Dominion Band Contest

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 45, 23 February 1938, Page 6

Dominion Band Contest

B Grade Combinations In First Test Selection INSTITUTE (WELLINGTON) PLACED FIRST The ten B grade bands attending the New Zealand brass bands’ contest competed in the first test selection last night. The placiDgs were later announced as follow: — Institute Silver (Wellington) .. 1 Dannevirke Municipal 1! Christchurch Municipal 3 Ashburton Silver 4 Wellington Artillery 5 Hawera Municipal tj Feilding Municipal 7 Te Awainutu Municipal 3 Palmerston North City Silver .. 9 Hastings Citizens 10 The points scored were not disclosed, it being the intention to announce the aggregate at the close of the second test selection, which is to ~e decided to-morrow night.

The test piece was “Nadeshda” (A. Goring Thomas). Though the niglit was on the cold aide, there was an attendance of upwards of 500 at the Showgrounds, where the bands played on a dais m the oval. Lovers of band music had a real treat, the various combinations acquitting themselves with we perfection that comes or long and careful practice. That their work was appreciated was evidenced by the generous applause given each at the conclusion of its playing. In announcing the placings, the judge <Mr. E. P. Kerry) said there had been some very good and close playing. There was only a very small margin between the first four bands, and it would be quite easy for the positions to be reversed after the next night’s playing30W THE BANDS PLAYED F (Specially Written for the Times.) Un-tunefulness and over-blowing jaarred the performances of most of the B grade bands last evening, when the test piece, “Nade&hda,” by A. Goring Thomas, was played by 10 bands. Once again one band was outstanding, the Wellington Institute combination being first from Dannevirke Municipal. No points were announced by the adjudicator, as the second B grade test does not take place until to-morrow. Generally, the playing last night was disappointing, as there is no excuse for faulty intonation. Bandsmen should always *ee that their instruments are properly warmed up before they commence to play. Even during rests the instrument should not leave the lips for any great length of time. No doubt carelessness in this direction was the reason for some of the un-tunefulness experienced last evening. All the performances were fairly satisfactory and some really fine soloists a ere heard.

Hastings Municipal (Conductor, Mr. C. Bryant): Good attack; accents misplaced preceeding poco meno and band inclined to be bassey in heavy passages; nicely in tune at opening. Soprano plays solo with taste. Eand rich at Tntti before ‘‘Chorus of Serfs.” This movement quite well played, although the trombones were inclined to overblow at times on the ‘‘shot” notes; a fair, rich, compact tone in the nineeight leading into the andante modexato, ‘‘As When the Snowdrift.” Solo cornet plays well, but at times faulty intonation creeps in during this movement. Cadenza safely piayed; lacking a little in tone. Ballet music opens well, and band still compact; basses could have been richer in this movement. In the following andante soprano nicely in tune; euphonium plays ■well but is overpowered in the Tutti parts. A good B grade-toned band. A little un-tuneful just before final ballet music. This movement was quite well played, although the ** top” end was not always unanimous. A good finish generally and most creditable performance. Hawera Municipal (Conductor, Mr. H. C. A. Fox): Fairly good opening; aoprano misses at second bar; attention paid to note values; band in tune; soprano compensates for missing note at beginning by playing his solo nicely. 8010 cornet also plays well. Band slightly out of tune just preceeding ‘‘Chorus of Serfs," which was well played; the eight-bar quartet well balanced; basses very rich in tonal quality preceeding the nine-eight. Band nicely compact in this movement. The slow movements are treated carefully. Band keeping well in tune. First ballet music very neatly played; a tip-top movement. Trombones very fine indeed. Intonation not very good in opening bar to following movement, but band quickly recovers. Euphonium solo well played. This movement lacking generally in tonal quality; long breaks taken between movements; solo cornet plays solidly. Final ballet music opens well, but band still lacking in tonal volume. A good close. A satisfactory performance.

