THE COMPETITIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1272, 30 October 1911, Page 6

THE COMPETITIONS.

ON SATURDAY. THE MUSIC AND ELOCUTION. The weather man, who was very unkind to tie New Zealand Competitions Soeioty for the opening days of its first carnival last week, took companion on Saturday, brushed the clouds aside, and put a break on the wind. The deep violet dome of the heavens was jewelled in a million holes on Saturday evening —the first fine night experienced during the competitions—when the enterprising competitors for honours in music and elocution attracted a very largo audience to the big Town Ilall to witness the finals of the day's competitions. EVENTS DURING THE DAY. PIANO CONCERTO. Two Performers. Piano Concerto (open to all), two performers—Test Piece, "Concerto in D Minor" (Mendelssohn), (op. 40), Adagio and Finale, orchestral accompaniment played on second piano. First prize, sijeond, £2.—Entrants—Mona Mooro ami Winnie Orr (Masterton), Mina Ward and .Mrs. Wilkie (Nelson), Ailcen Moore and Ethel Margaret Bowler (Dunedin). Recalled lor final test—Mona Moore and Winnie Orr, and Mina Ward and Mrs. Wilkie.

Final test—Mina Ward and Mrs. Wilkie, of Nelson, 1 (110 marks out of 2Cfl) Mona Moore and Winnie Orr, of Masterton, 2 (13!) marks).

Mr. Harold Gregson stated that he had only one decision to announce that, night, but it was an important one—tho piano concerto competition. The first prize winners had done very well on the whole, but were not too happy here and there whore the speed was too much for their ability. As to the second prize winners, the outstanding fault was that they played the chords like arpeggi, and in the octaves played the lowest note first, instead of the two together. A little more contrast would have been an improvement.

DRAMATIC RECITAL. " Competition for Ladies. Test Piece, "An Incident in the French Camp" (ltobert Browning). First prize, second, «C 1; third, certificate.—Entrants—Lilian King (Dunedin), Ethel Churchill (Dunedin), Una 11. Owen (Dunedin), Thelma Brown (Launcoston, Tasmania), Edith L. Mconken (Clarcville), Sybil liaplcy (Wellington), Ethel Lissack (Wellington), -Marie Fix (Wellington), Gwen Shepherd (Wellington), Lucy Clater (Wellington), Mrs. Iv. L. Gilchrist (Palmerston North), Mrs. A. Griffiths (Dunedin), Mrs. M. Bradley (Wellington), L. I'richard (.Melbourne, Victoria), Flor- : nre .1. I'acey (Dunedin), M. M. Mason (Wellington), Kathleen Bolton (Nelson), Flora M'Donald (Wellington), Miss Jameson (Wellington), Irene Pearson (Weilingten), Maisie Carte (Eastbourne), lloi-je Carte (Eastbourne), Lulu Arnold (Wellington), G. Wilson (Dunedin), Molly Flux (Wellington), Mrs. Cairns (Master-' ton), Laurie Darling (Dunedin), M. M. Williams (Jtasterton), G. Helen Gardener (Dunedin), Lily Chapman (Greymoutli). Selected for final lest—Lilian Prichard, Thelma Browne, and M.u'sio Carte. Honourable mention—Lilian King, Ethel Churchill, Una 11. Owen, Florence J. Pacey, G. Helen Gardener.

l'iual test—Thelma Browne, of Launceston, 1 (131 marks out of 200); Lilian Prichard, of Melbourne, 2 (158 marks); Maisie ■ Carte, of Eastbourne, 3 (119 marks).

