BAND COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2803, 4 December 1907, Page 70

BAND COLUMN.

Notes bt Cohnet. Pesretarieß of bands are invited to send ia Interesting paragraphs, also brief reports of garades and other functions in which, their fcaxds take part. All communications should be addressed te "Cornet," Otago Witness office. The five bands in Dunedin — namely, the Citizens', Garrison, Hbrnington, Kaikorai, and Caversham — will be now in receipt of a subsidy of £30 each. The sum expected was £50 per band. However, with recognised and attractive concerts and increased revenue from the trams, that expectation may soon be realised. Citizens' and Mornington Bands were both engaged for the agricultural show, and discoursed light music during the day. Ted Sehnack is now playing regularly with Kaikorai, and is quite a success on the soprano c/irnet. Besses Band, whilst in Adelaide, had to pay income tax, and to celebrate the event -an extra item, "The Jolly Robbers" ,' (Suppe), wa3 placed on the remaining programmes, and caused uucb diversion amongst the audience. 1 This year's championship at Ballarat was won by Newtown Band, Sydney. Owing to Percy Jones, tfie young and talented condtictor, being in England to further his musical education, the last year's winners, St. Augustine's Band, did not compete. ■ M'Glashan, the well-known Dunedin soprano and bagpipe player,- was one of the judges of the pipe band contests at | Ballarat. Bandsmen will be pleased to hear of hie doing well in Australia. For some years hie tall figure was a familiar sight xt Band contest time in New Zealand. He, with two other bandsmen — Fred M'Leod (now of Maaterton) and J. Humphries (of Invercargill) — became known as the "world's trio," owing to their similarity in colour, height, and thicknes* (not of head, pleaee, but body). Mr M'Glashan is a- capable allround musician — piano-tuner, pianist, cornet player, and one of New Zealand's recognised pipers. During the Commonwealth celebrations he was one of those selected to make the trip with the pipe band, being a sergeant, with Mr A. Gray as bandmaster. A vocal score of one of the New Plymouth test selections has arrived in Dunedin, and the selections are shortly to fol- | low. The piece is arranged from the opera of "William Tell," by W. Rimmer. Kaikorai Band, assisted by Trooper •Waldie'e menagerie of wild animals, gave an open-air concert in the Gardens on Friday night. The collection was very satisfactory. . A section of the Kaikorai Band played { for the- Tahuna Park trotting meeting on Saturday. The Kaikorai Band mustered strong on Sunday at the Gardens, and rendered the , following programme in- good style: — March, "Dreadnought" (Rimmer); over- f ture, "Banditenstriche," or "The Jolly Bobbers" (Suppe); "In This Hour of Softened Splendour" (Pinsuti); "Lead, Kindly Light"; selection, "Faust" (air by J. Qrd Hume) ; march, "Pomp and Cir- , oumstance" (Elgar); selection, "Last Judgment" (Spohr) ; and "God Save the King. ' The playing formation of the bands on cur shapeless kiosk makes the position of the conductor, with his back to the sun, * very trying one indeed, and one look at Mr Laidlaw, after conducting a selection was ample testimony of the need of a shade. As the cost would be a- trifle compared to the boon conferred on the conductors, the council would surely appreciate a suggestion from the bands on the ■natter. Tfco '"Vversham Brass Band has been kept vei/ busy lately, having played at the opening of the Otago and Caversham Bowling Greens, the Macandrew Road School (bazaar, and the St. Kilda Anglican Church jbaxaa<-. They also marched the Royal Oak and Enterprise Lodges to the JSnglish Church in Cargill road on Sunday morning, 24th November. The band played a pro- j gramme at St. Clair on the 17th and 24th, and will be out again on the Bth De- ! cember. i Matters in connection with the new j band stand at St. Kilda eeem to be completely at a standstill, no work above the base being completed. Unless someone in authority gets in "a bit of a hurry," the summer will have departed before the bands have had a chance to handle the "silver" of the Musselburgh and St. Kilda residents. The takings at the gates for the thr«e ! 'days of the band contest at Ballarat totalled I £1000. | Toowoomba (Queensland) ha* captured -I Besses' solo cornet player, Mr T. E. Moore. ', Needless to say, he will be an acquisition to_ any band. Mr Moore is a piano repairer by trade, and more than likely will f»cr engaged fey a. music warehouse. He has been playing for Besses for about two year«, joining the band after their tour through ■ France in 1905, S. Pyatt being the leading cornet player. j Winpate's Temperance Band, after their triumph at the Crystal Palace, gave a con- ' cert at Bolton to an audience of 3000. An English band, conducted by Lieutenant Forrest, is at present touring Aus- i iria, and gave concerts in Vienna recently. I The members of the various civilian bands in Vienna lodged a most emphatic pro- j test with the British Embassy against the band's encroaching on their domain. They ' complained that they already suffered quite \ enough from the competition of military ' bands, and wanted no more from foreign countries. The British authorities pointed out that although designated a military j band, Lieutenant Forrest's organisation is ' not an army band. Sir Edward Goschen, i who is at Marienbad, has, nevertheless. j communicated with the War Office in Lon- j 'don. I Dunedin is at present liberally euppo sting two Austrian bands, and has done so for months at a time in the past, without ; even so much as a murmur in protest from our local talent. The British Bandsman says regarding the Crystal Palace contest:— lt was a great day,' and there was a great crowd present. Newcastle alone sent 20 loads. Throughout the day the weather was ideal, and great crowds listened to the playing in the various sections with evident appreciation. Remarkable interest was shown in the playing of the bands in the various sections, each one being favoured with- an appreciative audience ,of several thousands. There were some magnificent performances in the first section of bands, and the bands fairly revelled in the test piece, " Gems I of Schumann," arranged by Mr W. Short, |

.L.R.A.M., and it » one which forme a worthy companion to his " Gems of Chopin." Thie is the first time that bands have had the opportunity of playing a big selection of music from the works of Schumann, and the selection under consideration is one that gave unbounded satisfaction to lovers of that master's music. The music played in the other sections was arranged by Mr W. Rimmer, and is the best of its class. One of the pieces, an overture, "The Viking's Daughter," contains some of the composer's best work, and will no doubt become a great favourite. It i* the custom at these festivals fer the winner of the championship in the previous year's contest to play a selection at the evening concert. This year the honour fell to Wingate's Temperance, who played a fine arrangement of Schubert's works. Mr Rimmer being indisposed, the duty of conducting was undertaken by Mr Adamson, the bandmaster, who secured a magnificent rendering of the piece. At its conclusion the huge audience roared its delight, and the band gave the march, the finish of the overture to "William Tell," at the conclusion of which the cheering was terrific. People clamoured for more, and were not silenced when Mr Cope commenced to conduct the massed bands through the wellknown chorus from Haydn's " Creation," "The Heavens are Telling," which in turn gave immense delight to the thousands present. Mr Hes next conducted the massed bands through Mr F. W. E .M'Leod's (Masterton Band, N.Z., and of the N.Z. Band) new march " Ingleby," - which was followed by a grand descriptive piece, "A Sailor's Life*" and conducted by Mr Cope. This was vociferously applauded, after which Mr lies presented the prizes.