Ashburton Silver Band (Conductor, Lieut. W. Osborne): Band rich at beginning, although cornets have a tendency to overpower remainder of band at times. Soprano plays tastefully; so does solo cornet. Inside of band inclined to be weak in the heavier passages. ‘‘Chorus of Serfs” very neat and crisply played; a good movement. Quartet inclined to be a shade on the heavy side; second trombone could afford to be a little heavier at times to balance the remainder. The nine-eight nicely compact; solo cornet inclined to force at times; phrasing good; cadenza ©nly fairly well played. Ballot music well accentuated; trombones good towards close, although solo trombone uncertain at opening of following movement; euphonium plays satisfactory. The nuances in this movement# appear to be over-treated; intonation faulty at close of this movement; solo cornet overblows at times. In final ballet band well compact, but some players are inclined to “push” notes at times. Still,

it was quite an attractive presentation.

Te Awamutu Band (Conductor, Mr. B. H. Close). —An uncertain opening and accents misplaced; a light-toned band suffering from faulty intonation. Soprano is not too happy in his solo just before the nine-eight. Solo cornet plays safely. ‘‘‘Chorus of Serfs” opens fairly well, but wo cannot hear the lower cornet parts. The thirds in the top stave are missing. Quartet well played. Intonation not very satisfactory in the slower movements. Some good ideas displayed by tho conductor. Cornet cadenza well played. Ballet music taken at a steady pace. Opening to following movement only fairly satisfactory; euphonium plays sweetly, but this movement lacks life. Band falls away in movement preceeding final ballet music. Top end lacks cohesion in this section of the test. Perfomance a little uninspiring, although some good ideas were introduced.

Palmerston North City Silver (Conductor, Mr. W. O’Hara). —Band very rich at opening and fairly well in time. The allegro taken at a brisk pace. The soprano out of time in his solo at the moderato; solo tenor horn also just before the nine-eight andante. A long wait taken before the “Chorus of Serfs” which opened on the heavy side. Once again the lower notes by the top cornets are not too distinct. Movement only fairly well played. Band uncertain in quartet section. The moderato con passione is the best movement up to the present. Euphonium and solo cornet not in time in the movement “As When the Snowdrift.” Cadenza fairly well played. Ballet music taken at a bright pace; band neater in this section of the test. Faulty intonation creeps in again in the following movement. Accompaniment to euphonium solo ragged. More notice should be taken of the “con passione e animato” movement. More life required here. The nuances were treated lightly. Intonation not all that could be desired. Band does not appear to have warmed up yet. In the final ballet music more cohesion is displayed. The instruments appeared to suffer from the climatic conditions. Again some good ideas were displayed by the conductor but more vim could have been put into the performance. Wellington Institute (Conductor, Mr. A. Ironmonger).—A solid opening. Soprano “misses” in second bar. First movement well played and band in tunc here although later the intonation begins to suffer. Soprano plays nicely. Inside of band not quite in tune in pianissimo passages. Well balanced in

“Tutti” movement before “Chorus of Serfs.” Lower notes in cornet sections nicely played; quite a good movement. Quartet suffers through faulty intonation. A very peaceful moderato. Solo cornet plays well. More tonal quality would have improved the moderato con passione. Again solo cornet plays tastefully although the accompaniment is a little loose at times. Cadenza neatly played. First ballet music very wen played. A good, compact close. Band better in tune now. Euphonium produces a' lively rich tone; a good movement. A fine euphonium. Cornet soloist plays tastefully also. A good cadenza. Ballet music, a good, compact tone although soprano is inclined to force at times. Occasionally band out of tune but not sufficient to mar a really good performance. Christchurch Municipal (Conductor, Mr. R. Simpson). —A full opening. Accents misplaced bars 9 to 12. Not a very good finish to this movement. Faulty intonation begins to creep in during the moderato. Band plays better in the heavier passages. “Chorus of Serfs” taken at correct tempo although the solo cornet and ripeno do not play well together at times. Quartet nicely balanced but too loud for pianissimo. In the following movement more promise is displayed. Solo cornet plays very sweetly in the melody of ‘‘As When the Snowdrift ’ ’ —a good accompaniment. Cadenza very well played indeed. Ballet music very rhythmically played, taken at a brisk'pace. Band very compact here. The best movement so far. Euphonium soloist plays sweetly but could have afforded to stand out a little more at times. Quite a fair movement. A good close; a little on the heavy side for pianissimo. Tiie following allegro moderato sounds a little lifeless. Again solo cornet plays nicely. This player possesses a nice, rich tone. Finale ballet music taken at a nice, steady tempo. Band lacking in cohesion in this portion of the test. Final few bars very well played. Untunefulness spoiled the performance occasionally; however, the general presentation was

