SIXTH DAY.—SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14.

Otago Witness, Issue 2692, 18 October 1905, Page 33

SIXTH DAY.— SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14.

The competitions were resumed at His Majesty's Theatre and at the Victoria Hall on Saturday morning, and continued throughout the afternoon, the day being specially devoted to the hearing of competitions for young people. In music and elocution five competitions for juveniles •were disposed of, for which there were in all no less than 142 entries, only five competitors out of that" number not coming forward. The" attendance of the pxiblic was good, and in the afternoon especially encouraging, the Victoria - Bail being comfortably .filled, and' those present obviously found a good deal to interest them in the {programme submitted. In the elocutionary section, the afternoon's recitation for girls under 14 was undoubtedly the most interesting event, and some wonderfully good renderings of a difficult selection' were listened to, three little girls being eventually bracketed together as equal tor first place. The competition iq singing for boys and girls under 16 was interesting; though as was only expected, .not, up to a very high average standard, the piano solo competition for children under 10 brought forward Borne little mites,. Who acquitted themselves Temarkably well, while the popularity or prevalence of the piano among musically -inclined young people was demon- . efcrated- by the fact that Mr Towsey had the pleasure of listening to and adjudicating upon no less than 52 performances from competitors in th© piano solo competition for boys and girls under 13 years of age, this being quite a record entry for this , year's competitions in any particular section. I

