B Grade Test

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 47, 25 February 1938, Page 8

B Grade Test

How the Bands Played

(Specially Written For “The Times.”) Tho second B grade test which was presented last evening at the Showgrounds was not a very good choice. The work became very monotonous to listen to and by the time the tenth band had played, interest began to wane. Brighter selections must be chosen for B grade contests if the public is expected to support these events. Fortunately this does not apply to the A grade choice as “Romeo and Juliet” which is to be presented this evening is a bright, popular selection full of interest throughout. The bands last evening, with the exception of one, gave uninspiring performances. Better work should have been done by combinations that have two or three months in which to study the tests. Hastings Citizens (Conductor, Mr. Chas. Bryant).—Bass opening uncertain and band not together on second pause. A fairly good body tone. Most of the semiquavers treated as parts of triplets. First movement not very inspiring. Cujus animam only fairly well played. Incorrect notes played in fourth bar. After D should be D sharp, not D natural. Top cornets still treating semiquavers a 3 triplets. Band much better at letter F. {Slight uhtunefulness just before tho largo. Turns incorrectly played. Soprano anticipates in fifth and sixth bars after “G.” In duet second cornet overpowers first cornet at times. The movement should have been much more expressive. Not a good exhibition although Dass end plays well. Band fairly well in tune after cornet cadenza. Band not very comfortable in the final allegro, although the top end is inclined to overblow at times. More could have been made of the imitation. Not a very satisfactory performance. Institute Silver Band, Wellington (Conductor, Mr. A. Ironmonger).— Basses open nicely. Second and fourth bass treated as forte piano; they are marked sporzando. Semiquavers again treated as triplets before letter “B.” Euphonium plays well. Cujus animam opens well and band in tune now. A cornet overblows in heavier chords. Trombone plays his solo very well; solo cornet assists him nicely. Band plays well in tutti parts. Approach to largo nicely played. This movement opens very well although untunefulness creeps in during the playing of the fourth bar. A good tutti before “G. ” Soprano very good; cornets also play well. Solo horn could have afforded to stand out more. Euphonium plays well. Tenor Horn now playing better. Quite a nice movement reverently treated. Cazenda soloists not quite together. Band well in tune at letter “J. ” Turns neatly articulated. A good movement. Final allegro richly played although points of imitation could be more pronounced. Quite a good performance. A good close band, nicely compact.

Dannevirke Municipal (conductor, Mr. W. H. Tonger). —Basses open sweet. Band in tune. Rhythm not correct in introductory movement. More contrasts should be made with the piano and fortissimo section. Cujus animam begins w r ell and trombone plays boldly and with plenty of colour. In the full band parts the rhythm is more correctly emphasised. The largo shows promise but the embellishments are not treated correctly. Solo cornet misses occasionally. Top end of band not always in tune. Balance not very satisfactory just before cadenza. An incorrect trill played here. Again more could have been made of the embellishments. Only a fair movement. Final allegro, imitation not very well pronounced —more may have been made of subject as it is pronounced by the various sections of the band. A good finish. Final chord rich. A fairly good effort.

Feilding Municipal (conductor, Mr. J. Fleetwood). —A good opening, although basses uncertain on third beat of the first and third bars. Soprano plays sweetly—rhythm fairly correct. Band not quite in tune but plays much better just before letter “E.” Semiquavers treated as parts of triplets occasionally. Trombone not too comfortable at times, still he produces a fairly good tone in the cujus animam. He is inclined to use too much glissando in the legato sections of his solo. This movement taken at a very steady pace. Cornets miss in third bar after “F.” Flugel plays nicely just before the largo. A good opening to this movement. The turn at bar ten missed. Soprano also opens uncertainly, although he recovers quickly. Top end of band occasionally cracks on higher notes. Trills at flugel and cornet cadenza treated very slowly. A lifeless movement. Final allegro could have been more colourful. Again points of imitation could have been more marked. Trombones could stand out a little more in this movement. A good finish. Band has a good body of tone but does not make the best of it. Still the performance was reasonably good. Palmerston North City (Conductor, Mr. W. O’Hara): A rich opening; inside of band overpowers the melodic progression in the seventh and eighth bars. Band fairly well in tume; opens broadly. Solo trombone uses glissando in slurred passages —still, he. produces a good tone. The Cujus Animam taken at a brisk pace. The largo movement shows promise at the commencement, but the releases are not quite as clean as they might be at times. Band nicely balanced in this section of the work. Cornet and flugel cadenza not very well played. In the final allegro the horns and inside of the band could have brought out their respective solo parts more distinctly. It is a pity more is not made of this movement. Band fairly compact throughout; more could have been made of the expression marks. Performance lacking in colour but fairly satisfactory. Wellington Artillery (Conductor, Mr. W. H. Bowman): Bass section begins well; Tutti chorus untuneful and top end of band uncertain at times. Euphonium trill slowly played; a fairly good start. In the Cujus Animam the semiquavers at the commencement of tho

