OUR BANDSMEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11756, 21 July 1916, Page 2

OUR BANDSMEN.

LOCAL HEWS AND FOREIGN NOTES (By TROMBONE.) The Citizens' Defence Corps Band will, weather permitting, give ite usual Saturday concert in Cathedral Square to-morrow evening on behalf of the Lady Liverpool Fund for comforts for soldiers. The concert will include vocal numbers by local singors. A member of the C.Y.C, Band told mo during the week that so far as tho C.Y.C was concerned matters wcro very quiet. Tho band still supplies an occasional recruit for service, tho latest being Mr L. Gunner, soprano instrumentalist. Mr Gunner has offered his services for any section except tno infantry. Ho wishes to be accepted tor the artillery, having had experience in that branch. Local bandsmen are somewhat perturbed over the City Council's, action in not making provision ou the estimates for municipal band concerts. Thb matter, I understand, is being considered, and it is not unlikely that a deputation will wait upon the Mayor m tho matter in the near future. I have to thank the Bristol Piano Company for forwarding a cony of the June number of "Musical Progress. It contains much interesting news and valuable information concerning ran ous branches of the musical art. Private Cooper, who was in the blacksmith department of the Ohnstchurch Citv Council, and enlisted and went nwav with one of the earlier contingents, in a letter to a friend m Clmst- ■ church, mentions that Private Bnstowe, a very popular member ot Dorry s Band, who left with one of tho Reinforcement drafts several months ago, has been laid up in hospital with a complaint from which he had suffered some years ago. Exposure had probably caused the recurrence of the trouble, which, however, was not of a serious uaturo. Mr E. A. Leaver, of Christchnreh, has very kindly allowed mo to per" 66 a letter which he received from Mr I. Stubberfield". who was associated with Mr Leaver in the days of the li/hte and Linwood bands. Mr Stubberfield was for several years solo euphonium player in those combinations, but went to -England about two years ago. Work be,ng slack at his trade, Mr Stubberfield accepted an engagement to play in a theatre orchestra. Later he offered jus services to one of the war bands, tho band of King Edward's Horse, a cavalry band (King's Overseas Dominion Regiment), and at the time of writing (May 29) he was playing solo euphonium, and the band was stationed at Longford, in Ireland.

In his letter, Mr Stnbbef field says: —" Tho band of King Kawarct's Horse is not mounted, but tho men-all go through a training course, and are kept, at the barracks as home service men. Most of tho bandsmen are musicians from London theatres ana city orchestras. Our playing duties are noavy. Wo practise from ten to twelve o clock every morning, attend innumerable parades and besides attending, church parades frequently providb the whole of the musical portion of a service. It reminds me of Mr John Pooley's days at the Durham Street Mission in Christchurch. The troopers of King Edward's Horse are a gay lot, and are all overseas dominion men. We are stationed m uongiord, a little place m the centre of Ireland. Longford is about tho size of Kaiapoi. We arrived at tho village just after the Sinn Feiners' outbreak. .Cud some of our men are still engaged ai rounding up rebels who took to tho mountains. One of our ' mobile columns/ as the expeditionary parties are termed, has just returned with a bag ot rebels, and the men, mostly of poor physique aud looking very miserable, Have been placed in the Barrack Square under guard. I think there is a lot of trouble ahead in Ireland, for arms are secreted' all over the disturbed districts. The general conditions are much behind I hose prevailing in New Zealand, and the people seem altogether behind the times. All this wants improving before Ireland settles down. We all iigned on during tho duration of the war. Kindly remember me to all friends, including Mr Duggan (bandmaster), and my old comrades of the Elite and Linwood Band combinations."

It will interest many bandsmen in these parts to learn that tho following members of the Royal Artillery Band, who accompanied the band during its tour of New Zealand, were recently presented with silver long-service medals: —Corporal E. A. Reynolds, Musician J. C. Arthur and Gnnnors C. E. Augarde and H. Franks.

The Royal Artillery Band, under the charge of Bandmaster E. C. Btretton, returned from Franco during May, after a lengthy visit and an arduous peri&d. At ninety-six centres 212 concerts were given and the band travelled 1688 miles, mostly by motor transport. The band also took part on May 28 in an imposing church parade in celebration of tho bi-centenary of the formation of the Royal Artillery. The Lord Mayor and members of tho London Corporation Attended the parade

