GRENADIER GUARDS BAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22365, 12 September 1934, Page 13

GRENADIER GUARDS BAND

TOUR OF THE DOMINIONS MAJOR GEORGE MILLER, M.8.E., P.S.M., L.R.A.M. (From Ouk Own Correspondent.) LONDON, August 4. Major George Miller and 40 members of the Grenadier Guards’ Band are already very busy preparing for their journey overseas. They are all looking forward with enthusiasm to their tour of Australia and New Zealand, for they have never gone so far afield before. The first occasion they ever went further than France was in 1931 when they toured South Africa for four months, going as far north as Rhodesia. Since then they have played in Paris and other French towns, and recently they spent a week at Liverpool, the occasion being the opening of .the Mersey tunnel. There have been many famous bandmasters, associated with the Grenadier Guards. Perhaps;the best known is Dan Godfrey, father, of Sir Dan Godfrey, of Bournemouth, who was appointed in 1856, and held the post with distinction for 40 years. He was the first bandmaster in the British Army to receive a commission, being gazetted as honorary second-lieu-tenant on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s jubilee in 1887. The present director of music, Major George Miller, M.8.E., P.S.M., L.R.A.M., is the son of another famous bandmaster. Major Miller, of the Marines, who also distinguished himself as a composer. The present Major Mjller was promoted to that rank only three days ago. Hie first appointment as a bandmaster was_ when he was about 23 years of age. This was with the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. He then went to the Life Guards, remaining with them for about 14 years. Then came his appointment to the Grenadier Guards in 1921, and he has been with them ever since. Major Miller is held in high regard by his bandsmen, and, like all Guardsmen, they think their own particular director of music is preeminent. SELECTION OF MUSIC.

The programmes will be confined to military band music, and the selections for the most part will be of a moderately light character. A* recent addition to their repertoire is “La Grand Paque Rue” (High Easter Festival Overture) by the greatest of modern Russian composers, Rirasky-Korsakov. This was heard by one of the bandsmen from the Paris wireless station, who brought it to the notice of Major Miller. The latter arranged it for a military band, and at present it is one of their favourite items. Other works_ on their programme will give an indication of the type of the selections to be played in the dominions; No. 2 Rhapsody (Liszt), “Carmen,” “Di Ballo ” Overture (Sullivan), _ Tschaikowsky’s works, Grieg’s Norwegian Dances, national selections of seventeenth century songs (arranged by Major Miller’s father). Holst’s suites, “ Waltzes of Vienna,” “Girl in Train” (Leo Fall), “Lohengrin,” “White Horse Inn,” Chaniinade’s works, “Tannhausof” Overture, Children’s Overture, a medley of nursery rhymes by the English composer, Roger Quilter, and “ Heroique,” by Saint-Sams, the composer of “ Samson et Delilah.” ■ Details of the itinerary are not yet available, but if is likely that the party will sail by the Otranto on September 1, and will open their tour in Melbourne in connection with the centenary celebrations. They will probably spend a week in each of the New Zealand centres, being away, from London for a period of six months.