[ 111 this section, said Mr. C. Bacyerl?., , the reciting was much tetter at night . than it had been in the morning. They ' had had the plea-sure of some very beautinil work, liesture, enunciation, and ■ facial expression were all good. The first . prize winner, Miss Browne, had done the boy 5 voice better than the others. The second prize went to .Miss Prichard, whose performance was quite sound. Ho would say (hat tho Wellington voung i lady (the third prizo winner, Miss Carte) showed great promise. She had a nice voipo was intelligent, and had good modulation; gestures often quito wrong. Kith good teaching would do as well as tho Australian champions. (Applause.) CONTRALTO SOLO. Test Piece, "Clic faro" ('Have I lost Ihec.-'), from Gluck's Orpheo. First prize, £2; second prize. JCI; third prize, certificate..—Entrants—Mrs. I. Symes (Wanganui), Mrs. I(. D'Ath (Otaki), 15. .Millar (Palmcrston North), M. Stewart (Island Bay), G. M. Watkins (Petono), Mrs. A. M. Wills (Thorndon), M. Knight (Auckland), L. Ivimoy (Dunedin), Ray P. Livingston (Cliristchurch). Selected for final test—Mrs. Symes, Misses M. Knight, L. Ivimcy, and" Rav Livingstone. Final test—Miss Madeline Knight, of Auckland, 1 (13S marks out of 200); Miss Ray Livingstone, of Cliristchurch, 2 (116 marks); .Airs. Symes, of Wanganui, and Miss Ivirney, of Dunedin, 3 (113 marks). Iho winner in this class, said Mr. Baeyertz, gave a very title reading indeed, ller Italian diction was magnificent, and her accent and emphasis good. She felt tho words and painted the picture. Tho winner was Miss Knight (loud applause) The second prizo would go to Miss Pay livmgstone, and Hie two other ladies would be bracketed for first place. SACRED TENOR SOLO. Piece, "Bo Thou Faithful Unto Death, St. Paul, Mendelssohn. First prize, .£2; second prize, XI; third prize, certificate.—l^ntrants—H. I\ Green (Masmrt?uk ohu &arl ° (Wellington South), I. D. Collins (Wellington South), J. Catlicart (Johnsonville), F. V. Blandford (Wellington), 11. Phipps (Wellington), W F House (Wellington), T. M'Dowell (Brooklyn), G. I. Brisbane (Dunedin), J B Bowman (Petone), K. Porteous (Wellington), AV. E. Saunders (Lower Hutt) AV. Aspinall (Auckland), 0. D. Avison (Hastings), H. N. Fletcher (Wellington), AVilliam Shapeolt (Karori). Selected for final test—H. F. Green .T B. Bowman, and W. Aspinall. ' Final test—W. Aspinall, of Auckland 1 (120 marks); H. F. Green, of Masterton' 2 (115 marks); J. B. Bowman, of Peloiie 3 (111 marks). ' This tho judgo declared to bo a disappointing section, lacking in almost everything needful for such work. The winner (.Air. Aspinall) showed better style than the others. Though' ho was a true tenor, he was apt to iorcc his tone, his diction was not perfect and his production was too open in places. His phrasing was fairly good. The sccond prizewinner (Mr. Green) had rather a better voice than tho other two. Taking it all round there was a lack of grace and sweetness about the singing in this section. There was a good deal of muscleliglitening and its concomitant a pinched tone. Mr. Bacycilz emphasised the fact that no one can sing over a three-inch collar, which was responsible for tightening the muscles and a throaty tone. Ono never saw good singers singing over a high collar.

VOCAL DUET. Competition for Ladies.

Test Piece, "The Land of Joy," Maughan Barnett,. Hopkinson. First "prize, ,£2 ; second prize, ,tl; third prize, certificate.— Entrants—Helen Ciard'ner and Miss l'acey (Dunedin), Rita Lyons and Knight (Auckland). 11. F. Trcgonning and G. P. Price (AVellington), Flora Sutherland and D. Sutherland (Wanganui); Selected for final test—Rita Lyons and Madeline Knight, and Flora and D. Sutherland.

