THE BAND CONTEST.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10217, 11 December 1893, Page 3

THE BAND CONTEST.

The following are the judge’s note# on the solos at the late band contest;— BOUBAEDOK SOLOS, No. 1, E, Kaye—Very creditable performance, but broke the A, and tone rather woolly; forty points. No. 2, J. M'Oreath —Not so even as No. 1, otherwise about the same ; thirty-eight points. No. 3, W. Smith—Very much out of tune with piano, and also blows out of tune, tone not clear j thirty-four points, No, 4, C. Davie—Better in tuna than No. 8 and better tone, but too mechanical; thirty-sis points'. No. 5 —Very fair, better tone than No. 4, breaks his P’s; thirty-seven points. No. 6, J. Ablett—Bast tone ■ yet, neat execution, broke the P at end of variation, very good performance; forty-two points. No. 7, TV. Baillie—Very good performance, bub lAot so qqual throughout as No. 1 ; thirtyiibie points. HOEN SOLOS. ( IVo. 1, W, Whitford—Too spasmodic, notes harsh, evidently nervous, notes do j\ot come free, rather crude 5 thirty points. No. 2, E. Griffiths—Troubled with eamd* iTOmplaiat aa No. 1, upper notes bad, hang iiro all through, never sure, little better* i\han No. 1; thirty-one points. No. 3, A. jsbcholie—Very good performance, bub blckts his D’s first valve flat; forty points. Vo, 4, P. Dunn —Very fair, but bloWs his top notes too loud, very uneven; thirty-eight points, No. 5, G. GoAi'on—Very good, best so far, D a tendency to bs flat, and E fiat first line flab, good k'ne; fifty points. No. 6, H. Davie —Good’ clear tone; top notes a little too .Irtud, very good, best as yet; sixty points. No. 7, G. G. Schwartz Ptoyed artistically; this gentleman . wt,\S . near getting first prize, had he not blown his instrument out of tune in places; fully appreciating the difficulty of this instrument (French horn) consider it a gdofi performance; fiftyeight points. No. 8; E. Pergnaon—A very creditable performance; thirty-two points. tbouboA'M solos. No. 1, E. Jenkins—s'air tone, andantino smoothly played, but .execution not so clean as it should be,; forty-two points. No. 2, W. Bird—Very * good, execution clean and distinct and gltod tone, bestaa yet; sixty points; No. 3, S, Cummings— Trombone flat at the start i\nd uneven, notea seem to hang fire; thirtyeight points. No. 4, N. Meldrum—Better in tune than No. 3 and gets his notes cleaner, better tone than No; 3; thirtynine points. No. 6, G. Moore—A little out of tune at start and top notes sharp, nob bo clear as No. 1; forty points. COENET SOLOS. No. 1, J. Sogers—'Very nicely played all through, missed note in cadenza, bad phrasing and style in melody, tone good; fifty-one points. No. 2, T. D. M’Connell— Very good tone, execution excellent, missed top B, in introduction much better {ban No. 1; fifty-four points.. No. 8, E. Derry— Artistically, played, good tone, execution neat, but not quite up in expression displayed by No. 8, an excellent performance * sixty points. No. 4, A. Gordon—Very fair performance, blurred running passage find low notes not good; forty-eight points. No, 6, T. Dickenson—Very good tone, and fairly well played, better than No. 4 ; fifty points. No. 6, J. W. "Glennie—Very fair performance, a little batter than No. 4, notes more certain; forty-nine points. No. 7, on the same level as No. 5; fifty points. No. 8, A. P. Lithgow—Excellent tone and expression, best yet, undoubtedly first prize; sixty-one points. No, 9, P. J. Oakes—Eogret that thin instrument (soprano) should have been handicapsd so heavily in placing him amongst the Bb cornets, he deserves great credit for the manner in which he has played this solo; and trust that in the future better encouragement may bo given to this very important instrument; forty-six points.

EUPHONIUM SOLOS. No. 1, A. Ferguson—This' gentleman was pretty near getting first prize. Solo was played with good taste and expression, but his tone is not equal throughout, after he passes fifth line he has to use force and gets woolly not to mention the fact of breaking his notes top. and | bottom, otherwise good, would suggest a change of mouthpiece; fifty-two points.. No. 2, H. Necklin—Tone rather thin, but of excellent quality, lacks the expression of No. 1. but the notes are equal throughout, all the passages neatly and well played; fifty-three points. No, 8, 0. ■ Forest—A very good performance, but not v sure of his notes here and there; fifty i points. No. 4, J. A. Donaldson—More sure J of his notes than Nq. 8, but flat in places; fifty-one points. No. 5, P. Drunin— Creditable performance, but nob clear, fiat and woolly in places; fifty points. No. 6, J. M'Lean—Melody played very nicely, further on a little coarse in tone, a very fair performance j forty-eight points. No. 7, J. Webster—Moderately well, cadenza stiff>and harsh, tone bad quality; forty-six points. No. 8, J. Chapman—Same level as No. 7, tone rather coarse, but quality too loud, style “laborious"; forty-sir points. No. 9, B. Boyd—A slight improvement on No. 7; forty-seven points. No. 10, W. Oliver—Tone not good, style bad $ fortyfive points.