BAND CONTEST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22505, 25 February 1935, Page 7

BAND CONTEST

ST. KILDA WINS CHAMPIONSHIP SUCCESSFUL IN QUICKSTEP (Spicial tv Daily Times) TIMARU, February 2s. The New Zealand brass band championships * were concluded to-day, when the Quickstep Competition was held at the Show Grounds'at Smithfield. The winner was the St. Kilda Municipal Band, which had previously gained the aggregate in the test selections. Sain on Friday made the outlook rather unpromising, but Saturday broke fine, and, although there was a threat soon after mid-day the sky cleared and the afternoon was, marked by bright sunshine. The attendance was large, unofficial estimates ruuing as large, unofficial estimates - running as • The military judges regarded the standard of marching and drill as very high, the principal weakness noted being in position. Gore in the B Grade and St. Kilda v Port. Nicholson, and Invercar- ' gill in the A Grade were singled out for special commendation. The judge of music (Mr A. H. Baile, of Sydney) described the playing of St. Kilda ("8.8. and C.FV.*) ', .'.as equal to any he had ever; heard, and accorded them 147. points out of a-possible of 150. The3.Grade bands he ■} classed as equal to bands of similar statu* in Australia. In the A Grade both the first and second bands played "8.8. and C.F.," and the next two "Twentieth Century." Ashburtpn, in the B Grade, marched to " Washington Greys," and Gore> 'Municipal to "Merrj >k and; Bright" v & v ; quickstep, contest. v~-- * The} results of the Quickstep were as follows: •■ A GRADE. . , -

•!]• DRUM COMPETITIONS Bass Drum.—W. Wallace (St. Kilda), 80, 1; K. Allan (Timaru), 88, 2. Sid« Drum.—J. Lees (St. Kilda), 80, U S. Chittock (Timaru), 88, 2. MUSIC, POINTS , The aggregate -points awarded by the musical judge in the four .competitions —Hymn, Straight Selection (Haydn), Trick Selection, and. Marehrf-were as fol- ',' ~ „ ■ ,

':' '■'• - ji ? *3 . . . i ...... 11 ' '£> ■ "8 .. 1 A I

?3 v JUDGE'S COMMENTS Thescomments of the judge on the St. Kilda Band's performances, were as follows: — QUICKSTEP MUSIC. Opening precise and well given. Good playing and chromatics cleanly done. Nice attention to nuances; soprano very good. Dolce: Would like a little softer. Trio, good staccato. Last strain, very well done, although hand doing evolutions. -March Second Time.—Good toned hand. Everything well . rehearsed. Dolce: You are standing still now and should he making a feature of this movement; still a great performance, with ' . little fault to find. I; "HAYDN" (FIRST TEST). (■ Adagio: Opening chords well given; succeeding hars well done; soprano and stolo cornet very much out bars 10-12; Wrong note trombone, third note bar. 15. Allegro spiritoso: Taken up in good tempo; do not care fox bars 63 and 64. Andante: Tempo shade slow; .still nice staccato work; G soprano and solo cornet much out both times; trebles still offend in tuning, bars 62-65; bars IQO-102 not precise; euphonium cadenza good style, but you Blip rather badly; E r ; euphonium plays notes, but playing them . too staccato—not singing them enough. - Moderato: Trombone takes up well; inclined to break, bar 6;- trombone declaims well. Moderato: Soprano moderato, soprano very good, 6 and on; solo cornet has played really very • expressively; I hear false entry horns i and baritones, bar 29; solo cornet cadenza very good. Allegro: Taken up in good tempo and, movement carries on in good style; good to ending. Another fine toned band. It is a pity that - the obvious untunefulness of your trebles in many places marred the performance,. and prevents my putting you higher up to-night. '■'-. "COMEDY" (SECOND TEST), . Andante moderato: Good to open, last quaver bar 3 not good; trombones not together, bar 6; pick up by horns and baritones bar 7 not good—again at bar 5; chord not nice in bar 31; sustain dotted minim bar 84 not good—euphonium good bar 40; cornet good—inclined to break last note bar 45. Allegro: Brilliant, taken up in good tempo. Fig. 12: Kepiano safe; second

