizens' 1 : Band; withdrew from the contest'. at; the .last; iininute,-and this.action..-; gave:,'rise to.'the !■ rampur. :tKat'; : the; Mayor_ 6f:' Napier,, Jlr.:' J.'. -.Vigor;Brown,:iad /instructed.'thd-'barid not 'to;assistXtho. Hastings: Band .Carnival.'.' This statement nwst.be accopted as'a rude, hoax;, :but since '■'■ such '•' a ■ statement', has], been ■'. coneeiTCd .and hw/gained, ground,'' it; shows; plainly. . that: : -there;" is "feeling..; between'. 'the the' Contest .Committe4|s: standpoint this;'is;regrettable, because,;'had .Napier'entered into'.' the. spirit of I the cvept, 'the:funds.w%ld have ;been considerably';augmented., :/'The;. ; secretary.:of. .the contest,.Mr.', ;F;,H^rtshbrn,. s statcS;that;' therfinancjal;. pectVis/saii?fa<fiigw ) *: : liability willEβ met; wiihpuj;;. calling., ji ;V,.: From.; a -'rausicarißtandDpuitjTthe. posltionVis not bo satisfactory;"' , .' rOnly;: three bands ; ;.are in' ',!A". : grade,, and six -in the,"J3' grade;* ;Orie i.misses last year's . cham.pions,; Mornmgtori,'..",.and,'last. year's r -.shield holders, the Auckland 7 Band.'.Such.'old stagers ''tis. Kaikorai and ..Wellington ■ Garrison'.Band ,are missing: itooiuvA 1 rumour, gained ground 'that,.the; laiter. : had' not•' cpnie ■ j. on account of- trouble;with the North ;Islnad' "Association,,but,~,6n.:beingiinterviewed.-by. a "Standard' 'reporter, Leiut'. Herd gave that" ... a .direct 1 ; contradiction.-; Itt - was, he: said, 'a' of. his... men v getting the necessary length, .of .leave. that;.cpntsituted; his ;hand's 'diffic^ty^v.v^ellihg&nV.'isl'-thesybnly'.'-'reprp;.. sented; by; ihe;Petone : ,Citizens'. - Band,; .who; ■;aro'in:'the'.'B"grade;.'and Auckland, by'the :Newton- Bandi ; ;;wlio.;cpmpete, in ;Hhe ;-.:','A", igrade. .The contest is,-;thereforo,'ireducedvtp" ! , Newtpni;and ..Palmers-i'fon.;'North..-in Petone-.Citize_nsji\-HivstingsVsTown,.{'Gisbbrne, "' City, Municipaliin' the''fß'' J ;gradeV;;^';,■';■/-Vr ■' ' : ■.-,: The ' the," ?olo':;'events?:already ~nnished was ■not'.yp'.'tp;■'the'-!iistial:;standardi-'.lndeed, it:is:.looked;,UEon;as:.:aii 'off"vyearr -Th'e'.'marchin'g'\c^iS^st:..-w^:a.'-.walk; - bver''-for. fact,; .tliejwlible. contest : should: .ifr^toau^':tli%::'hiye.%b;':Bp'pihehts;;of.:tbo;. same, standard as.itbemselves, : ,;; Newton came ■second in/the,marching,.and.■■that," it;is '.:belicvedjiwill'le the filial result; ; f The.urst test : .selection take'si.plice<tp T ni^ht;\'-but' .the. re-' sults"'will;not'be.known;untiliveiyrlate. :• .:."■;; -. : . Coming',to'i the -details -.of;■;'the .solos,'■ etc., ; C»ulton'andvßerry'man;-. of >Hastings',;oc- ■ cupy'^first'and;: second; places respectivdiy , .. in;' theJBB Cbrnet/'much'to:the dejight of;'local enthusiast3./v;One;;of'itlie!-surprises rbf-. this, .event ;was '■/:■• the;'; failure ■;; of -\CryselL; and Npfthey, Auckland, is a ; prpinisirig player.'and should' be;heard;pf-V-'in" the. future,.- The ■:soprano .comet solo.;: drew; ■;eight;-entries,'■';but. .billy two starters, and one.:of these--left','the 'stagebefore .ho ,'had finished;his solo. 'The. first ■prize ; went :;to VTrussell,: : of : 'Wariganui.-i In the;euphonium.event,;the first- and'.second prizes; went. and; 'Williams,. inthe order -nisined..;.; iSoth'. players. belong to the :AVanganui .Garrisdri.''.Band.--' , In' \ the marching I .contest ; .;."\yangariui''.' • scored " 274 1 points,;'jNewton: : ,264},--. and>. Stratford ''259 i. ■The packet • v was:.-JJe'n , ton,';. and.;, the way; in which, they , played -and /marched drew, forth -roun'ds; ; of: applause. r ; There- are-some : bold' ; enough ; :-.:to'declare- that,-they will':be at.'"\yanganui,:but' ; this.'is';iiot;;likely.. They are, a': young band,.vand; have ..every promise, ■of being-a.'star/cpibbiriation. . 'ThV trombone trio was'.a wretched;alfair.- Only Wanganui and;; Hastings'-faced- the'Mudge,.-. and r.the'y were''placed,.in-■;that: , -order.;. .The winners gave-a;moderate perfprmahce,' and the local ;men _ia ; : very-.:ppor;;dhe.!-:;This:;e.vent 'was -a' .long; way below the -. standard of. last '.--'year's contest vat .New,■'■'. Ply mou th ''.' ', The • trio 4 and iiugel'horiis: were "supposed to; fill the' bill for last 'night's-; audience;' - ' but ,'onljr two, of ! each' started,' \ and : , the', public had .very : little j.for.th.eir- : money,' ;and;, very ,poor;quality, at that.''The , least, .said about .'the flugel horns the better; suffico iit. to remark ■' that Gould, of, Wanganui, .was;; first, .and : Williams, 'or Gisbome city, second.;;-;Thb"E Flat' Bass Contest, was decided;.this morning, when ';A. Giinnor, of Petone Citizens' was declared the winner, .with- Signali'of Wanganui, second... .Gunner., was; out by,- himself. 'The same.;band's, representative, ; in the Tenor Trombone event, ;F;, Walling, carried off first prizo; .-The 88. Flat Bass event was won by;;.Hughes,:;of Nelsonj.the;judge stating that it. finest, solo'which he had heard during the ■ obntest.; : "It was a, magnificent: - perfonnanco," : the judge said. :Tovfiy,. of. Newtoni'. in "Nordische,"' played well, but the. music 'was.a bit ahead ;of him on-the :Tvhble. : The trombone event is just completed, the winner, turning up in L. Tav-lor,-.of Newton.gwith Handley, of Taranaki Garrison.Band,-second. This was an in.teresting event, inasmuch as these two men ■had not met before, and Handley is an old: chimpion.- Hill, late of Auckland Bat-talion,-.beat Taylor at the Thames in 1907, and .Handler beat Hill at Now Plymouth last year. l Now ' Taylor ; has turned-: tho tables on him; It should be a good contest .between 1 the;-three.:,..': .: v . ■/-.' . ;

The is/beautiful,. and ..the ■.-'test selection;', is., .to..be: the racecourse. This .should ensure a largo attendance to:night.-: ..;■'■;■'" ■;.;'"/.:: : -/^//v- , /.; : ; ; v/ ■.: " : .