THE TOUR OF THE NEW ZEALAND BAND.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1651, 21 October 1903, Page 14

THE TOUR OF THE NEW ZEALAND BAND.

Lieutenant Herd, who went to England as conductor of the New Zealand Band, returned to Wellington with Mrs Herd by the A theme on the 12th inist. In conversation with a representative •of the “New Zealand Mail,” Lieutenant Herd said that he had nothing to add to what had already been stated as to the financial failure of the tour. “The ground has already been gome over,” said lie, “and it is not necessary to go over it again.” From a musical point of view, however, the tour, so far as it proceeded, was an undoubted success. “In some cases,” said Lieutenant Herd, “every item was encored—certainly an unusual thing in band performances—and we never played without having two or three encores. The most popular piece we played was ‘The Stampede/ by W. M. Pet tee, a piece with a lot of showy effects—about . a dozen revolver shots are fired, foi* instance, and imitations given of the quail, the lark, the nightingale, and so on.

“Thero is no doubt, however,” he continued, “that we went to England at the wrong time. Had we been there in the winter season all would have been well. In fact, if the band had had another £IOOO behind it, apd had thus been enabled to hold out unf it the winter months, the venture, instead of being a financial failure, would have been a financial success. No matter how well organised the concerts were, pcoplo would not go indoors in the summer months. For example, the syndicates which organised the performances of Sousa’s Band and the Municipal Baud of Rome, about the same time, -lost heavily. The Municipal Band of Rome did not stay in England as long as wo did. I was tcjld that at one concert given by this band at Leicester, there were only forty people in the house —and this was a band of seventy-five performers. Me should have done better if we had gone on tour through the North of England instead of the South. This was my idea, and I fe,lt sorry that it was not carried out.” Lieutenant Herd had the unique- experience of conducting a performance by eleven bands, including that from New Zealand, at the Crystal Palace concert organised, by the Union Jack Club. Amongst tlie -bands were the famous Black Dike and Besses. The piece played was Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes”—not, it must be observed, the march of that name so well-known in New Zealand, but a much more difficult one.

Amongst those present at this concert was Mr Harold Beauchamp, of Wellington. Lieutenant Herd met a largo number of New. Zealanders all ovcr Engl and - including Mr Jc-hn Gel-1, formerly of the New Zealand Telegraph Department, who is meeting with considerable success in promoting a patent which he has in hand. An exAustralian, Mr Harry Freeman., formerly of Sydney—who won second prize in the B flat cornet solo competition at the band contest at Bathurst, in which the Wellington Garrison Band, took part—is now assistant soloist in the cornets in the Grenadier Guards Band. Lieutenant Herd was at Lord Onslow’s, Clan-don, in-Surrey when the New Zealand Band was entertained there. On that occasion ho was presented to the Prince and Princess of Wales, While in London he witnessed at Covent Garden a performance _ of Gounod’s opera “Romeo and Juliet, in which Madame Melba was one oif tho principals.

As it is proposed to add four saxophones to the Wellington Garrison Band, Lieutenant Herd made inquiries on this subject while in England,, and will submit a list of prices for the consideration of members of the band. Asked whether the report was correct that he was about to remove to Palmerston, Lieutenant Herd replied—“As matters stand at- present, I have not decided to leave Wellington.”