OUR BANDSMEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1124, 18 December 1914, Page 3

OUR BANDSMEN.

! LOCAL AND FORIO NOTES.

I (By TROMBONE.)

Th* fo'Win* ie the list of municipal 1 bund p-rformi-nces approved tor the i months of December and January:— i DECEMBER. ! Tuesday, 22. St Albans— Dcrry's. : Thuwdav, :i, Victoria, Square-lst M.S. j Tlinw'day] 31, Victoria. Square—Woolston. JANUARY. ! Tuesday, 5, St Albans-lst M.B.C.Y.C. Wrdnwdav! G, Sydenham-LyttelUm Mann* L'hurnday,'7, Victoria Square— Uerry b. Wfdnopday. 13, SJydei.liam-Woo.Bton. Thursday, H, Victoria. Square-Lyttelton iUI nno. , . Tuesday, 19, St Albans—Woolston. Wednesday, 20, Sydenham— terry b. L'Lurbday, 21, Victoria Square—lst ai.tt. U \ C Vednosdsv, 27, Sydenham—let MB.C.Y.C. I'huraday, 28, Victoria Square— Woola-on. : The Lvttelton Marine Baud will giyo ■ concert pro-ra.mme on tae rotunda, ■it Lyttelton en .Monday evening, commencing at eigat o'clock. A portion of the* new set of silverplated instruments ordered by tho Woolston Baud from Messrs Boosey and Co . of London, has arrived in Uinsfrchurch, find h.i's been on.. view inthe window of Messrs Francis and Co.s music warehouse in Manchester btieet. Sixteen of the instruments-have so tar been received, and the remainder will probably come to hand by th£ next cargo steamer from England. Ihe display in the window of Messrs trailers :s particularly fine and is interesting local bandsmen considerably. lae instruments are the very latest and best of the world-renowned manufacturing hrm, and when equipped with the complete set, tho Woo-ston bandsmen should ob- , tain most gratifying results.

I The officials of the 6cuth Island 1 Bands' Association are to bo congratu- ' lated upon the energotie steps they are taking with a view to homing the annual Contest in Christchureh during the (Castor season of 1915. The music is ready for distributing to the bauds as soon as entries are made, and the tact that Mr Beswick, the English judge who came to Australia to adjudicate at the Ballarat competitions, is availab.e to act at the Christchureh contest, should prove a great incentive for the bands of the Dominion to attend. War ' matters are progressing satisfactorily 1 and by next Easter a band contest ra this city will no doubt bo welcomed by ! the public.and prove -a very successi ful function.

In a report of the proceedings in connection with the Tuesday nights route march of the Citizens' Defence Corps, published on Wednesday, it was erroneously stated that the. hand of the First Canterbury Regiment headed the column. The band which gave its services for the occasion, and which played under very trying conffitions, owing to the darkness, was Berry's Private Band, the secretary of which states that the band will ungrudg vtfv rnvo its services in the same cause any time they may be called for.

The Woolston Band was engaged at Sydenham Park on Wednesday evening, rhere was a good attendance of the public and the music was enjoyed thoroughly. The programme was as .follows:—March. " 8.8. and C.F.' <T>rd Hume); waltz, "Red Poppies" (Rimmer); selection, " Gem of Chopm ' ; cornet solo, " Titania," soloist J.

Reeves (Rimmer) j Indian intermezzo, "Silver Bell" (Warrick); selection, "Scotland for Ever" (Ord Hume; '' Absent-Minded Beggar,'' soloist. R. Barber (Sullivan, arranged by A. Mullinger); march, " Legion of Honour. The Lyttelton Marine Band gave its second municipal concert cm the Victoria Squaro rotunda last evening,,before a large attendance of music 'overs of the City. The following was the programme ---Quickstep, •' Ihe Dawn of Freedom" (Rimmer), songe leute, <' Caressante '' (Lambert); valse bnllianto, " Silver Showers," cornet soloist, Mr E. Sullivan (Rimmer): military march. "Pomp and Circumstance, £o. 4 " (Sir E. Elgar); cornet so o, The Lost Chord," soloist. Mr H I'ox (Sn - livan): grand selection "Gems ot bir Arthur Sullivan" (Rimmer); cornet duet. " The Friendl.v Rivals" dnettists. £ E. Sullivan and H. Fox (Charles Godfrey); quickstep, "The Avenger (Rimmer).