Some seven boys came forward in this, and ' that one of them at least held his own was demonstrated by the fact that he took first place. Twenty-five competitors came forward in the recitation for boys under 14, and recounted, with more or less ability and mastery of the subject, the adventures of Lord Ullin and his rather troublesome daughter. Mr J. W. Smith presided, and was assisted by other members of the committee. Additional results are as follow : — MUSIC. PIANOFORTE SOLO (Amateur's qver 10 sud under 13 years), " Ringeltaiiy " (Gadc). Prizes, £1 Is and 10s 6d. Master Leslie Tyrie (Dunedin) .. .. .. 1 1 Miss Annie Glasse (Caversham) .. .. 2 Miss Ruth Burn (Efcnedin) 3 Also competed: Misses Florence Pearco (South Dunedin), Nessie Scott (Ravensbourne), Dora Cousins (Dunedin), Elsie MaeDougall (Dunedin), Bessie M'Hutchon (Caversham), Gladys M. Yorke (Dunedin), Ngita Woodhouse Daisy E. Aitchison (Dunedin), Fiances Kirkpatriek (Dunedin). Alison I Tucker (Dunedin), E.liz. M. Earland (Morning- | ton), Margaret B. Wilson (Waitati), Dagmar Lyders (Dunedin), Lucy M'lntyre (Dunedin), Elsie Squire (Dunedin), Gladys Lawson i (Moxnington), Ethel Davidson (Port Chalmers), Annie Aitken {Dunedin), Matilda Allan (Roslyn), Ivy Bell (Mornington), Vera Wardrop (Musselbuigh), Ma-y Cattle (North Dunedin), Rita C. Crane (Newragton), Rita Isaacs (St. Cilair), Zela V. Norxis (Waikiwd), Phyllis West (Dunedin), Meda Pain (Caversham), Violet Todd (Dunedin), Stella -Hilliker (Dunedin), Malbel Tilbury (Dunedin), Gladys Lorio (Mornington), Edith Thomson (Newington), i-Mary A. Johnston (North-East -Harbour), [ Edith A. Morrison (Musseiburgh). Mary G. Fraser (Kaitangata), May Davidson (Mornington), Ivy -E. Beck (Dunedin), Ethel B. Hutchinson (Dunedin), Valera Black (Musselburgh), Eliz. J. Cornisih (Kaitangata), Winifred Aitken (Port Chalmers) Elsie Holgate (Dunedin), E. Wallace (Mormngtan), and Masters James B. Liggms (St. Kilda), S. T. Dunnage (Musseiburgh), A. E. Carrington (Pine Hil), Thomas J. Aitken (.South Dunedin), A. E. Jeffs- (Dunedin), R. Abernetlvy (Diuiedm), J. 'A Raoe (Dunedin), and Warren H. Young (Milton). Out ot 54 competitors entered all except two came forward 1 . The competitors placed first, second, and third, and also Master A. 15. Jeffs and Misa Phyllis Wesit were recalled and heard play a second time. Mr Towsey, iv intimating his decision, said it was very gratifying to know that ihe -majority of the performers 1 had acquitted themselves very well indeed. Of course one or two were too frightened to do anything, and, unfortunately, two had been taught all ■wrong not only as to time but as to everything else. As to Master Tyrie, who took , first place, there was jao question whatever i about the boy's capability. He showed .wonderful promise and ought to stick to his music. After deciding the first place there , was more difficulty, and only nine marks | serarated the competitors placed first aud tl-ird respectively. He did not know if they i were aware that judges of music (at least | that was his practice) gave as a. rule extra 'marks to those competitors that played withi out ihe notes. .The -reason was obvious, for i those -w-hortbok up music as a profession must ! recognise' that they could not appear on any [ public platform nowadays with their music before them. It was different when he was a boy. The sooner therefore they learned to play Vthout a copy ol the music the betteifor -the future. PIANOFORTE SOLO (Amateurs under 10 yeaa's), "Valse Expressive" (Neustedt). Prizes, £1 Is and 10s 6d. -Miss Vera Moore (Dunedin) 1 Miss Edith. Luscombe (Dunedin) .. .. 2 Miss Helen C. Pram (Dunedin) .. .. 3 Also competed: Mis-ses Airini Stubbs (Diuiedin),. Olive ,Gibb (Melrose), Dorothy Smith (Caversham), Eveline E. Laws (Dunedin), Jessie 'Christie (North-East Valley), LillaJi Oroft (Dunedin), Iris A. Keats (Dunedin), Marion Williams (Belleknowes), Christiana Thomson (Ravensbourne), Masters A. Jefferson (Dunedin), Eric Smith (Mornington), and H. W. Braithwaite (Dunedin). The competitors taking first and second and third places -were, with Miss Eveline Laws, recalled, and lieard. play again. Mr Towsey, in announcing his decision, said those present had heard the piece played by very young people, to whom it was a big ordeal to come forward and play to the audience,- not to mention the ordeal it musr | be to them to come and play before such an official orge as the judge. Everyone of them had, however, done exceedingly well, though one competitor unfortunately - began in the wrong key. He gave extra marks for those vrho played without their music. SONG FOR JUNIORS (Boys or Girls under - 16), " Shepherd's Cradle Song " (Sornerville). Prizes, £1 Is and 10s 6d. Miss Saidie Broad: (Dxinedin) 1 i Miss Jessie A. Bevin (Dunedin) 2 Master Ernest Drake (North-East Valley) 3 I Also competed: Misses May Edwards, i Beatrice O. Dunsford (Roslyn), Brenda Stock j and Hazel Umbers, and Masters Kenneth E. I Wright, Jock Liddell (Green Island), Jaenry ! Oaten, John M'Kcnzie, Willie Thomas, and Harold Grant. The song severely taxed the capabilities of many of the competitors, who were in some cases very juvenile indeed. Of those renderings not placed, that of Miss Brenda Stock was particularly good. Miss Beatrice Dunsford sang nicely, but was palpably too nervous to do herself justice. ELOCUTION. RECITATION" (Boys under 14 years), "Lord Ullin's Daughter " (Campbell). Prizes, JBI Is and 10s 6d. Master Timothy Laffey (Dunedin) „ .. 1 Master Chris. Marlow (Dnnedin) .. .. .. 2 Master John Cooney (Dunedin) 3 Also competed: Masters Douglas Leitch (Dunedin), M. Clarkson ■ (South Dunedin), Francis Cameron (Dunedin), Francis Mai^ow (Musseiburgh), Edgar R. M'Killop (Invercargill), Alex. Sligo (Woodhaugh), Wm. Buckley (Dunedin), Fred Harrison (St. Leonards), Thos. Leyburn (Dunedin), Stuart Little (Dunedin), Nicholas O'Neill (Mornington), Stanley Fraser (Dunedin), Ernest Salmon (Dtinedin), Alfred G. Neill (Dunedin), Alfred Thomas (Dunedin), James M'Donald (Dunedm), George AJbertson (Dunedin), Joseph M'Kenzie (Dunedin), Peter Begbie (Dunedin), Chas. Hill (Kaikorai), Leslie Calvert (Dunedin), and T. G. Phillipps (St. Leonards). Mr Baeyertz, in giving his award, said that, taking into consideration the age of the boys, the competition could not be said to have been disappointing. They had had some very good performances. The greatest difficulty the boys seemed to have had was to overcome the tendency towards wrong inflection; many had a good conception of the piece, but I had not the necessary technique to prodxice ' what they understood. Some rather amusing things were noticeable in the inflections the boys made use of. An instance was furnished by the line " Oh, I'm the chief of Ulva's Isle." Here the " oh" was pronounced by some as if they had trodden on someone's ioc and. wifched to apologise, while others crc-

