NEW ZEALAND BANDS CONTEST

Evening Star, Issue 22273, 26 February 1936, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND BANDS CONTEST

WINS FIRST B GRADE TEST BLIND CORNETIST'S SUCCESS [Pee United Press Association.] NEW PLYMOUTH, February 25. A feature of tbc solo events at the band contest to-day "’as the winning of the b flat cornet championship by a practically blind boy, Alan Morton, a member of the Auckland Regimental and Blind institute Bands. , The music was memorised from Braille. The announcement of Morton’s success was received with prolonged applause, and the judge, Mr A. Baile, was astonished when he learned that the winner was blind. The results arc:— FIRST B GRADE TEST. Greymouth Municipal i Taranaki Regimental 2 Hastings Citizens’ - 3 Wellington Boys’ Institute 4 Waitara Municipal 5 The Greymouth Band, the judge commented, gave an outstanding performance. , Some of the bands found the test piece, ‘ Rienzi ’ (Wagner), too difficult. No points were announced. B FLAT CORNET. A. Morton (Auckland Regimental), 95 points 1 W. Stevenson (Westport), 91 ... 2 F. Bowes (Timaru), 93 ... 3 QUARTET (‘Oberon’). Port Nicholson Silver No. 1, 86 points 1 Woplston No. 1, 85 2 'Woolston No. 2, 82 3 E FLAT OR EE FLAT BASS SOLO. A. J. Mathewson (Dunedin Artillery), 92 points 1 L. H. Jacobs (Wellington Boys’ Institute), 91 ;• 2 H. Buck (Wellington Boys’ Institute), V. Abrpham (Timaru), and R, Olney (Nelson Garrison), 90 (equal) 3 The judge was particularly pleased with this section. HOW THE BANDS PLAYED (From Our Special Commissioner.) NEW PLYMOUTH, February 25. There was faily good playing in the B grade first test, the winning band, Greymouth, being outstanding. The tendency of the other bands was to overblow and drag the tempos. There was a fairly large attendance, and the weather was fine. On Wednesday night the first A grade test (‘ Oliver Cromwell,’ by Geehl) will be heard, and competition should be exceptionally keen. The B grade test was the ‘ Rienzi ’ selection (Wagner), arranged by Rimmcr. Wellington Boys’ Institute Band (Conductor, A. Iremonger).—;The opening, maestoso, was played in a subdued manner. More tonal quality should have been presented here. In the prayer faulty intonation crept in. The soprano nursed the top B. The hand was warming up better now, and the close of this movement was fairly well played. In the allegro con brio, which is a trio, the Irene melody stood out too prominently; otherwise the movement* was well played. The accented chords of the ‘ War Hymn ’ were inclined to be too blatant. The trombone at the introduction to Act HI. played confidently, but the rhythm was not quite correct. This movement, although written as three-four, is really six-four in the original. The euphonium played the cadenza neatly. The band played better in the chorus of women (andante religiose), although there was a tendency to chop note values. The soloist in Adriano’s aria played sweetly, but the soprano was not in tune when the union passages occurred. The euphonium in Rienzi’s cavatina gave a nice interpretation of the aria. The band gave a languid performance of the messenger’s tale. A little more life would have been better hero. However, there were some good ideas introduced. The crotchets at the end of this movement were abbreviated (note values increase the slower a movement is played). In the finale, allegro con spinto, the band imparted more life into the performance, and gave a compact ending. Better intonation was noticeable in this movement. A solid performance; the band was lacking in tonal quality at times, particularly in the slow movements, but there was musicianly treatment. Greymouth Municipal (Conductor, W. L. Francis).—The chords at the commencement were very good ‘indeed. The intonation was good,’ and the opening to the prayer was delightfully subdued. The horn, baritone, and euphonium played well together at the tutti. The band presented a nice, full, rich tone and good legato playing, with a peaceful close. In the allegro con brio the nuances were nicely interpreted. The trombone in the introduction to Act 111. of the opera played well, and a subdued accompaniment enhanced the performance. This movement should have been played a little quicker. The euphonium interpreted the cadenza well, and the cornets picked up the following allegro neatly. In the chorus of women the band was inclined to be too robust at times. However, a better interpretation was given to the concluding bars in Adriano’s aria. The cornctist played sweetly, and the movement was played carefully, with note values correct. The euphonium produced a nice warm tone here, and the accompaniment was neat. In the song of tbo messenger of peace a tasteful performance was given. Towards the approach of the short cadenza the soprano was out of tune slightly. The finale was very well played indeed though the solo trombone was inclined to be a little too robust iu the final three bars. The whole performance was good, and displayed careful attention to detail on the part of the conductor.

