SOLO COMPETITIONS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 73, 23 February 1938, Page 11

SOLO COMPETITIONS.

AWARDS AND COMMENTS. Four further sections of the programme were completed yesterday afternoon —the boys’ solo (under 17 years), quartettes, side-drum solo and bass drum solo. Generous praise was paid the more highly placed competitors in the hoys’ solo, while in the quartettes the same conductor (Mr E. P. Kerry) advised the entrants to practise in a small room and to make balance a very important aim. The adjudicator in the drum solos (Mr Tu Goodall) remarked that there was not a great deal to be said in regard to these two sections on account of their nature. In the boys’ solos there were 30 entries and the section took a considerable time to complete. The results were as follow: — BOYS’ SOLO. (Own choice, any instrument). R. Francis (St. Kilda Municipal), 88 points 1 D. Christensen (St. Kilda Municipal), 87 points 2 H. Croucher (Hawera Municipal), 86 points Also competed:—L. Lee (Te Awamutu Municipal), 83pts.; A. Lee (le Awamutu Municipal), 82pts.; R. Lee (Te Awamutu Municipal), 81pts.; W. Ellerson (Te Awamutu Municipal), 77pts.; C. Woods (Palmerston North Garrison), 63pts.; C. Martin (Palmerston North Garrison), 70pts.; Iy. Downing (Palmerston North Garrison), 68pts.; F. Heys (Feilding Municipal), 60pts.; T. Fleetwood (Feilding Municipal), 78pts.; G. Brandt (Feilding Municipal), 50pts.; W. Leatlierland (Dannevirke Municipal), 7i pts.; J. Donaldson (Dannevirke Municipal), 78pts.; R. Hookaway (Auckland Artillery), 74pts.; G. Christensen (Auckland Artillery), 64pts.; A. Jones (Hastings Citizens), 77pts.; JD. Gillespie (Invercargill Civic), 73 pts.; E. Evans (Wellington Artillery), 80pts-; J. Rennie (Timaru Municipal), 85pts.; A. J. Hyndman (Timaru Municipal), 75pts.; L. Brown (St. Kilda Municipal), 79pts.; D. N. Whiting (Ashburton Silver), 72pte. ; R. Jackson (Greymouth Municipal), 7bpts.; P. Glenn (Kaikorai), 82pts.; R. Cuming (Timaru Municipal), 80pts.; I'Bradnock (Wellington Municipal Tramways), 65pts.; P. Mara (Westport Municipal), 78pts.; L. Broadmore (Whakatane Citizens), 81pts. The standard of playing had shown a very great improvement on that ot last year, said Mr Kerry. * Those competitors who secured 75 points or over had performances of a very high standard to their credit, for he kept his judging at a piano which demanded a considerable degree of excellence. Several of the competitors had scored more than 80 points and he had found it very difficult to separate these. QUARTETTES. (“White Heather.”) Port Nicholson Silver No. 2, 88 Palmerston North Garrison No. 1, 86 points ... ... ... .. : i Timaru Municipal, 81 points ... ... o Also competed:—Te Awamutu Municinal, 68pts.; Auckland Artillery No. 1 75 pts.; Auckland Artillery No. 2, 64pts-; Wanganui Garrison, 73pts.; Westport Municipal, 74pts.; Port Nicholson No. 1, 77pts.. “The main thing in qulrtette playing, at all times, is balance,” said the adjudicator. There had been some performances in which the solo cornet players had evidently thought that “they knew the air,” and had as a consequence stood out too prominentlv There had also been, in many cases, predominating euphoniums, some of which had been as big in tone as if they had been playing for a whole band. That was all wrong. Some of the players had evidently thought that the canvass screen behind which the speaker had been seated was very difficult to penetrate, but sound went through it very easily- He advised the quartettes to practise in a small room where they would get all the echoes and that would keep the volume down. In a hall which was practically empty, as it was that afternoon, the sound floated practically everywhere. In conclusion, Mr Kerry said the quartettes should strive for balance and not dividuality. SIDE DRUM SOLO. (Specially written.) C. Bell (Palmerston North Garrison), 97 points . .... ... ... 1 K. Schou (Dannevirke Municipal), 95 points ..: ... 2 J. Lees (St. Kilda Municipal), 93 Also int competed':-L. ’"Rycroft '_(Te Awamutu Municipal), 91pts.; E. Haiwood (Ashburton Silver), 70pts.; L. Gee (Lower Hutt Civic), 86pts.; G. Shears (Timaru Municipal), 79pta. The test piece was a very difficult one remarked Mr Goodall. Those who had gone through without making any mistakes had done a very fine job indeed. He emphasised particularly the value of rhythm and said that Kiat feature accounted for the wide discrepancy in the points awarded some of the competitors.

BASS DRUM SOLO. R„ Brown (Port Nicholson Silver), 96 points A. Ivilmartin (Auckland Artillery), 94 points ••• 2 C. H. Frew (Ashburton Silver), 93 points Also competed.—B. Atkinson (Pajmerston North Garrison) , 91pts.; H. J. Hall (Wanganui Garrison), 90pts.; G. Harris (Palmerston North City Silver), 92pts. The judge said the test was not very difficult and there had been no reason for any of the competitors to be “blocked,” yet there had been quite a wide margin between the performances of some of the entrants. The worst feature had been fluctuations of the tempo. That, however, did not apply to everyone. The graduation of tone colour had not been very distinct, although the competitors had tried to do their best and had achieved a fairly good result.