NELSON BAND CONTEST.

Colonist, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11556, 17 February 1906, Page 2

NELSON BAND CONTEST.

Tiijs jUriSi kbpors. T"" %#» — - • „ ,_ ! The Judge's report on the Nelson Band Contest, held; during Carnival Week, together with his full notes on the test selection, inarching qon.-, test and solo competitipng, camertq. hand, yesterday ; afternoon. , Thj\ repdi^ which 1 will be read wivil interest, #c ap-pnttl-^ "In presenting my detailed criticism on the performances given at the above-named contest, I would like to say a few words regarding the good points, as also the weak points noticed during the compoti-"i'waS.vel-y mii<$ pi%9 : ed\;#jtfaM playing in the. sdld cdmpetltionM \ but f was at tildes somewhat h^ridl^ capped by the inOMsant "banging" of the piano, which in some cases was much too prominent. I sincerely trust that, pu r worthy ,f r. iejo^ the aftcompofl is. te, ■ ; Avhq. . are ( addicted to making this-mirtthlce— jwnexi *Prafa ifi£ accompaniments— U'ill take this hint in the same kindly spirit in which it is given. "Regarding the selection "PollUfco," the most noticeable faults were incorrect intonation. A good deal of this could be remedied by crossfingdring the faulty notes. Then, again, in many of the younger bands, there was 1 si lack, of , coMsioii,,. anq g00.4 balance" 6t idhe', eftpedi^llf ariidng ihe irin^r ihstidm'dhts (hornflj second and third cornets, etc.) If the bands will pay more attention .to the balancing of tone, and given a thorough tuning to begin with, then there will be much less faulty intonation and playing out of tune. |"MoHt of the. solos in the selection, with ftj few eseeptioni? r rwe.re f ,.ren^ ddre'd With vtir'y fair tdn^ though tnQ style was in many cases too stiff and mechanical, and too measured. Don't be afraid to give vent to your feelings; let yourselves go more freely. "Music is called 'the language of the emotions, ' and unless it appeals to yaur inmost soul it is a 'musioal corpse' ; and more passion, more animation is required. Now, let us havß this, egression, of your inward feelings displayed in thfc fendering of your solos. It was a perfect treat , to hear the late Mr Howard Reynolds, the celebrated cornettist, play 'Home Sweet Home," and to notice how correctly he phrased it, and how the strong and weak acoents were : placed, and the soul-inspiting tone which he produced had the effect of s rivetting the attention of 100,000 i people at the Alexandra Palace.. i Loridon, where t had the" pid&siite of hearing him many yeats ago. "The trombone solo at letter P should be played with passion, whereas in most cases it was given 1 verj- taWly, iri fact, whilst in most ; case's the tone pfodvked by the soloists—l am referring, to all sbloiats---was fairly good, there were few of them who paid much attention Id tonal gradations. How nice it is to listen to an artist of the highlytrained drder, who now raises his 1 tone like the swelling flood, and then diminishes the Same in a descending passage to alm&st a whisper, the accompanists following him faitU- ■ ' fully meanwhile, fltiwever, rit the same time, it must be pure tone, and i full of expression, something that will appeal to the listener. I noticed a great lack of bass trombone tone, and the beautifully sustained harmonies for three trombones such as occur in the second movement (larehetto), and which were effectively given by the winning band, and several other bands in a less marked degree, were' almost entirely neglected iri many cases. . "Now for the good points. I was very much delighted to have such creditable performances from tha young bands, arid the accompaniments, though at times a little out of tunfi, were, taken as a whole, very creditably given. So far as the best bands are concerned, they were neatly played and well balanced, and I must compliment the conductors on their painstaking in this respect. In my detailed criticisms I have confined myself very largely to fault finding, though the many good, points noted wore taken into consideration in making up my awards. The playing in the march compettion was not so good as in the selection contest. Many of the bands failed to play in that nice crisp style which characterises the playing of our best bands. "I wish to thank Captain S. V. Trask, the general Secretary, Mr Maginnity* the Supervisor, and the 1 Committee generally for the kindness extended to me during my 1 sojourn in Nelson* "I also wish to thank Mr Aiken < (stenographer) for his very valuable assistance. "T. HERD, Lieut., Judge.