THE FINAL TEST.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 9002, 26 January 1906, Page 5

THE FINAL TEST.

A BIG ATTENDANCE. f " SOME VERY FINE- MUSIC. _IFul]y 2500, people the Show Griqundan the evening to hear the final iesb selection. 'An arc lamp had beeninstalled in the rotunda co that the lighting arrangements were_ ; very much better than on- the previous- night. ,, t Tiinara played first, Palnwtfston next,' then-New Plymouth, \yoolston and Wanganui. ' ; '- ■ ' „ •• • ■ The piece was v "Roland. a*RonceVaux"!> (Mexmet Renault).-*;", j '*-. i t iK n ;-£ , The jusuaj .ovations^ grf^tgcl e^iuband,. but^the playing of Woolston'and Wa^ganu? completely carried the audience* away/ as; the-> loud "and" prolongediappla-use • demonstraied.. , v , •_ ■„. T£e vt following was thet result:^ Wanganui 'j.16 tl Woolston .: 115- "< S. Canterbury^ Battalion ... 105 X Palmerston North ,104 New Plymouth, - 93 • p HOW THE POINTS WERE ALLOTTED 'WaNGAMTTC. (r Toney^. ' '•; ' • > Jjitoriation>ls. •'■■** \ j . At^ac^^nd' precision, 14., -P^gifiing^d expTeseion 15. '- 1 Inteipretation. 15. - Tempo, M. • n Ensemble. 15. ' . Solos, • 13. Total, 116. . " ''• " " WOOLSION. -^' Tone, 14. ' •= Intonation, 15. Attack and prec-ieion, X°i. Phrasing, and expression, 15". Interpretation 15. Tempo, -14. Enseonble, 15. -j Solos, 13. Total, 115. South Canterbtjht Battalion. Tone, 13. Intonation, 14. Attack .and precision, 131 , "Phrasing and expression, 13". Interpretation, 14. ' Tempo', 14! • ' Ensemble, 13. . ' •«« Solo, 11. Total, 105: ■ Palmerston; Tpne, T l3;i. - • • .. ! ' .Intonation, 13. .■ , < Attack and precision, )2, ' , ■ Phrasing and expression, 13. ' ' " Interpf Btatioo, 14. ' ' Tempo, 14. % ' Ensemble-, 13. " J Solo 12. l Total, 104. • |j ' Taeanaki. Tone, 12. • - ■'- . ,'' Intonation, 12. • • •' Attack and precision, 11. Phrasing and expression, 12. ' l \. Interpretation, 12. Tempo, 13. Ensemble, 11. „ • *> Solo, 10. - , • ' Total,' 93. REMARKS BY THE JUDGE; Wanganui Garrison.— This .performance was another remarkably fine one. Bandhas very rich tone. The playing of this band . and the preceding one (WoolsfconJ wa» very ' artistic in quality, and there is a very slight,, difference between them in. merit in . the rendering of this selection. It seemed to me that this band established some of the> very critical parts sligEtly better . than -No. 4 (Woolston), but .all round I think the slight difference in favor of thisband is its richer tone. Woolston. — A very fine performance .indeed. The band has all the qualities of ' a first-'cJaes bond and the general'rendering was given with an artisticness that was very pleasing to listen to., • -Thefarandole moveiiient six-eight allegretto 1-108) taken, somewhat slow, which slightly interfered with the*. Teal character' of this movement. Euphonium , solo was very* beautifully played. Trombone was good, and the horn ( very .satisfactory. - -The basses were splendid. AH the parts were well established, and there was plenty of vim put into -the -finish. South.- Canterbury, Battalion. — This . band gave 'a very pleasurable performance. It • was . very tuneful and sweet iii 'tone, ,be6idns haying plenty of vdume£of ! itne right kind,- , jHo^'and- -.tromboije<f6<dos were' . moderately "'.well .rendered.^ / Euphonium' ', played very judiciously. /, The band has v a lot of 'method of the right kind. .-Its- . attack was good and as a rule there .was- a? . spontaneity of -action, which -wae{ veiy : commendable. Some of the parts might have' been better, established. I^had some difficulty in. picking up the second- and' 1 third cornet' parts in places where I would like to have 'heard -them more prominently, b,ut perhaps -this, was- due to the basses being so near to me.

Palmerston i^orth.. — Thie waty anothjffr good-^performance. '• The openings v . was : lather on. the;elow sidey aftd was not given. ,with.t;he s ,veheinspce .fequ^ed. ... Jt . should sion indicp^ee f tßa,t; .. f What .pJfeaßecTniea lot in 'this performance was th4 /way , that some ofitfie. pants were esiabli»hied, es-' pecially ift;th© Korri solo imovrthent. iThere were too, jmany Si wrong notes, throughout the rendering of the selection .and at times there wae a Tittle scrambling tendency.

In places the parte did nob work up together. The bassefl were not together ill the last movement frombaT 19, and a little further on the playing became rather wild. I just preferred the previous band, (South Canterbury) although this band gave me many pleasing points of rendition. Taranaki Garrison, — Of course this is a selection to do-, and this band "gave me the impression that it had .not mastered the intricacies sufficiently., The bandsmen were probably as "well aware of the. weakness -as I was. therefore, thereis no .need f.or, .me to, enter into any detailed criticism.' . .The band, showed me some pleasing .features, and I , trust the next time they go into a contest the! players will have- the. work a little mote under control.