satisfactory. Dannevirke Municipal (Conductor, Mr. W. H. Tongher).—A fairly satisfactory opening taken at a very steady pace. The concluding bars of this movement uncertain. Soprano plays well. Cornet soloist stands up to play his solo; he plays it quite well, too. Accompaniment untuneful at times. Basses good. “Chorus of Serfs” opens splendidly. Cornets a little uncertain at times but staccato notes neatly played. Quartet well balanced. A peaceful close. Solo cornet plays tastefully; cadenza taken a shade on the broad side but satisfactorily played. Ballet music crisply played. Euphonium solo quite nicely played; again soloist stands up. Accompaniment uncertain at times. This movement lacking in atmosphere. A peaceful close. Solo cornet displays character in his playing. Final ballet music fairly well played although band appears to be tiring. Piu mosso taken too slowly—a fairly compact close. An even performance at times lacking in interest.

Wellingon Artillery (Conductor, W. H. Bowman). —A fair attack; soprano misses in second bar, band overflows at times in first movement. Untunefuliicss noticeable in second movement; soprano plays safely, so does solo cornet; chord preceding ‘‘Chorus of Serfs” untuneful. This movement crisply played; euphoniums play well; quartet sounds more like a trio owing to subdued playing of second trombone; final chord nicely in tune; tone inclined to be forced by top end in nine-eight moderato. Accompaniment ragged during solo for cornet ‘‘As when the Snowdrift”; cadenza well played. ‘‘Ballet Music” taken at a brisk pace; cornets miss top B flat. Band fairly compact in this movement; euphonium treats solo artistically. Band overblows at times in this section of tho selection; euphonium plays well throughout. The staccatto notes not together at end of movement. Finale ballet music richly played; a big