l'ounced it as if someone had trodden on their toe. It was not perhaps that the boys did not understand so much as that they were unable to s r eer the voice exactly as they would like to. In the line " I'll row you o'ei the ferry " they had had that morning pretty well every permutation and combination of the words. Three of the competitors had, he thought, realised the dramatic possibilities of the piece, and from that point of view and j for conception and understanding of the piece I they had certainly sec-red heavily. He fancied i all "these boys had been taught by the same J teacher. > RECITATION (Girls under 14 yeais), "The j Requital " (Adelaide Proctor). Prizes, £1 Is and lOa P.d. Miss Violet M'Cu'Joch (Ravensbourne), Miss Bortha Brooks CWoodhangh^ aixl Ihfs Irene Bnttcnden (Opoho), equal .. 1 Also competed: Misses Jessie Phillips (St. Leonards), Elsio M'Pea'.c (Dunedin), Eliza, Biown (D-unedm), Ivy Couper (Mornington), Olive Cameron (Dunedin), AVmifred Miller (St. Leonards), Linda Hopkins (Dunedm), Sigfrid Lyders (Mcrnington), Violet Mitchell (Opoho), Lorna Anderson (Woodhaugh), Maisie Dunn (Mornington). Laura F. Maw (Woodhaugh), Clarice Pratley (St. Leonards), Hazel Davidson (Woodhaugh), I. E Beck (Dunedin), Nessie Scott (Ravensbourne), Be&sia Laffey (Dunedin), Elsa Otto (Dunedin), Jeannie Gibb (Dunedin), Muriel Catter \Dunedin), Gladys Gibnc-ro iDunecin), Ella O'Brien (Danedin), Florence Kernohan (Dunedin), Ethel Harris (Dunedin), Vera Rogers (South Dunedin), Lilias Bruton (Dunedin), Ivy M'Donnell t,Dunedin), M. Farguharson (Dunedin), Winnie M'Coiznae (St. Leonards). The three competitors bracketed as equal for first place were lecalled aaid recited a second time at the judge's request. Mr Baeyertz, in announcing his decision, said all present would agree that they^ had listened to some very remarkable perform- ' ances. Many of the children had that afternoon recited uncommonly well. The little girl (Miss Vera Rogers) who recited so well the i other day was of course too young to understand the subject so as to put the necessary feeling into her rendering, but her diotion wa3 beautiful, and he would, like to commend her. As to the three little girls -whom he had recalled and heard again, each had 1 given a remarkable rendering.* He had decided not j to separate these three competitors, but to bracket them as equal for the first prize.