baritone and horn bar 95 hardly together. Fig. .15: Very well done; horns very good in fig. 18; nuanceß given great attention; horn and baritone not in good tuning bar 132. Fig. 26 (tranquillo): Very well done —good phrasing and good tempo; parts nicely blended. Fig. 36 (tranquillo): Nicely given—again, well blended, nice work; all good to bar 41. Vivace: Very smart finish. I like this performance—the best tonight, purely on account of an excellent reading. NEXT YEAR'S CONTEST (Per United Pbess Association) TIMARU, February 24. The executive of the association has allocated the 1936 contest to New Plymouth. ; ST. KILDA BAND RETURNS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL CONTEST Fresh from its successes at the New Zealand band contest, the St. Kilda Municipal Band, which won the A Grade Test Selection and the Quickstep Competition, returned to Dunedin yesterday by the excursion train from Tlmaru. In conversation with a Daily Times reporter last night, Mr James Dixon, the conductor of the band, was loud in his praises of the magnificent work which his men had done. He was very modest, however, regarding the part he had played M the.success of-the band. They, had had a very strenuous week, he said, and were naturally greatly pleased to have done so well. The practising for the -Quickstep had meant a great deal of'.hard work, arid 'the band had paraded at 6 o'clock/every".morning, leaving nothing to chance to gain Ahe- high standard of efficiency; necessary. ;i-'A fact which was very pleasing, added .Mr-'.jpixori/ was that the musical judge hadogiVeh them 147 points out of 150, although': they were ottly the; second band to play, St.'Kilda had done"wonderfully well to have gained, that total,- considering that'it was on the march all the time. The march,it had played, " 8.8. and CJ#' ivas a'difficult piece, with numerous 1 chromatic/ runs, but he was proud to.say that it had handled the work magnificently. So pleased was the musical judge, with the .band's performance that he had asked it to go through the evolutions of the Quickstep.especially ■for his benefit.

Speaking of the contest as a whole, Mr,Dixon stated that everything had been done to make the stay of the bandsmen happy and pleasant. The" Timaru Borough Council 1 had igiven' the visitors the "freedom:" of'.the city—free bus rideft- andvfree use of the baths,;lawn tennis- .courts and. bowling greens.'; The Conteßt Committee had gone' out bf. its way io, make the meeting one of the best 'ever' hel4, and everything possible had beeia done forv their comfort. The souvenir was- the, finest Mr Dixon tad ever seen, and was a credit to Timaru.

The Timaru people had been very fair in their reception of outside bands, and had given praise where it was due*- P« the way back from the Quickstep contest on Saturday, the band had played through'the town and was'given wonderful applause. At 'the presentation of prizes they had again played and had been well received. The gold cup which the band had Won for,the A Grade Championship, .was presented this year for the first time, a silver replica for the band also being given.' The cup will be on exhibition in the window of Messrs Charles Begg ar.d Co.'s premises during the week.

Drill. Music. Total. St. Ktlda Mun. .. 182} 147 . 3291 Port Nicholson .. 181* '144 - 325* Timaru Municipal 1751 14!* 320J Invercargill Civic 182 138 320 Palmers ton ■ .':■ '■'■, N,; Garrison .. .. hm 137 :i*m Queen's \ Own, Wa- •*.''' ■ ■ .■' r .; , P \ : nganui ;..?.-£.. 170 142 312 Osmarti Municipal : 186' ; 137 • 303\; : ' ; M- v/;B,:GRAp|J. ■M' 1 -. Drill., Music. Total. AshfrnrtOn' Silver 179 143 322 Gore Municipal .. 182 187 319 Westport Muni-i-eipar , ., ;. ; Artillery, S. Com168 n-* 42 310 mand .. .. 173 132 305 Palme'rston N. Sil--Ivftr .... 167* 133 300J Wellington Boys' Institute .. .. 165 134/ .299 - Greymouth Muni- . i cipal .'. .... 160 138 298 Chfistchurch Municipal 158 138 297 159J ,133 292*

Timaru Municipal .... 97 146" 140 145 528 Sti Kilda .. 91' ,143 144 147 525 Port Nicholson 95 145" 141 144 525 Queen's . Own; ' .. ... i ■ •< . :• Wanganui .. 93 138 142 142 515 Invercargill CiTio .. ..92 139 137 138 506 Falmerston: N. -.., .Garrison .. 85 140 136 137 498 Oamaru Muni"cipal .. .. — 137 139 137 — B GRADE 1,' : ''i i ! Y a" ;; ; " -.% H ' -a a '4 3 o Greymoutlv Municipal .. 94 143 139 138 514 Westport Municipal .. 90 142 140 142 514 Christchureh -Municipal .. 91 136 138 139 504 Artillery, S. Command .. 93 142 132 132 499 Gore Municipal 85 139 136 137 497 Taranaki Reg. 90 138 130 133 491 Wellington Boys' Inst. 86 134 134 134 488 Falmerston NV Silver .. 85. 131 130 133 479 Aanburton Silver .... — 136 135 143 '•L-'-L