Band Contest.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13738, 31 October 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

Band Contest.

SELECTION. Bluff Xaval.^—Opening harsh. 3 4 and 5 verv good. 7 and 8; overblown. 9 cornets oat of tune. Same at 10, 11 and 12. Better at: 14. A lot of good material m thisi hand. The whole performance was ' marred on account of the band; being out of'tune. Cornets sharp. Makes tone too harsh. Verv •• little precision: and . unanimity .in this movement.Allegro Spiritoso: Opening verv nice. Band not steady'from 11. a* Coarse "bar 19. Soprano out of tune. Steadier'from 47. 55 to 67 not,delicate enough. Adagio: Too slow altogether. Soprano out- *of tune. All out of . tune. Hume? the time at bar 11. Cornets ont of tune. Tone coarse. Balance bad. 22. Why increase the time at 27? 4 Cornet out of ■ tune. Moderato . and Mtnuetto: Minuet too fast. The whole -movement out - of tune. Tene coarse. - Balance bad. Takes too many liberties. ■ Should- study Haydn's music carefully, and gefcthe right interpretation. Xot only.. hi 3 music , but studyjliis .life and. try .to get.-to the meaning of- his works. -Recit and Moderator 1 Band. Teiy 'nicely.--in rune when comet is not "playing. • Accomp. • too slow. Also euphonium' recit. This is not a fuiisral'march. Thie is - the bsat. little" bit band has played, 17 to. 21- *23 -cornets out of tune. .- .Band »nqt together at--25. The word "Light", ie overpowering from <&aracter. Why. not study.26; to" 28. Trombone solo . without. any thi3 recit? Moderato Caritabile: Cornet frightfully out* of - tune'. "26 tt» 32 not- in tune. Whole movement'.too, slow. . Allegro "Vivace : Very good. 20 to 23 cornets on semiquavers indistinct- • The principal fault in this band- is ; intonation. - ; If the instruments -are not in-.tune.one-with the other, the tone -is-■ harsh., and. upsets the-balance of the band.—66 points. •AshHurton .County.—Adagio;,. Bad attack on 3rd beat. Hurries the time at bar 6. --Good round tone at 7 and 8. Cornets out of-.tune 12and 13- Allegro Spiritoso: Batees out- of time. 40 to 43 band not together. - Basses * out of tune 55 to 67. Xot quiet enough. Too much like an adagio movement. Adagio: Too loud, bar 4. Soprano- out ■ of- tune bar 5. 'Soprano very-nice at- 18 and 19. but out- of tune, sustaining C's. Hurrying the time "at 25 to 29. Moderato and minuetto. No notice taken of p. mark bar 26. 29 and 50 "very coarse. Recit. and "moderato: 5. 6 and, 7 not delicate enough by the band. .10 and 11 very good. Euphonium recit. very coloiirlefi.«. Hurryine time from 17 to 21. Attack had at- 23. Band out of tune at 23, band out of tune at 25, 26 to 23 lime hurried. Band out of tune ■with accompaniment of trombones. Trombone recit. very colourless. Moderato" Cantabile: Very nicely played but out of tune. Bungled at bar 25. Soprano plays very nicely from bar 26, bat should be more subdued ae it overpowers the solo cornet part. Allegro Vivace: Opening very good. Alters the time' at sth bar. 26 and 27 band not together. Band not well balanced at 31. Out- of tune. —74 points. Note:—The figures refer to the bar number.

REMARKS. In looking through my notes taken during the contest I find them so full that there is veiy little more to be said. If the soloists, those who competed and those who intend competing at future contents, -will read tbeai through carefully they will see where the principal faults lie. Most of them played solos that were far'beyond them, and therefore were most uninteresting to the listener. They had nothing to gay, simply played notes 'without any meaning attached to them, just as one might read from a book a lorg Btring of wordy, perfectly or imperfectly pronuonced, a* the case may be,.hui, without any punctuation, without phrasing, and without expressing anything—no contrasts in tone or time. The variations, scale or arpeggio passages, labourously played, nccents overdone, expression marks. greatly exaggerated, and in a. great many cases the Italian and German terms and signs ignored altogether. I should like to suggest that in future, the selection of the solo be not left in (he hands of the player, but that the solo be selected by the Association, and that all players play the same solo for their reipective instrument, one selected with care and judgment, suitable for the instrument, and within the capabilities of the performer. . It -in a pity that band masters do not . take the mme trouble with their side drummers as they do with the ct.'ier players. Only two came forward frr the solo competition. The others showed w-.at- ti-ey could" do in. the Quickstep, and with the above exception*, -and the drummer of tho Bluff bond, made a very poor attempt at drumming. A good side drummer u the lifeand soul of a Quickstep, and I regret thai-' there are very few. in the Dominion. - Flugtl Irons* and; trombones should al*o have'more attention-given them. The former are most valuable in reinforcing the cornet parti*, and with the latter they impart diversity of tone-colour to a band of Saxhorn*. "Trombone players should ahnn bt of equnl power in a band. In many case* one trombone stood out by it*elf in certain tutti passage*, wandering along aimkceJy. without* the support from the other Swo, and thereby upsetting the balance of the band. I t»«s pleased to n«te» a great improvement in tbo intonation of the band*. This, generally, has-been one of the worst features of young brass bands, and consequently has mado them very noisy and' objectionable. With regard to the to»t he lection. "•Haydn," I- thought when looking through tlw "a'core. that the band* would fail ,t<» grasp the proper interpretation «>f it. and that they would illustrate it in a too bniiterous manner on bnir.s instruments, but I was very agreeably surprised, and t}w interpretation ol it, all through was v«v good indeed, and by the majority of the bands w.i* excellent. Bandmasters in takinst up a new work should not oniv studv the work itself, but tliey should study the lite and character <>{ the composer, for there is no doubt whatever that the man's life and character always comes out in his music. Haydn was not deep, lh- dotw not bpeak a nvwace of the imj. r life: he had not tho d-itinite embodiment •if feeling which we rind in Bcethovwi. It was not. in his nature. Hv never lived the life of misery that Schubert did .Uor d<» w«> rind in his music the of despair preached by Tschuikowsky. lu Hidden* lif-- of Haydn. he : "Haydn meant to make t!>-> world happy, not t<> tear i' with agony."' Havdrt music is like his character, dear. straightforward. fr-r-h and winning, without the "lightest trarr of alTectation or morbidity. Its perfect transparency. its tirmn«-s« of dtnign, itn llucncv of instrumental lan guage. the beauty .imi inexhat>-t»l» ! - invention <»f its melody. i!« «tu'li-d undulation.-. it-- rhildlik"- cheerfulness th>»are some of th- qualities that mark th»tyl«< of this m<M. genial of all the great ••ompc-.-ps. "T«» say that a composition is • Haydni-h * is to »Jtpre-s in on- word nhat *ell uni!" rst' Oil l»y all int* Uig-lit. amateurs." In ths» r»i««rt I am explaining 'indifferent lieadmrs under mloch 1 judged this contest. They \v. [.• published in mv report of the Wyndbam route-;. 1. 1 -.! year, and have Ut n -in"- published and -piotcd bv the 'British Bandsman" in thr Count tv.