GREY BAND SECOND IN B. GRADE TEST

Grey River Argus, 17 February 1949, Page 3

GREY BAND SECOND IN B. GRADE TEST

P.A. AUCKLAND, Feb. 16 The Dominion Brass Bands’ Championships were continued to-day, when the test selections in the B grade were completed. Because of bad weather, this evening the contest, was held in the Town Hall, instead of in Blandford Park. TEST SELECTION BGrade—B Section Hamilton Citizens, 21pts 1 Stratford Citizens, 17pts 2 Crichton Cobbers Club, 15pts .... 3 B Grade—,A Section Wellington Boys’ Institute Senior 42pts 1 Lower Hutt Municipal and Grey mouth Municipal, equal, 35 pts 2 Further results were:— QUARTETTES St Kilda, No. 1, 94 points. 1. St. Kilda, No. 2, 88 points 2. Ist Battalion Auckland Regt., No. 1; Auckland Waterside, Hawera Municipal and Wellington Waterside, No. 2, equal, 87 points, 3. E.B. OR E.E.B. BASS B. Willis (Wellington Boys’ Institute) 90 points 1. S. L. Dougall (Woolston Brass), 89, 2. V. Abraham (Wellington Waterside), 88. 3. 8.8.8. BASS SOLO K. E. Olliver (Ashburton Silver) 91 points, 1. D. Dewe (Palmerston North Garrison), 90 points, 2. J. Taylor (Wellington Waterside), 89, points, 3. BB BASS SOLO (Own Choice) K. E. Oliver (Ashburton), 91 points, 1. D. Dewe (Palmerston North), 90 points 2. J. Taylor (Wellington Watersiders) 89 points 3. The judge said the winner had glorious tone and a perfect sense of rhythm. BASS DRUM SOLO M. K. Hazelwood (St Kilda), 90 points, 1. R. White (Auckland Watersiders), 85 points, 2. A. J. Kilmarton (Auckland), Newmarket), 80 points, 3. The judge highly praised the winner.

SIDE DRUM SOLO W. Senior (Mt Eden), 91, 1. J. N. Gadd (Taranaki Regt, and New Plymouth Municipal) 90 points 2. W. Easthope (Taranaki Regt, and New Plymouth Municipal), 88 points HYMN TEST Thirty bands competed. The first ten were:—Auckland Watersiders, 138 points, 1; St Kilda Municipal, 137. 2; Wellington Watersiders, 135, 3; Hawera Municipal, 134, 4; Wanganui Garrison, 131, 5; Crichton Cobbers’ Club, 127, 6; Masterton Municipal and Ashburton, 15 (equal), 7; Palmerston North Garrison, 123, 8; Greymouth Municipal and Lower Hutt, 119 (equal) 9. , 1 The adjudicator’s marks revealed the .narrow margin which existed between the 11 highest-placed bands, which, in itself, was a remarkable tribute to the uniformly high standard. The judge said that perhaps a little building up of its climaxes would have given a more finished performance to the Greymouth Municipal Band’s effort. but, taking into account its nicely-balanced sections and generally good intonation, perhaps this quibble is unjustifiable. These qualities were also apparent in the Auckland Watersiders’ Union Band, whose clean entries by the various groups and individual instruinents were most praiseworthy. Disappoinmem was expressed in the compartively small range of hymn tunes, taking into consideration the wide field from which the choice could have been made. Some players failed to keep their instruments warm, and opening, bars thus revealed poor intonation.