theme treated as parts of triplets. Trombone produces a good tone. Some incorrect notes creep into the accompaniment. The largo is played with taste, although at times untunefulness creeps in. This movement is lacking a little in life. Cadenza shows promise, but top cornet misses in top notes. In the succeeding movement a nice rich tone is produced by the middle of the band. The final allegro goes well and some attempt is made to bring out the various subjects. Basses very good here—a good rich finish. Band nicely compact here—a good final chord. A satisfactory performance; faulty intonation marred the performance in the quieter passages. Te Awamutu (Conductor, Mr. R. H. Close): Quite a good opening; basses in tune and some nice chords produced by the band, although untunefulness spoils the effect at times. The allegro maestoso begins well, • but incorrect notes creep in at fourth bar after D. Trombone plays his solo well, and the accompaniment keeps with the soloist. Band still a little untuneful on notes of longer value. In the largo the band becomes loose and the movement lacks life. In the cadenza the solosists play together but could be better balanced. The chord immediately preceeding the final allegro is not well balanced—the root of the chord should be played firmer. The last movement moves along nicely, and the various voices are distinctly heard. A good finish, but final chord slightly out of tune. This band produced a good body of tone at times but could have been neater in attack and release. A fair performance. Ashburton Silver (Conductor: Lieut. W. H. Osborne): Really a good opening, although a cornet anticipates in the second bar. A good-toned band—-in tune. Introductory movement well played. Trombone plays satisfactorily in the allegro maestoso and band accompanies him nicely; an incorrect note creeps in at the fourth bar after letter D. The largo opens very tunefully and the embellishments are artistically treated. Quite a good movement, notwithstanding the fact that the soprano is occasionally a shade uncertain; duet goes well; cadenza not quite together but trills correctly articulated. A splendid opening to the finale. A good movement; points of imitation nicely brought out. A very good finish. Performance has some fire about it.

Christchurch Municipal (Conductor, Lt. R. Simpson).—Basses open sweetly; tutti chords well balanced. Semiquavers treated as parts of triplets once again, although only occasionally. Allegro maestoso taken at a steady pace. Triplets again. The fourth bar after D should be D sharp for cornets although the score shows D natural. Trombone plays tastefully. Band fairly well in tune at the largo. This movement lacking a little in attention to nuances. Euphonium not playing rhythmically correct. This section of the test sounds a little laboured. Cornet cadenza fairly well played. Faulty intonation begins to creep in in the quiet passages. The finale allegro taken at a good pace. The band plays with more cohesion in the fortissimo passages. A compact close and a fairly satisfactory performance.

Hawera Municipal (Conductor, Mr. H. C. A. Fox). —Basses very good at the opening and tutti chords rich. From letter B to C a clean performance is given. Band nicely in tune and rich in tonal quality. In the allegro maestoso the correct notes are played in the fourth bar after letter D. This is a misprint in the score and credit must be given to the conductor who is quick to pick the typographical errors. Trombone plays fearlessly. Note values correctly played. A nice toned flugel. The largo a good movement; turns treated carefully and correctly played. Duet well balanced. Cadenza not quite together. Trills uncertain. Band a shade untuneful in fourth bar after J. Finale, splendid opening. The various voices come through well although the baritones and horns could afford to be a shade richer at times. A good close. Trombones rich. A good performance. DANNEVIRKE’S FINE EFFORT In the matter of musical points over the two B grade test selections and the hymn test, the Dannevirke Municipal Band heads the list by one point followed by the Wellington Institute Silver Band and Hawera Municipal Band. Dannevirke has a total of 359 points and the other two 358 each. The hymn test is not counted in deciding the B grade championship. This is a fine effort for a small town.

WANGANUI GARRISON WITHDRAWS

The Wanganui Garrison Band, which won the hymn test and was second in the first A grade test and in the street march, has withdrawn from the contest owing to a bereavement in the conductor’s family. His father and brother are also members of the band. The conductor’s, mother died in Palmerston North just before the band played last night. Great fortitude was displayed by the conductor, Mr. R. Francis, and members of the band in carrying on.

The band will return to; Wanganui this morning, all contesting bands parading in Palmerston North before the band leaves,