Hastings Citizens Band (C. Bryant, Conductor). —Tire maestoso was well attacked, and the tone production at the opening was fairly rich. In the prayer a nice tone was noticeable by the soloists. The cornetists were inclined to accent unaccented notes. A good close was furnished to this movement. (n the allegro con brio, the soprano did not stand out enough. He should pick -up the melodic progression in the fourth bar of this movement. The band was playing fuller towards the end of this section of the selection. The following moderate was played too slowly, but the note values were accurate. The euphonium played the cadenza well. In the chorus of women (andante rollgioso) there was an attempt to introduce some effective rubatos. The episode in iho war hymn loading into the andanlc was well played. Tho

cornet soloist in Adriano’s aria, played sweetly, and the cadenza was quite artistically interpreted. in Rienzi's cavatina, euphonium stood out nicely. The accompaniment was good. A little raggedness crept into tho second bar before the andante. The allegretto release was not good here, and this movement was taken too slowly. It is marked “andante, quasi allegretto.” The trombones were inclined to overpower the soloist occasionally. A very peaceful close was given to this movement. In the last movement the band produced a rich tone, and the playing of the very crisp final bars was exceptionally good. A meritorious performance.

Taranaki Regimental and Municipal Band (Conductor. Captain F. W. G. M'Leod). —A rich tone at the start. The introduction to the prayer was well portrayed. This movement was played in an effectively subdued manner. The opening chord was out of tune, and the horn and euphonium occasionally did not work together m the unison passages. However, the general effect was good. Quite a surprisingly good body of tone was heard towards the end of this movement. In the allegro con brio, the three voices were heard distinctly, and the fortissimo passages were rich in tonal quality. There was a tendency for the trombones to “push” the notes instead of tougueing them cleanly. However, the soloist in this section of the band played well in the moderate, although he was occasionally blatant on the higher notes. This movement. appeared to be a bit on the slow side. The euphonium played very well in his cadenza. The hand was very dean in the brief allegro which follows the chorus of women. It was effectively played, the phrasing being good. It would probably improve this movement if a more legato presentation had been given. The cornet played Adriano’s aria tastefully. The cadenza was well played. The moderate Rienzi’s cavatina was nicely treated. The flugel horn played tastefully in the third and fourth bars of this movement. In the song of the messenger there was a tendency to labour too much. More freedom could have been introduced here. However, it was a fairly tasteful rendition. In the allegro con spirito finale, the band appeared to be tiring a little, and forced its production occasionally. However, the final presentation of the hymn of war was good, the accented notes standing out nicely. Generally speaking, the band gave a surprisingly good solid performance. Waitara Municipal Band (R. A. L. Taylor, Conductor). The opening chords were out of tune slightly. The euphonium played tastefully in his opening solo. The band warmed up better in the fortissimo passage, and the intonation was better. The semiquavers by the cornets were inclined to bo too robust. In the trio that follows the solo trombone made a false entry, but recovered quickly, and this movement was quite well played. The solo cornet opened the moderate a little shakily, but settled down after a few bars and play id quite nicely. The accompaniment was occasionally a little too heavy, and there was a tendency to overblow in the heavy parts of this movement. The euphonium played the cadenza nicely. In the andante religiose a full tone was presented. The trombone produced a nice rich tone in this movement. The top cornets missed occasionally in the fortissimo parts, but the movement was fairly well played. In Adriano’s aria the solo cornetist played tastefully, the cadenza at the end being neatly executed. The euphonium solo (moderate) stood out and was attractively played. The horns in this movement were nicely in tune. The band’s general intonation suffered slightly towards the close of this section of the test. The, song of the messenger was taken on the slow side and dragged a little. A little more value could have been given to the crochets in the last bar but one of this movement. In the final allegro the band tired occasionally, but the general effect was satisfactory. It was a sterling performance, and the band would have probably gained more points if the top end had not been quite so robust at times. The soloists showed much promise, and some really good ideas were introduced. , THE HYMN TEST