Final test—Misses Flora and D. Sutherland, of Waugnnui, 1 (122 marks); Miss R. Lyons and M. Knight, 2 (118 marks). Of this class the judge (Mr. Baoyertzi remarked that tho winners had preserved a better vocal balance, their intonation

was good and generally theirs was the hotter ensemble singing. Individually the second prize-winners possessed better voices bn L, together, they lacked that accord in enscmblo which was so essential in duet work.

BOYS' RECITATION. For Competitors Under 11 Years. Test Piece, ".My Shadow," from "A Child's Garden of Verses," ]?. L. Stevenson. First prize, silver medal; second prize, bronze medal; third prize, certificate.— Entrants—Tamato Eggers (Newtown), John W. do \V. G. Thornton (Wellington), Eric Godber (Wellington), Alfred Lancaster (Kilbirnie), Leonard Power (Wellington), Ernest A. Jinwcock (Northland), Leith Alexander Riddell (Wellington). Selected for final test—Eric Godber and Leonard l'owet-

Final test—Leonard Power, of Wellington, 1 (111 marks); Eric Godber, 2 (101 marks).

The winner gave a capital reading of 11ns charming little poem, lie bad a good variety of gesture and expression and applied the accent in (he right place. Master Godber was not' so bold and spirited, vet recited tho lines with much juvenile charm. BOYS' RECITATION. (For competitors under 1G years.) r ?' C 'l r i> oco ' ,r Ac ' miral9 All," from "The Island li.ice, Henry Newbolt. Firstprize, silver medal; second prize, bronze medal; third prize, certificate. EntrantsHamish Donaldson (I'etone), Winton lirown Otaki), 1/Kinard Tower (Wellingi- iV'i ii ?,'i cn ' tor (Kfbirnie), Eric K. liishworth (llutt). ~ f°r final test—Leonard Power. Erie Jus'liworth, and llamish Donaldson. , 'w m, I>oWCr ' of Wellington, 1 (10) marks); E r j c R,>J lworthi of Lower llutt 2 0)7 marks); H. Donaldson, of Petone, 3 (1)2 marks). The piece set for competition was what some ot the bovs called "Admiral-sorl" ( Admirals All ). Tho winner (Leonard lower) did good work, though there wer« technical errors. 110 introduced more variety and colour than the others. OccasionaU.v ho misread a phrase, as in the i? i i 0 Ralleons fair in sicht " which he recited read "With the galleons fair in sight, thus depriving the word "fair" of its significance, lhe second prize-winner lacked heartiness and enthusiasm, lie was not. remarked lie judge, too pleased about the glory of England. (Laughter.)

THE EVENING. OPERA AND ORATORIO. The growing interest in the competitions was made manifest on Saturday evening, when the big Town Hall was comfortably filled by an audience which was more than interested. Saturday's programme was of the rechcrcho kind— ' classy,' the man in the street calls it— still it was most interesting, and, bein" recherche, was also highly educative. ° THE TENORS. After hearing a dozen tenors in "Be Thou Faithful Unto Death" in the afternoon, and three others in the evening, anyone with an ear was able to achieve a very fair idea of this Mendelssohn tragment. Mr. C. N. Baeyortz thought the tenor class who undertook this solo a very disappointing lot, but others hold a contrary view. As a matter of fact the competitors were a very good lot indeed, taking as a standard (which falls considerably short of perfection) the tenors which we have heard in oratorio in Wellington during recent years. There were at least half a dozen of the competitors whose reading of the solo would ordinarily give salisfaction in oratorio in Wellington, and two at least would have done inoro than that. The reference is to Mr W. Aspinn.ll, of Auckland, and Mr. 11. F. Green, of Masterton. Mr. Aspinall has a well-trai nod clear, strong, resonant voice, under very good control. It is a voice of penetrating quality, moybe a little hard when lie opens out, but satisv^nob' sivcet, without tenderness in pianissimo work. Mr. Aspinall phra«ed the solo splendidly—tho final passage exquisitely— but must have lost a good many marks for slurring a word here and there rather badly. With the vocal control which Mr. Aspinall has, ho should not bo liablo to snch a lapse. Tenors of his calibre are rare in New Zealand—rare anywhere.

