ANOTHER DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11302, 30 August 1922, Page 6

ANOTHER DAY

COMPETITIONS RESULTS IMPROVEMENT IX STANDARD OF RECITING. JUDGES’ COMMENTS. Tlio Competitions Society has successfully negotiated another day. Yesterday was largely dedicated to juvenile events both in song and speech, but other important classes were a section of the chief piano solo in which some fine playing was heard, the mezzo soprano and tenor test soles, the junior test recital, and Shakespearean recitation, under 21. In the evening a varied programme was presented to a large assembly. The fifth ballet a “Harlequinade,'’ was staged charmingly, and a pleasing number was the piano duet (12 to 16), while the ladies’ vocal solo, New Zealand composer which had attracted a large entry, was decided. Owing to an accident in the non-arrival of properties the “story without words” could not be presented. Consequently the final result could not be announced. Commenting on the Shakespearean recital the judge (Mr John Hopkins) remarked on the noticeable rise in the standard since his Inst visit to W ellington some three years ago. He had been very pleased indeed with the work in this important class. Results in detail are appended: DETAILED RESULTS ELOCUTIONARY SECTION. Recitation. Girls under 12. “The Wind’s Song.” (Gabriel Setoun.) Miss Hildred Bowcock (Wellington), 83 points 1 Miss Thelma Shearer (Rona Bay), 87 points 2 Miss Phyllis Round (Christchurch), 85 points 8 Highly commended Misses Elsie Frye, Margaret Day, Dulcie Quiric, Evelyn Wright, Nola B. Wright, V. Melbourne, Phyllis Lewthwaite, and Nonie Wright. Judge’s comments—The »piece had been a suitable one and given the competitors opportunity for some nice expression and for tone colour. The winner had been quite distinct, had varied hex expression well, and possessed a nice appeal. Miss Shearer had a nice, clear voice and a bright manner and had varied her rendering, while Mias Round had a pleasant manner as well as good pausation and facial expression. HUMOROUS RECITATION. Boy 6 under 12. Own selection. Master Lawrence Searle (Wellington), “So Was I,” 86 points ... 1 Master George Power (Wellington), “The Day of Judgment,” 84 points 2 Master D. Turnbull (Hataitai), “Budd Discusses Cleanliness,” 81 points 3 The boys had all done very well, said Mr Hopkins. The winner had been quite distinct, his actions had been suitable, and his humorous points well brought out. He possessed a sense of humour, a rare and extremely valuable thing. Master Power also possessed a good sense of humour and showed some good facial expression; and the third place winner, on the whole, had been very good, also. RECITATION IN CHARACTER. Girls under 12. Not humorous. Miss Stella Chapman (.Christ- , church), “The Lady Marion,” 86 points 1 Mibb Queenie McLean (Wellington), “Queen Mab,” 84 points 2 Miss Kathleen Read (Christchurch), “Bo Peep,” 82 points * Miss Zelma Carroll (Wellington), “Puck,” 82 points * •Tied for third place. Highly commended —Misses Jessie Dunnett and Heni Smith. He had been very much impressed by the trouble and expense to which competitors went in their costumes, said the judge. They were very effective and looked very charming, and he congratulated them. The winner had performed very well; she had been rather lacking in expression, but the piece gave her great opportunities. Miss Read was a dainty little person very clever for such a little tot and natural and quaint. Miss Carroll had made a dainty Puck, her actions being natural and graceful. SHAKESPEAREAN RECITATION Under 21. Own selection. Miss Mary Cooley (Wellington), “Juliet,” 91 points 1 Mr Leith Riddell (Dunedin), “Henry V. Before Agincourt,” 88 points 2 Miss Madge Shearer (Lower Hutt), “Constance,” 86 points 3 Highly commended—Misses Esther Jackson, Marjorie Burnley, Margaret Smith, Air John Watchman. Miss Cooley had given a very firo interpretation of the scene with good emotion and intensity. Her actions had been iust a little stilted at times and this should he corrected; hut tbo scene was well conceived and most praiseworthy. Mr Riddell had rendered a good selection with dignity, but needed more warmth of reeling to spur on his jaded troops. Miss Shear, er had been a little lacking in dignity, but had given a very good presentation of the scorn and sarcasm of her sc6ne. She had been rather jerky at timee and a little more pausation would have improved it. Still, it was a creditable performance. JUNIOR TEST RECITAL. Girls under 12. Section A. Recalls Miss Stella Chapman (Christchurch), Miss Queenie McLean (Wellington). JUNIOR TEST RECITAL. Girls 12 to 14. Section B. Recalls —Misses Effie Brice (Kilbirnie), and Joyce Staff (Christchurch). MUSICAL SECTION. boys" SONG. Under 12. “A Song of Hope” (Wood). Master H. J. Skeels (Auckland), S 5 points 1 Master James Cate (Petone), 81 points 8 Master Jack Gaynor (Petone), 76 points 3 PIANO DUET. 16 to 21. Own Selection. Miss Edna Sneddon and Master R. Sneddon (Hataitai), “The Hebrides” (Mendelssohn), 98 points I Misses Edna Penny and Bessie Pollard (Christchurch), “Peer Gynt” (Greig), 91 points 2 Misses Vera Jaoomb and Dorothy McFarlane (Wellington), “Valse do Fleurs” (Tsohaikowsky), 88 points 3 The winners had had the advantage of an excellent treble, or lead. They had. commenced well and brought out all the points of the overture in a manner quite reminiscent of Sir Henry Wood’s famous symphony orchestra". The judge said he could not discover