The Hymn Test result was: Woolston (96 points), first; Greymouth Municipal (93 points), second; Port Nicholson and Timaru (92 points equal! third. The bands played as under:— Hastings Citizens (C. Bryant Conductor), ‘Rochdale’ (arranged by Dingelsworth) • The attack was not good. The tonal quality was light, and the soprano missed towards the close of the first verse. The band played better in the second verse, being nicely in tune ; and its treatment displayed musicianship on the part of the conductor. The attack of the third verse was only fair. The bass “ hold-over ” was effective. The soprano stood out too much here, and the intonation suffered slightly towards the close. A satisfactory performance. Waitara Municipal (R. A. L. Taylor. Conductor). —‘ Abide With Me ’; The attack was fair and the tonal production light. The trombone dominated in the first four bars of this hymn. The second verse was fairly well played, the phrasing being good, but the band was still lacking in tonal quality. The solo cornet anticipated the opening of the third verse. The effect of the lower instruments holding over at the close of the second verse was good. The band displayed some good ideas, but there was a tendency towards faulty intonation towards the end of the final verse. An artistic performance. Taranaki Regimental and New Plymouth Citizens (Conductor, Captain F. W. G. M'Leod).—‘Bradford’ (Alex, Owen) : The attack was fairly satisfactory, but the solo cornet was inclined to play vibrato. Tbe band lacked weight in tbe second verse. The louder passages were too forced, hut the band gave a peaceful nlose. The third verso was better, but the soprano was weak. However, expression was good, and the general performance was quite good. There was not sufficient contrast in the verses to display the band’s expressional qualities. Port Nicholson Silver Band (J. Drew, Conductor) ‘ Come My Saviour ’ (Scotney).—A beautiful opening, the basses rich, and the top end nicely subdued. The first verse was artistically played, and the band was nicely m time. This is an original hymn tune, with beautiful harmonies introduced. The soprano was nicely in tune and the second verse was well played. The treatment of this verse was delightfully sacred. In the final verse the graduation of tone' was well balanced. The approach to this verse was artistic. The hand produced a full, rich tone towards the close of this hymn There was. however, a tendency to accentuate fullvalued notes. The band produced a nicely-balanced legato performance. A little more weight could have been added to the final fortissimo. A tasteful presentation. St. Kilda Municioal Band (Conductor, R- )V. K. Webb).— ‘Rochdale’ (arranged by Broadhead) : The attack was good, ami the band was nicely in tune. The first verse was played iu a

subdued manner, and perhaps a little more tonal quality would have been better here in view of the fact that the second verse is also of a subdued nature. The brass section broke the “ run down ” halfway through this section of the hymn. The third verse was well played. The soprano was nicely in tune. It was a good performance; the intonation good and the release good. The final verse could have introduced more life. Still the band was nicely balanced. Cairns Citizens (J. Crompton, Conductor).- —‘Old Earth’: This band played in reverse position to its predecessors, the basses being furthest from the adjudicator. It was a good opening. The cornets dominated slightly in this verse. Basses and horns played tastefully. The phrasing was good. In the second verse solo cornet nlayed well, and tho band accompanied him tastefully. The horns were nice towards the close of this verse. An inspiring performance. Wellington Boys’ Institute (Conductor, A. Ireraofager).—‘Bradford’: A nicely subdued attack, the band nicely in tune in this verse. The second verse bad a good opening, intonation good and nicely treated. In the third verse there was a tendency to anticipate by. the trombones, and the final chord was faulty in intonation. The first two verses were beautiful. Nelson Garrison Band (Conductor, T. H Hughes).— ‘ Nearer, My God, To Thee ’ (arranged by Mason) : The attack was fairly good. The cornets were faulty in intonation in the first bar. The band adopted the sustained principle, and used it with effect. The first verse was played in a nice legato manner, but the final chord of this verse was abbreviated. In the second verso the intonation suffered in the “ top ” line of the band. The basses produced a delightful velvety quality, and the trombones were nicely subdued. Tho attack of the final verse was not good, but the band played nicely towards the close, with fairly rich tone. The general performance was good and the treatment of the hymn artistic. Greymouth Municipal, Conductor, W. L. Francis.—‘Deep Harmony’: The opening bar was well attacked, but the hand was light in tonal production in this verse. In the second verse the band played better, tho trombones performing delightfully here. In the final there was a tendency to hurry. The nuances were nicely treated." Altogether a really good performance. . Wanganui Garrisofi, Conductor, B. Francis.—‘ Abide With Me ’: A good opening. Tho cornets dominated slightly in this verso. A vibrato was noticeable by one of the players; a good verse. In the second verse the euphonium played well, and also the trombones. The basses could have been richer, however. The band played well towards the close. In the final verse the tutti-soprano stood out, and lout colour to the performance. A little more tone in the opening and final verses would have enhanced tho performance. Timaru Municipal, Conductor W. H. Osborne.—‘ Deep Harmony Tlic band was uicolv in tune at the opening, and the first verso was well played, although

there was a tendency to break the phrasing too much here. Notwithstanding this, the verse was well played. The soprano played well in tlie second verse. The horns produced a delightfully rich tone, and the bass u holdover ” at the end of this verse was effective. In the final verse the hand plaved well, and produced a rich body of tone. A meritorious performance. Woolston, Conductor .1. Estall.— ‘ Abide With Me ’; A delightful opening. The hand was well in tune and rich in tonal characteristics. The soprano “ missed ” slightly in this verse. 'The cornet soloist in the second verso plaved artistically, and this verse was very nicely played. The crescendo in the last bar of the second verse was well portrayed, and the final section of the hymn' was delightfully given. Phrasing was an outstanding feature of 11 if> present"; ,o;i. A most . satisfactory performance,