Woolston Band's performance at Sydenham Park on Wednesday evening was a good all-round one, and special praise is due to Messrs Reeves and Barber for tWr pleasing solo ances. " Titania," played by Mi, Beeves, is a well-known cornet_ solo, and-the Woolston Band always gives a rood account of itself in interpreting the work. Mr Barber is a warm-toned soloist and can always be relied upon in a slow melody. Mr Barber's special contribution was the late 3:r Arthur Sullivan's " Absent-Minded Beggar. arranged locally. I much prefer the well-known standard arrangement of the air by the renowned British band expert, Lieutenant J. Ord-Hume. Stjll it is good to encourage local talent. The selection "Gems of Chopin" and other programme numbers were all pleasingly performed.

Tlie cornet display by Messrs E. Sullivan and H. Cox at the Lyttelton Marine Band's concert on the Victoria Square rotunda last evening was very fine indeed, and I heartily congratulate those two exceedingly talented instrumentalists on their performances. Mr Sullivan was the soloist in the performance of Rimmer's valse bi'illiante "Silver Showers." a veritable tour force for a cornetist. Mr Sullivan was in capital playing form and the notes rippled from Ir's cornet in a perfect "silver stiower." The technical difficulties were overcome with marked ease and the execution was clean, crisp and clear. It was a performance of which the soloist might well be proud. Mr Fox excelled in quite a different way, for his forte is tone and expressiveness, and his playing of the late Sir Arthur Sullivan's profound devotional solo, "The Lost Chord." was artistic and finished in every sense. He received splendid support from the band, and tbe number was a triumph. In association Messrs Sullivan and Fox performed Charles Godfrey's pretty cornet duo polka., " Friendly, Rivals." The playing pleased immensely and the iiidience accorded an encore, and the number was repeated. The several full 'land works were'all well played, minor Haws excepted, and the public bestowed hearty applause after the conclusion of each piece.

A raid was made on the premises of Messrs Roder, a well-known German musical firm in London, and the police arrested quite a number of voung Germans. The arrest is shown in the topical pictures which are being screened at the local kinematograph houses this week. t A Home journal' wonders whether the .raid was made because the firm was German or

because it wae the concrete in tho foundations that,, was so firm. Kaiser Wilhclm dabbles ...in music just aft he does in military matters. He can compose a musical work or lead an army with equally disastrous consequences. But he can both create and lead to some extent, and it is on record that on one occasion when he was listening to one of his regimental bands 'performing a certain wo k, which he is supposed to have written, the interpretation did not please him, and he took the baton from the conductor with more haste than ,good taste, and devoted-sonic time to instructing the bandsmen m bis own ideas of the piece. An English journal recently remarked facetiously that when next the Kaiser composed it would probably be in the direction of " Passion Music." Judging from reports of tho interviews between him and the Emperor of Austria, Kaiser Wilhelm has already received the inspiration for " Passion Music." Jt is reported that the War Lord's bands will perform this "Passion Music'' in the ultimate retreat to Berlin, in place of "The Watch on the Rhine."

Under the heading. "The Roll of Honour," the "British Bandsman" has in recent numbers been publishing lists of the names of members of wellknown amateur bands of the United Kingdom, who have joined the colours to serve against Germany. A perusal of the lists discloses the fact that in many instances from six to as many as ten and twelve, and even more, have signed on from a band. In two instances practically a whole band has enlisted. One is Wilson's Band, of Hull. No fewer than twenty-om--names of members, of this band appear on the list. Si son's Band, another Yorkshire combination, has contributed thirteen men, while Hebden Bridge, Clcckheaton, Victoria and many. other noted bands are well represented in the lists. In the Northumberland section the Amble and Radcliffe Band heads the list with twentyseven members, evidently' the full band. Lancashire'is'finely represented, as befits'the district of the Red Rose. Shaw, Goodshaw, Crosfield's and other noted bands appear on the list. So far no recruit has offered from the ranks of the Besses-o'-th-Barn Band or from its famous Yorkshire rival, Black Dike- Probably these historical names will appear in subsequent lists, however. Durham has contributed several from its best band, St Hilda Colliery. The 'Midland Counties, London and southern districts, West of England, Wales, Irelaud and Scotland are also more or less well represented.

"Is the era of blasting over in our bands?" remarked ah English exchange recently, to which the reply submitted by another, journal was: "Ask some.'of the Tommy Atkins bandsmen who are now helping to shift the Germans out of ■'Belgium."

