BAND GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5656, 29 August 1896, Page 7

BAND GOSSIP.

FROM FAKjOT) MAIL[By Tomtom.] "'l;' G. F. Eirkinshaw, a cornet player of :*..■■'■■•. in England, died on Jane 7. During 1 .-• ;vcii:o won upwards of £300, and ?:■;.! ;;:;.• position of solo cornet in the Mcli l un "V'iils and Black Dike Bands. Mr ti.i -iV.-y. of the Royal Horse Guards, said i : :: • :,', v Hirkirxsaaw had no peer in Eng- ] ■■•-,']. ; At the time of hia death he was | i<ii.'inoli>vof over a score of bands, frei.:: liciy acted as judge — once in conjunction wiih. Di- Sparks, of Leeds. His funeral v/.r.i attended by representatives from n:u:;t of the musical organisations in England. I have the cornet part of Mr Bound's f>.:o selection " Eureka," and will gladly tend it io the first applicant. The .Titly number of the Liverpool Band 2\-:v:s makes nattering reference to this jonrnal, and the mutual good feeling is pleasant. Tli*; popularity of band music in London is increasing, as the following extract from "Quiver's" 1 budget of music in London will show : — Outdoor music is well to the fore now, and is highly appreciated by the thousands who, weekday and Sunday, flock to hear it. No liL'irer proof of its popularity could be found than the respectful attention istul orderly behaviour of the auditory. The full bands of the Grenadier Guards r.nd Coldstream Guards, also of the 4th Hussars, from Hounslow, have played firstrate programmes in the Green Park on successive Sunday evenings." In the other parks (not Royal) the London County Conncil sectional bands give good accounts of themselves, and are well supplemented by the other local bands, which are subsidised by the Council. It is an important thing 1 for local bands this subsidising, and should act as a great stimulus to them, F.nd- as no band is engaged until it has played before, and been passed by, the CouuciVs inspector of bands (Mr Warwick Yi'illianis), the fact of being engaged is at once a certificate of merit. 3lr Swift has arranged a splendid selection, aptly named " Bayreuth." "Wyke Band played it at Hawes, and won first prize and a cup valued 50gs. Mr Swift is 8 wonder in the brass band world, his compositions being numerous and good. His " Fusilade " polka was quite the rage here ton years ago, and his latest operatic arrangement of " Bayreuth," is now the saiue in England. Charles Godfrey says that his Belle Vue piece this year is his masterpiece, and by nert mail we can expect details. The two leading bands of Europe to-day (says The Cliautauquan) which met in honourable rivalry at the French Exhibition in London during the summer and fall of 1390, are those of the Grenadier Guards of England, conducted by the world-famed bandmaster, the Hon Lieutenant Dan Godfrey, and the Guarde llepxxblieaine, of France, conducted by M. TTettge. Both are composed of picked men, artists, who have served a long apprenticeship in other bands previous to being honoured and gratified by being called to join these. And when upon State occasions, such as trooping of the colours on the Queen's birthday, the Guards' bands of the Grenadiers, Coldstreams and Scots Fusiliers are massed together for combined effort, or the full complement of the Grand Republicaine is pouring forth glorious melody vr-'ler the trees of Paris' great parks and gardens, one can fully understand how it comes to pass that their fame has extended so widely. Onr American orchestra, conducted by Mr Soussa, is avowedly an imitation of the great French band. Lieut. Godfrey brought his band to the grand international musical festival held in Boston during the year 1572. This was the first time an English soldier had appeared in uniform in America since the days of 1812-16. Questions were asked in Parliament as to the advisability of the step, and a special Act by that j august body was necessary to enable theband J to leave the country. Belonging as it does to the personal establishment of the sovereign, Victoria could have done us no greater honour than to send to us, clad in bearskin and resplendent withs carlet and (cold, her favourite musicians. ' - 1 PURITAOT." [By Tomtom.] (Concluded.) The score shames the libretto. The pir.t is obscure, and barren of even a inr.vked tone, either in love, virtue, or strikingly dramatic plot. But the score i £=■?]£ is a. refined, type o£ Bellini's s-vreefc melodies. Even the part of Elvira is voted flat; still Italian songsters delight in singing that sweet " Qui la voce," and the joyful polacca. But naturally the tenor lias a splendid part, seeing that it was specially written for Bubini. Few of today's tenors, however, can sing the part in th 2 original key, hence "A le o cara," is not to be heard off Bellini's real score j Marios or Giuglinis are not plentiful now-a-diiys. " I Paritani " was produced in London for the benefit of Madame Grisi in 3 835, and the " ' Pnritani ' season " was remembered for years afterwards, and even in this fin de siecle age has not been surpassed for popularity. "I Puritani" was Bellini's last opera, and the mighty Rossini, writing of it, says : — " It is unnecessary for me to describe the duet for the two basses; you must hear it." Though "La Sonnambula" and"Norma" maybe more popular than " I Puritani," the latter will form an excellent test for Uaoriland's bandsmen. Herr Kappey has again displayed his skill in arranging gems for brass bands, and if the opinion of a northern bandmaster counts as much as it should the piece is pur excellence. It contains some lively movements, and right from the opening bar to the hist note abounds in sweet harmonies. Herr Kappey has fairly established himself a favourite arranger with us, and on no score can it be said that he has tarnished his reputation as an arranger by mediocre work. " I Puritani " should soon be familiar to most of us, and if MaorDanders love sweet melodies let them obtain the test piece for the Dunedin contest j then they mil own a selection of great beauty, and one that will be a tax on their musical abilities. The New Woman, the new fashion, the latest craze, have some particular virtue to commend them; so it is with the new cough mixture, Woods's Great Peppermint Cure — instantaneous relief for man, woman or child is the feature of this unfailing remedy. All Grocers and Chemists keep it, the price is reasonable. Is 6d and 2s 6d. — [Advt.] Fire Alarm for Lytteltox. — A correspondent writes:— The masterly inactivity of the Lyttelton Borough Council in regard to providing an efficient fire alarm for the port received still another illustration as the result of the fire yesterday morning. "Yesterday many residents living almost within a throw of the bell remained in utter ignorance until the forenoon that an alarm had been given. The facts are that the bell is too small, and that it is erected in such a position that the sound that it gives out is stifled by the surrounding buildings. The complicated method devised for ringing it provides the one element wanting to make it an impossibility to get a decent alarm from it. There is every reason to suppose that the very efficient brigade, provided as they were with an excellent flow of water, could easily have prevented the flames spreading beyond the shop in which the fire originated, had they been called together when fche fire was first discovered.