anything wrong in their performance, save an occasional erroneous note in the bass. They had finished with a hurried tempo that had been most invigorating and then had calmed down and ended beautifully. The runners-up had "worked up their selection well, particularly “The Hall of the Mountain King,” with its weird gnomic revels, and the third place winners had given a creditable }?erformance of an extremely difficult piece, though the treble was often not clear and the bass too strong. MEZZO SOPRANO SOLO. “The Page’s Song” (“Vai Che Sapete”) (Mozart.) Mies Elspeth Denholm (Oamaru), 94 points 1 Miss Lilian, Archibald (Christchurch), 93 points 2 Miss Gwen Evans (Wellington), 90 points 3 •Very highly commended—Miss Anderson and Rubin a Judd. Judge’s Remarks.—Miss Denholm possesses a fine quality of tone, and evidently had had some training. She had given a rendering musically correct, and her enunciation was good. Miss Archibald had a voice rather tremulous, but this did not detract from a very creditable performance, while Miss Evans’s voice had good light and shade and she enunciated Her words well. TENOR SOLO. “Popita” (Coates). Mr B. H. Mayall (Kilbimie), 97 points 1 Mr Frank Bryant (Petone), 90 points 2 Mr A. 0. E. Loadman (Day’s Bay), 86 points 3 Mr Mayall possessed a nioe tenor voice, smooth and legato, and pleasant to listen to, said the judge. He sang very sympathetically and musically; his rendering was very good. His high G was fine, and his performance very creditable. Mr Bryant was a pleasant tenor whose enunciation was fairly good, and Mr Londroan possessed a voice of nice quality, spout, however, by a little tightness of the throat -and hesitation. LADIES’ VOCAL SOLO. New Zealand Composer. Own Selection. Miss Lilian Hanham (Christchurch), “The Sea Gypsy,” 95 points ... 1 Mrs Clarice Goldsmith (Wellington), “Home, Little Maori, Home,” 93 points 2 Miss Elspeth Denholm (Oamaru), “Waiata Poi,” 92 points 3 Miss Peggy Jones (Wellington), “Waiata Poi,” 90 points 4 Very highly commended—Misses L. N. Diaper, and Dallas Maxwell. Highly commended Misses Dorothy Nnunumn, Barbara Hanna, and Mrs F. G. Davies. Miss Hanham, said tho judge, was a fine soprano, and her intonation was almost perfect. She sang with great -xpression in a very pathetic manneand her mezza voce effects were particularly good; altogether a charming rendering. Mrs Goldsmith was a real contralto, almost the first he had heard over here, and gave a very effective and virile rendering of her selection Her’s was exactly the class of voice suited to suoh a song. Miss Denholm was a fine soprano, but not robust enough for the song she had ohosen and better in more florid work. Miss Jones sang in, excellent time, her rendering being musically correct and her enunciation good, but heir voice also was not robust enough for her selection. TOE DANCE. Under 9. Miss Phyllis Oliver (Wellington), 86 points 1 Miss Hazel Martin (Wellington), S 3 points 2 Miss Jean Coker (Kilbimie), 81 points Highly commended—Misses Billy Murphy, Aromea Searle, and Leoni'o Holes.