A FAMOUS BANDMASTER INTERVIEWED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8309, 6 May 1905, Page 7

A FAMOUS BANDMASTER INTERVIEWED.

A-recent number of the "^Musical TT«rald" contains the report of an inSSiew with Lieutenant J. Mackenzie pSST the bandmaster of the Cold3_?am Guards Band. .In the course „ th?report the following occurs :-- --0 *Do not the GermaiT bands have *' different tone from outsP" * «The tone is more blatant,, more wssv and the reed players bave not cS a meUowtone as ours. The same

thing applies to German orchestras; the wind department is nothing like what is heard in England. Their technique, however, is quite as good as can be heard anywhere." "Perhaps the instruments are not made so well. Where do you get yours from?" : ■-..:/' " We get them in England, but they are made on the Continent, . though thgy are ipstruments that are only uried in England. I would prefer to use instruments made\ by a British maker, if I could get them as good as those we use, but up tp the present I have jiot found them as good. I have told a : manufacturer here what my ideas are,, and he appears to be doing a very good trade with army instruments. One or two thjit I have had from him are very excellent instruments." "Have you had anything to do with adjudicating at contests?" "Yes" (Mr Rogan smiled and paused). ' "Do the bands accept the. decisions as gratefully as they should?" - "They are not all as gobd spo^fiinen as they should be in that respect. The contests are useful in bringing bands up to a high level; they have excellent objects, but should be run on other lines than they. are. I mean by that that the bands should meet and play one piece at sight in the. contest, as well as a short prepared piece, the two pieces occupying not more than ten or twelve minutes. As it is now, they learn a piece off like parrots, and play it quite correctly ; but it is seldom that the phrasing i$ good. The band that wins, as a rule, is the one that departs from merely correct playing and throws, expression and phrasing into the "piece. I speak in the interests of these^oands when I say they should have a sighttest. Then thefteachers would take a boy or a man and train him from/ the beginning until he could read ftt, sight. It only a player here and there that can jdo it. In particular, I remember a trombone and a cornet player who came a long way to let me hear them play, -md I felt quite certain I was going to take them ; they manipulated their instruments in a most wonderful