THE COMPETITIONS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 289, 1 September 1933, Page 10

THE COMPETITIONS

Two More Scholarships SINGING BY RADIO Festival in Final Stages LAST RECALLS TO-NIGHT The Wellington Competitions Society’s festival will enter upon its closing stages to-day, and the evening programme will be the last at which recalls will be heard. Three recitations will be heard to-morrow in the Concert Chamber, in which final awards will be made straight away. Two more scholarships were awarded yesterday, and two radio events were decided. The competitions were heard at radio station SYA, the judge being in an adjoining chamber to test the candidates ‘‘over the air.” In the evening recalls were heard similarly, and awards • made as given below. These classes aroused a good deal of public inter- '■ est. ' ; : The negro spirituals, ladies, are to be (heard at the Blue Triangle Hall at ,9 o'clock this morning, and the recalls to-night. ■ ’ . . Further progress has been made in the championships and the men’s elocution event was secured by Mr. Robert Cheyne, Eastbourne, with his success yesterday. , Instrumental Selections,

Discussing the selections set by the society in some of the instrumental classes, Mr. T. Vernon Griffiths said yesterday that on the whole the test pieces had been well chosen. Certainly the musical standard had'been commendable, though it was always possible tb break new ground and so introduce much very interesting work which was at present little known. “In this connection,” he said, “one feels that the Naila- waltz has been played too much —and that it is not standing the test of constant repetition too well.

“In the piano solo tests the choice of Frank Hutchins’s The Kookaburra’ was good; but the Schuman ‘Scberzino’ proved rather too difficult for the. 12 and under 14 class. Poidini’s “Scampering Kid Goats’ (10 and under 12) was a good selection, arid Cyril Scott’s ‘Water Wagtail’ could hirdly have been bettered for the 14 and under 16 class. Other good selections were the Schumann “Arabeske,’ the ‘Scherzo Caprice’, (Chaminade), the Chopin 12th Nocturne, and ‘L’Alouette’ (Balakirew). '

“The, selections for the violin solo classes were all good, especially *A Sonnet’ (Rowley) for the 12 to 16 class.

‘(Almost, invariably .the candidates chose worth-while" music in the ‘own selection’ groups, but even here'little new ground was broken. There is much intensely interesting work by modern Russian,. French and British composers, the study of which would bring fresh interest to the candidates’ work. Perhaps the New. Zealand branch .of the British Music Society may. soon make its influence felt in this direction —and of course many of our best Dominion teachers have themselves been interested in such music for a considerable time. 'lt remains for the students to cultivate an interest in this contemporary music now.; they will undoubtedly receive - much encouragement and help from their teachers.”

RESULTS The following is the complete list of awards

PIANOFORTE SOLO, 13-15, Society’s Scholarship—(a) “Arabeske” (Schumann); (b) own selection. Paul Magill, Wellington, 179pts. .... 1 Nola Pritchard, Berhampore, 178pts. 2 Highly commended: Geraldine Aldridge, Berwyn Frye (Christchurch), Agnes Brown, Laurie Jones. Commended: Mairs Paton, .Patricia Vandersloot, Yolande Bitossi, Violete Diach, Cedric Henderson. Mr. Vernon Griffiths said that on the morning performance Nola Pritchard was leading, but at the recalls Paul Magill gave a much-improved performance of the Chopin waltz. Both players showed promise, and Mr. Griffiths said he was pleased that a boy should have given such a fine interpretati oll a by no means easy work. . . ' ■ .'

CHIEF PIANO SOLO, open to any amateur over 16—(a) “L’Alonette (The Lark), and own selection. . The A section was heard, ana the B section and final will be heard to-day. " DANCE DUO, under 9 (30 entries), Melva Doney and Brian Ashbridge, Wellington ■•••• • • • ■ 1 Dawn Larsen and partner. Wellington 2 Highly commended: Ngaire CorkhUl and Alexander Grant.

POETIC OR CLASSIC BAREFOOT DANCE, 12-16. Joyce Oliver. Wellington, 77pts. .... 1 Monica Williams, Hataitai, <spts. .. - Highlv commended : Peggy Smyth, Alys Sugden. Rita Guise. Margaret Kerr, Thelma Bartholomew, June Scott. /

HUMOROUS RECITATION,/gentlemen,

open. Mr. A. P. Dorrian, Wellingtdn, Slpts. 1 Mr. R. Cheyne, Eastbourne, 77pts. .. 2

