EX-TOWNSMAN RETURNS

Southland Times, Issue 17267, 11 February 1913, Page 7

EX-TOWNSMAN RETURNS

WB A. LITHGOW INTERVIEWED. AN INTERESTING CHAT. Mr Alex. Llthgow, well-known In musical and other cycles in Invercargill away back about the late eighties and early nineties, arrived at Bluff by the s.s. Ullmaroa yesterday on a short visit to his native city. It is twenty years since Mr Lithgow left Invercargill for Launceston, Tasmania, and during that long Interval he has re-vlstted us only once until this occasion, and that was as far back as twelve years ago . THE OLD AND THE NEW. "The first thing that struck me” said Mr Lithgow in conversation with a Times reporter, "as I approached the town in the train from Bluff this morning was the building that has gone on in the vicinity of Kew.” He went on to say that when he last saw that locality It was all sandhills, but now the scene had changed. But it was, he said, only an index of the building advancement that has been going on throughout the town and suburbs. What spare lime was his on the day of arrival he had,utilised in visiting Waiklwi and Georgetown, and the great spread these suburbs had made during the last twelve years simply amazed him. The prpgressiveness, in the building line, of the town proper came as an eye-opener to him and, as he remarked "Indicated the splendid agricultural resources of the country behind it.” The buildings, residential and business- places, were ail of a substantial nature, but the wooden structures struck our visitor who, as he himself was pleased (o word- the phrase, “met with only brick and atone in Launeesbon,- the commercial capital of Tasmania.” He admitted that after being only a few hours In a town practically transformed from what he knew it twenty years ago, he was not in possession of sufficient knowledge to vent his opinions fully. Being a man of the MUSICAL WORLD he was not averse, he said, to going into a little of the details surrounding that sphere as it concerned Australia. Mr Lithgow. it may be conveniently mentioned here was the solo cornetist in the old Garrison Band. At the New Zealand ind South Seas Exhibition in 1891 he won the championship in this division for the whole of New Zealand, and at Christchurch. two years later, again earned this high distinction. There were the •my two occasions on which he had compered. He has net been at a contest with a band for some two and a half years now, but as a writer of band music he is known far and wide. Inverearglllites of the present will be more conversant with him perhaps as the composer of the march “invercarglll,'" which ■was played at .the last Brass Bands Contest held locally. That has proved one of his most popular pieces, and has been ■ought after in every nook and corner of the musical, world. He had enquiries for it, he said, from the very backblocks of India and Egypt, from Canada. United States, and Innumerable other places, and the advertisement that the town, bearing the title of one of his musical composition, had received must Indeed have been great. The Ballarat contest, Mr Lithgow said, could be taken as a criterion if one wanted to judge the standard of Australian bands, but the Australian Natives’ Association contest which was Just decided on January 30th, 81st and February Ist, and on account Of which Mr Lithgow had to delay his visit to New Zealand, was a very big contest, and on the latest occasion the playing of the five placed bands there was very fine indeed. The Geelong Municipal Band, which was conducted by Mr Percy Jones, the world-famed cornetist, and formerly at the head of the St. Augustine combination, won at the Ballarat Festival, but did not compete at the Australian Natives’ Association contest As showing the quality of Mr Jones’s band Mr Lithgow said that the Geelong were at their initial contest at Ballarat when they won from the Roselle Band, which had since carried off the honours in Sydney, but were only placed fourth at the Melbourne con lest. The Geelong representatives were not present at Sydney, but Mr Lithgbw’s opinion was that Vl.otprla led the way in the matter of the premier bands of Australian .States. MOVING PICTURES. Mr Lithgow is nov. n prominent figure In'the moving picture line, and had something interesting to say on that topic. He said there could be no denying that motion films were having an uplifting tendency on the public mind. The tendency in Australia was for the abandonment of the Red Indian series of films, and the public were going In more for legitimate drama. XUi class of picture was always educative bat the Australian picture lover clamomd for a high class of music as an accompaniment to the pictures. Of course, it all depended on those'in control, but competent orchestras were beginning to be found to be inseparable from a successful monetary concern, as far as the picture business was concerned. The Australian public resented musical items of the clap-trap order, and rightly demanded classical pieces to be played. They were popular »nd were listened to at picture entertainments, whereas in many Instances they would be ignored altogether if dispensed by the bands in the parks. The class of picture demanded good music, and it had to be provided. Mr Lithgow ■aid that the turn that the public had taxen for good music bad come as a boon for Innumerable musicians throughout Australia, who previously were only earning a starvation wage. Now it was a difficult matter to obtain men, who were competent musicians, to fill the vacancies that arose from time to time. IN CONCLUSION. Mr Lithgow said that he was delighted to be back in Invercargill and among In vercarglllites, if only for the brief apace of a couple of weeks. He had come Into contact, during his residence in Tasmania, with numerous InvercargiliItes They were scattered all over Australia, and it was indeed a credit to their native town to sev. that of the great many he had met all were fairly freely blessed with this world’s monetary and ■oelal advantages. '