The,twentieth annual contest of the Scottish Brass Bands Association was held at the Waverley Market, Edinburgh, on October 24. The test piece was "Parsifal " (Boosey and Co.). Result: -1, Dunnikier Colliery (R. Rimmer); 2, Clydebank Burgh (W. Halliwell); 3, Broxburn Public (J. A. Greenwood); 4, Larkhall Town (A. Bell); 6, Cleland (A*. Marsden). Other competitors were: Ocwdeubeath Public (H. Muddiman), Carvel Burgh (H. Bennett), Dunfermline Town (A. Gray), Forfar (J. Lamb), Glasgow Co-op. i.K Sutton), Hawick Saxhorn (H. Bower), Tvejty and. Blairadani . (Fl ivirrand), Newtongrange (H Muddiman), T -wnhill (J. Carmichael). MrG. H. Mercer adjudicated. At the five previous contests (1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 191.3) the first prize was won' by Clydebank. It is not the first time Mr Rimmer has conducted the winning band, though.

A British contesting bandsman, who has been in the thick of some fierce fighting against the Germans, sent the following note to a friend: "We attacked the • ' key 'of the position at affair. Thank goodness I came through without a scratch even, though my comrades were hit in numbers. If one wants to realise what a good crescendo really is he should engage in a bayonet charge on a German tiench. Three F's would but poorly describe the climax, I can tell you. The Germans ran. We ' accelerated' their pace somewhat, _ and sent many 'bars of 1 discord' into their ranks; a halt was then sounded and a ' diminuendo' and 1 morendo' effect followed. So far as I was concerned, the ' movement' ended with a tonic, thought no .dou&t the general rule did not apply in countless instances. Before we left our trenches German shells were flying about as numerously as opinions at a band contest, and in most cases they were just about as accurately launched and were seemingly as harmless. The German style of fighting reminds one of a Wagner selection, it is solid and compact, and deadly in earnest in its adherence to a set purpose; but it lacks variety. It is too stiff and too straight^going; it lacks light and shade. If we can break the back of the heavy stuff the lighter and brighter music of oiir guns and the sparkle of our .ifles will be heard above the din and will in the end be the move favoured melody, An revoir. My kind regards to all bandsmen comrades."

Attention, bandsmen! Salute a brave comrade. La .'nee-Corporal H. Faun, of the R.I.C. Band, Dublin, nowserving with the 15th Battalion Fielfl Ambulance in- France, was presented with the French "Legion of Honour" for distinguished'conduct at the battle of Le Cateau in collecting and dressing wounded under heavy German 6hrapnel fire. The lance-corporal was also mentioned in General French's despatches.

_ Reserveman William Wright, who joined H.M.S. Cressy at the outset of naval action against Germany, and was lost in the disaster to that vessel when she was torpedoed with the Hogue and Aboukir, was for several years secretary of the Belfast Apprentice Boys' Flute Band (says the Irish correspondent of the " British Bandsman "). He was a great worker on behalf of the and just before rejoining the Service had sucressfuly organised a function to provide the band with a new set of instruments. His death fs deeply regretted in band circles in Belfast.

The band of the Norfolk Regiment, which was stationed at Holywood. Ireland, when the war broke out, suffered heavily in the first engagement in which it took part. Three prominent playera were killed, one was posted missing and several were wounded. Tt is saa to realise that the work of years given to attaining proficiency in instrumental pla'vinw shon'd end in a moment on the of Wile. Vot tVs sort horror is inevitiVe under the existing conditions of life on this earth.

An echo of the Titanic disaster was heard on October 24 at Eastbourne, when Madam Clara Butt, the distinguished vocalist, unveiled a memorial to Mr Wesley Woodward, one of the bandsmen who went down on the Titanic. Mr Woodward, an accomplished 'cellist, was a member of the Eastbourne Municipal Band and Orchestra, and the Duke of Devonshire's Orchestra, and this memorial of bronze and granite has been erected in the lower shelter on the Parade, appropriately opposite the bandstand where Mr Woodward so often played. MiArthur Beckett, chairman of the committee, briefly recounted the story of the Titanic, and paid a tribute to the courage and gallantry of Mr Woodward, and he mentioned that as Madame Clara Butt was a Sussex lady, as well as a distinguished singer, it was appropriate that she should have performed the ceremony.