body of tone noticeable at times by this combination but slight untunefulness marred the performance. Generally quite attractive. Feilding Municipal (conductor, «T. Fleetwood). —A rich opening. Cornets overblowing in the heavier passages spoil the balance of the band. Soprano plays most artistically; a youthful player, too. Accomj>animent. untuneful at times. ‘‘Chorus of Serfs” taken at a very steady pace. Soprano again plays well. Quartet section not very strong; second trombone too weak; a satisfactory finish. Solo cornet plays with artistry. Soprano again good; this player is outstanding. Cornet cadenza correctly played. Ballet music taken at a steady pace. This band has good trombones. Euphonium plays sweetly; the basses could afford to be richer. Intonation not all that could be desired in softer passages. Finale ballet music very steadily played, slightly laboured at times. A better body of tone at the close. A satisfactory performance. SOLOS AND QUARTETTES •" Flugel Horn. (“The Francis Polka.”) R. Trownson (Wanganui Garrison) 91pts 1 E. Ormrod (Port Nicholson Silver), 89pts 2 G. Lowry (Timaru Municipal) 86pts. 3 Also competed: W. J. Stephens (Pukekohe Municipal, 63pts.; R. G. Ward (Lower Hutt Civic), 68pts.; G. Whitehead (Palmerston N. Garrison), 60pts.; J. W. Power (Feilding Municipal), 65pts.; G. Junker (Auckland Artillery), 74pts.; A. C. Rossiter (Christchurch Municipal), 62pts.; L. Jones (Wellington Tramways), 67pts.; W. Hambly (Port Nicholson Silver), 72pts.; M. Finlay (Ashburton Silver), GOpts.; S. Parker (Wellington Boys’ Institute, Glpts.; G. Currie (Wellington Boys’ Institute), 69pts.; G. Bailey (Palmerston North City), 60pts. Bass Trombone. (‘ ‘ Triumphant. ’ ’) L. A. Willicom.be (Dannevirke Municipal), 75pts 1 B. Redmond (St. Joseph’s Orphanage), 70pts 2 E. Wells (Port Nicholson Silver), Glpts. 3 Also competed: L. Knowles (Feilding Municipal), 54pts.; W. G. Garvin (Timaru Municipal), 50pts.; H. W. Newth (Palmerston North City), 55pts. Boys’ Solo. (Own choice. —Any instrument.) R. Francis (St. Kilda Municipal), 88pts 1 D. Christensen (St. Kilda Municipal), 87pts 2 H. Croucher (Hawera Municipal), 86pts 3 Also competed: L. Lee (Te Awamutu), 83pts.; A. Lee (Te Awamutu), 82pts.; R. Lee (Te Awamutu), 81pts.; W. Ellerson (Te Awamutu), 77pts.; C. Woods (Palmerson North Garrison), G3pts.; C. Martin (Palmerston North Garrison), 70pts.; R. Downing (Palmerston North Garrison), GBpts.; F. Heys (Feilding), 60pts.; T. Fleetwood (Feilding), 78pts.; G. Brandt (Feilding), 50 pts.; W. Leatherland (Dannevirke), 71 pts.; J. Donaldson (Dannefvirke), 7S pt-.; R. Hookway (Auckland Artillery), 7Apts.; G. Christensen (Auckland Artillery), 64pts.; A. Jones (Hastings), 77 pts.; J. D. Gillespio (Invercargill), 73 pts., E. Evans (Wellington Artillery), 80pts.; Jr Rennie (Timaru), 85pts.; A. J. Hyndman (Timaru), 75pts.; L. Brown (St. Kilda), 79pts.; D. N. Whiting (Ashburton), 72pts.; R. Jackson (Greymouth), 78pts.; P. Glen (Kaikorai), 82pts.; R. Cumming (Timaru), 80pts. F. Bradnock (Wellington Tramways), 65pts.; P. Mara (Westport), 78 pts.; L. Broadmorc (Whakatane), 81pts. Quartettes. (“White Heather.”) Port Nicholson Silver No. 2, 88pts. 3 Palmerston N. Garrison No. 1, 86pts. 2 Timaru Municipal, Slpts 3 Also competed: Te Awamutu Municipal, CBpts.; Auckland Artillery No. 1, 75pts.; Auckland Artillery No. 2, 64 pts.; Wanganui Garrison, 73pts.; Westport Municipal, 74pts.; Port Nicholson No. 1, 77pts. Side Drum Solo. C. Bell (Palmerston N. Garrison), 97pts i K. Schou (Dannevirke), 95pts 2 J. Lees (St. Kilda). 93pts 3 Also competed: L. Ryecroft (Te Awamutu), 91pts.; L. Geo (Lower Hutt), 86pts.; G. Shears (Timaru), 79 pts. Bass Drum Solo. R. Brown (Port Nicholson), 96pts. 1 A. Kilmartin (Auckland Artillery), 94pts 2 C. H. Frew (Ashburton), 93pts. .. 3 Also competed: G. Harris (Palmerston North City Silver), 92pts.; B. Atkinson (Palmerston North Garrison), 91pts.; H. J. Hall (Wanganui), 90pts. TO-DAY’S PROGRAMME The New Zealand Championship Band Contest will be continued to-day, when the programme provides for the trombone trios and B flat cornet championships, to be decided at the Opera House at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively; the B flat of BB flat bass solo and E flat tenor horn at the Municipal Hall. The winner of the B flat cornet championship is awarded the Gordon Bergersen gold medal, donated as a memorial to his late son, Mr. H. E. Bergesen. To-night at 7.30 p.m. at the showgrounds the A grade first test selection will commence. Wanganui Garrison Band (present champions) are making a bold bid to retain the first place. The placings will be announced by the adjudicator immediately after the final item. Marks will not be disclosed until Thursday evening. If weather conditions are not suitable tho test will be decided at the Opera House and a flag flying from the baud rotunda in the Square will indicate this fact. In addition, 2YA and 2ZB will broadcast any change of venue at 6.30 p.m.