RECENT BAND CONTEST.

Manawatu Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 7958, 15 April 1904, Page 4

RECENT BAND CONTEST.

The Judge's Notes. The judge's notes on the recent ißand Contest are to hand. They are voluminous, and in their entirety would be unintelligible to the ordinary lay individual. It is possible, however, to extract a few note 3in regard to the playing, of the local bands, which might prove interesting. Palmeraton Brass and. In the " Dinorah " selection Mr Code is not complimentary to the Palmerston J3and at the outset. The opening was very baa, and at the end of the firßt movement the band was not together. He sAsa pounces on the cornet, the • tone of which he did not care for. •' Don't care for the trombone," he remarks in tne allegretto movement, " not much of a player." But in this same movement he seems to be more favourable to the band as a whole, and praises its playing. The allegro meets with approval . succeeding this the soprano and euphonium merit his good opinion. The molto vivace was fairly well played, and the andantino as far as the band was concerned earned praise, although the soloists were adversely criticised. The trombone was "choppy," raggedness on tne part of the cornets, etc. being apparent. In the last movements there was praiße for the band, and the sentences" doing fairly well; nice taste; good idea ; finish nice and smart," run in succession.

In the Wagner selection, Mr Code's comments are somewhat sparing up to the andante, where he warms up to praise, especially in regard to the cornet. Throughout the whole crit cism he condemns the loudness of the accompaniments, particularly when approaching the conclusion. The last movement is especially liberally praised, and the judge ends up with " Taken as a whole it is a good performance." In regard to the quickstep, one comment is " a nice awing about this band ; nice style in playing a march." Municipal Band. " Good opening but very rnuc of tune. Good idea of the mov^ 3l'i; runs good and a good idea o! playing the accented notes," writes the judge. He liked the next movement, and tho interpretation of the third meets with his approval, though marks are evidently lost .by the solo instruments the Boprano excepted. The molto vivace was ragged and there was too long an interval between it and the succeeding movement. The trombone got into trouble for being out of tone, and, in tact, for the remainder of the selection the whole band appears to offend in this respect, for " out of tune" forms nearly the whole of the succeeding comment. Evidently the band lost a lot of. marks for thus offending. Interpretation appears to have been good. Of the "Wagner" effort the judge writes: " Good opening the right idea; very good." High praise is given for the animate, but in the lento the old trouble of " out of tune " appears. The allegro evokes unfavourable comment, and tho judge is none too complimentary to the succeeding movements. A very fair idea was given of the last movement.