RECITATION, lady or gentleman, 16;21, Society’s Scholarship. Test piece handed to competitors 24 hours before . trial. . ' 1 . , Miss Nola Hyde; Brooklyn, 159pts. .. I Miss Nellie Henaghan, Dunedin, 158pts Miss Grace. Nixon (Christchurch) and Miss Meryl Daniels were also recalled. RECITATION, girls 14-16. “The Song of the Sea Wind” (Dobson). Vivian Platt, Lower Hutt, 82pts. .... 1 Jessie Jones, Wellington, 7Spts. .... ~ Highly commended: Myra Beere, Mane Nicol!. . Most of the competitors missed the rhythm of the sea' wind,' said the judge, Mr. W. J. Bailey. DIALOGUE, boys and/or girls, 12-16. (19 entries.) Hugh Jansen and Parker, lOlpts. ... 1 Eunice Scott and Leslie Jackson, 97pts 2 CLASSICAL DIALOGUE, ladies and/or gents, in costume. Nathalie Pollock and B. Hungerford, Wellington; ?07pts. 1 Nola Hyde and partner, Wellington, 106pts. - The stage arrangement was excellent, remarked Mr. Bailey. VOCAL SOLO, any voice, lady, own selection. To'be sung “over the air” at 2YA studio. Mrs. Russell Secular, Wanganui. OOpts. - Miss Kathleen Sawyer, Te Horo, Sspts. 2 Miss Grace Gaudin. Wellington, was also recalled. . Highly commended: Miss Mavis Chamberlain, Miss Edith Ralph (Masterton). Miss Kathleen Chapple (Christchurch), Miss Rae Bond (Wangantn), Miss Kathleen Bassette. In the evening the songs were again sung at the studio, and presented to the audience “over the air” by a radio set on the stage. ~ , Dr. Cyril Jenkins said this was a novel way of hearing the competitions, as the microphone magnified their weaknesses but did not do the same with the virtues. The standard of some of the candidates

was very high. The evening’s; performance was the best he had heard, and h» was sure the audience had not heard any flaws. The winner (Mrs. Scouiar) did an exceptionally good piece of work. He was glad to feel that the standard was so high, as it meant that there was a.wealth of material in New Zealand wh'ch ,S?ul6 be used by the Broadcasting Board; There was no need to depend on mechanical. instruments when the ladies revealed talent of such a high order. The, P erf ° r .^? n L of Mrs. Scouiar was unusually' brilliant, and revealed a radio technique of exceptional merit. , ■. Dr. Jenkins s comment on the men s vocal efforts “ovef the air” were not of such an encouraging nature. The mlc r> phone revealed weaknesses in the voice of the winner. " VOCAL SOLO, any voice, gent. Own selection. The be.sung over the air” at 2YA. „ ■. ' ■ . Mr. Ray Trewern. Wellington. ‘ iou • Are My Heart s Delight, <9 pts. 1 Highly commended: Mr. Bert Hickfora. Mr. Leslie Clarke, Mr. J. E. Davis. Mr. F. W. Huggins, Nelson, who sang in the morning, was. recalled to Nelson before the evening performance. An in/ strument on the stage picked up ttns broadcast in the evening. ENGLISH FOLK SONG, gentleman, any voice. Own selection.' Mr. J. E. Davies, Dunedin, 85 pts. 1 Mr. Martin Liddle, Wellington, b 4 - Highly commended: Mr. F. W. Huggins (Nelson), Mr. Ray Trewern, Mr. M/alter Bentley. GIRLS’ SONG, under 12. (a) “Raindrops.” (£] Own selection... . Doreen Calvert, Khandallah, 88 pts. 1 Joyce Beveridge, Ngaio, 87 pts. .... - ■ Two more classes were taken in the ballet competition. FESTIVAL JOTTINGS Mr. J. Edwards, of Gisborne, has been the only Maori taking part in the competitions this year, and gained the first prize in the recitation by a New Zealand author. He read his oration on Sir James Carroll from manuscript, while other.competitors gave theirs from memory. . Mr. J. C. Crawford, Hawera, who ha< been successfully competing at the festival, will play in the Taranaki .representative Rugby team against Wellington to-morrow afternoon'. “Be guided largely by newspaper advertisements and headlines,” , said Mr. A. J. .M.azengarb when adjudicating on, the oration. '“That which you see in heavy type in the newspapers, put into heavy type on the platform. If it is in small type pass it over in a lighter manner.” There have not been many instances'in which a judge has exceeded two recalls. Yesterday one of the/judges riet up a new record by recalling four in an elocutionary class. Except for obbligato purposes the only instruments heard in the competitions this year have been the piano and violin. In some other years flautists, cornettists, and ’cellists have been heard. Owing to the growth in entries the classes have had to be limited somewhat, and other new features have been introduced. Mr. W. J. Bailey, the judge of the elocution classes, has probably had the heaviest task of all the adjudicators in the present festival. In the day classes only he will have heard 1165 competitors apart from the recalls, of whom there are at least two in every class. On several occasions, he has heard as many as 60 or 70 competitors in one session.; At the commencement it' was necessary to give him assistance, and Mbs. Bailey was appointed as associate judge. Dr. Cyril Jenkins found it impossible to keep pace with the vocal classes, and some of these were placed in the able hands of Mr. T. Vernon Griffiths. On some days Miss McDonald has■ also had a. strenuous time with some of the dancing classes, in some of which the entries'have exceeded fifty.