Mr. Green s voice is a robust tenor of particularly even quality, and good at that. His treatment was hardly so much in tho oratorio spirit as was Mr. Aspinall's. Still Mr. Green's first effort (he j-/°i i S,n ° £o '° twice) was most creditable. His second attempt was marrwl by slight evidences of huskinc-ss. Phc tliird prize-winner has a pretty littlo a lyric voico of silvern quality. It is very thin on top, this being due to a pinched production, but it is exceedingly sweet throughout. His registers blended fairly well. Mr. Bowman s voice is well worth training—for production and interpretation.

CONTRALTO FINAL. , Mrs. Symes, Miss Madeline Knight, Miss Hay Livingstone, and Miss Ivimey taced tho audionce in the final for the contralto event; and Miss Knight, of Auckland, triumphed. Her interpretation ; was really fine. She grasped the very spirit of tho aria, and infused a fine , degree of emotion, without overdoing things. Her emphasis and acoent were . admirable, and her Italian excellent. She was tho only singer who attempted to lnterpiet the recitative—tho others sang it merely, and dropped points all tho way. LADIES' DUET. The ladies' duet was a duel between tho Misses Sutherland, of Wanganui, and Misses Rita Lyons and M. Knight. By awarding tho first prizo to the former, the judge was right. There iras a vocal aflinity between them, which the other ladies missed. DRAMATIC RECITAL. The dramatic recital, Browning's "An Incident in the French Camp" was illchosen as a vehicle for dramatic expression in young ladies. Iholma Browne, of Launcoston, who is especially well-equipped dramatically lar "nctorv VWJ ' r ° UnS ' SC ° ml a P ° P " r JL i u f P ,T hard ' w , h ? so work is always delightful to seo and hear, was only three marks behind, and Miss Maisie Carte, of Maramu, was a creditable third. , BOYS' RECITATION. There was a precociousness about Leonard lower, which, combined with souio native talent, earned him two first prizes on Saturday One was inclined to prefer the naive childishness of Eric Godber in tho Stevenson piece. It seemed to bo more in accord with tho spirit of tho than tho tutored gestures and expressions of the older competitor. CONCLUDING PIECE. The entertainment concluded with tho old farce, played in New' Zealand a couple ot decades ago by the lato John L. Toolo and Miss Irene Vanbrugh), "lei en parlo Fraucais." This was played by the Eastbourne Amateur Dramatic Club. As this is an item in a contest, it would hardly bo fair to odor criticism at this stage. TO-DAY'S EVENTS. BATTLE FOR THE "BECHSTEIN." To-day will be an important ono in tho Competitions, for by this evening will bo known the winner of the eighty-guinea Bechstein piano, presented to the society for competition by the British and Continental Piano Co. There aro 35 entries,. the lest pieces are Beethoven's 'Hondo a Capriccio in G" (op. 129) and Chopin's "Berceuse in D Flat" (op. 57). The second prize is .£B. This important contest begins at 9 a.m. sharp in the large hall. Other competitions for today aro as follow:— At 9 a.m.—Shakespearean dialogue (lady and gentleman). Test piece, "Bassanio's Choice of the Caskets," from "Tho Merchant of A'cnice." At Noon—Recitation (boys under 14) Test, "Tho Three Bells." At 2 p.m.—Tenor solo. Test, "Dalla sua pace," from Mozart's "Don Giovar.ni." At i p.m.—Soprano solo (for those who have never received a fee). Tost, "Mv Mother Bids Jit Bind My Hair." This evening's programme will consist of the three best in tho above competitions, and (he sketches, "The AVa.v of the AVorld" and "The Man in the Street." The committee has decidcd to admit competitors not engaged in tho evening performances at Is., instead of 25.. which has Ix-en charged up to the present. This privilege docs not extend to special , demonstration nights.