Tho concert given by the bands of the Brigade of Guards at the Albert Hall, London, on May 27, was a huge sucoess, and resulted in £4OOO being raised in aid of the Prisoners of War Fund of the Household Brigade. Tho King and' Queen attended. On the orchestra were the massed bands of the Ist and 2nd Life Guards, the Hort>o Guards (Blues), Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards,, and tho Scots. Irish and Welsh Guards, with the drams, fifes and pipers of the Brigade of Guards. Sir Walter Parratt presiding at the organ. The vocalists were Miss Carrie Tubb, Madame Kirkby I.unn, and Mr Ben Davies Captain Eogan (Coldstreams) was in charge of !ue general arrangements. The tone of the combined band numbers was said to to superb, and tho grouping of the players produced an imposing eJfeot. CHRISTCHURCH TRAMWAY BAND. •At tho first annual meeting of the Christchurch Tramway Band good results were reported for the first year of tho band's existence. The chairman (Air W. Mason) complimented tho members on the good work that they had put in and hoped iu tho ensuing year they would do even better. Ho was plejised to note that they had given U2>wards of thirty performances gratuitously in aid of tho various war funds since the band's first public performance on August 26 of last year. In conclusion h<> stated that with a live committee and a little energy from the members the band should become one of the leading ones in Canterbury. Everything was favourable to tho band. It possessed one of the finest set of instruments in the Dominion, and, thanks to tho Tramway Board, members had a practice room, free of debt, equal to any in Christchurch. The balance-sheet showed the assets to be £626 and liabilities £9l 18s, which was considered very satisfactory. The following officers were, elected for the ensuing year:—Patron,Christchurch Tramway Board; president, Mr F. Thompson (general manager, tramways); committee, Messrs G. Brown, Borthwick, Gray, Mason, Ashton, Barnes, Minchall (chairman), Roden, Fraser, Chester, Irving, Hawkings, Israelson (deputy-chairman), Stocks, Deans, M'George, Neal, Perrers, Gowanlock, M'Gibbon, Wilson, Oakley, Wilke, Hutchinson, Gomm, Treweru, Lnmmis, Winter, Walker, Eyre, Williams and Crowley; treasurer, Mr H. Friedman (re-elected); secretary. F. A. Peters (re-elected).: assistant secretary,

J. C. Cadenhead (re-elected); auditors, Messrs H. Jarman and G. Alexander (re-elected); drum-major, Mr E- Orespill (l'o-elected); deputy drum-major, W. H. Barnes; sergeant, Mr E. Gribbiti; corporal. Mr S. Grammer; lancecorporals, Messrs Rodin and Hansen ; custodian, Mr H. Gomm: librarian, Mr C. Roden; bandmaster, Mr R. Munro. At the close of the meeting refreshments were partaken of, and musical items brought a successful meeting to a closo.

On Juno 29 the hand gave a benefit concert in aid of Bandsman Sullivan and' family, from which £lB 6s was netted after paying nil expenses. The band's principal contribution was tho selection "Souvenir of Savoy" (W. Rimmor).

ARTICULATION. Tho following instructive article- on articulation appeared in the May number of tho "Brass Band News":— Taking the whole country together, wo think wo are not far from the- mark in thinking that probably as much as onethird .of band memborship to-day consists of young players enrolled since the war began, and as the old members doparted i'or sterner tasks. To have so many young learners to teach is a great responsibility, and a great opportunity, too. What a chance handmasters have to build their now band on the rock of their experience. There u no bandmaster who is not conscious that the work he did when bo first started was not all that he could do now; years of experience have taught him that ho rather over-rated this thing and under-rated the other thing, lie has often thought that if he had the work to do over again ho could now do it better. The unexpected opportunity has come; hundreds of bandmasters are practically making new bands. And they will certainly make them better if they look on their first working critically. Some are making a now band for the first time, and havo no teaching experience behind them. We would like to impress on these tho importance of i-ealising that of all tho causes of lame and incompetent players, and, consequently, of incompetent bauds that of using the tongue defectively is one of the worst. The simplest piece of music, if it is not articulated properly, will sound -laboured and unmusical. If a man's speech is thick and confused he will never, unless the drawback is corrected, become an effective ami convincing speaker. He may think all right, he may intend well, but his defect will- nullify his good intentions. Similarly, a player can never mako his music effective if hie utterance of it is thick and indistinct. The very first attention should be given to teaching tho pupil to speak clearly and distinctly—in other words, to tongue clearly. A great fault with bands, especially in tho sections which are kept largely (perhaps excessively) to accompaniment playing is to drag one nbte into the succeeding one. The cause is a poor method of articulation, d*ue generally to the fact that tho player ha 3 not had the correct method instilled into him in good time. G>et the player at the outset to produce every note with the Bwift action of tongue which is represented by tho speaking of, " Tu " —not tho less clear and less emphatic " Du." If this is clone &t> the beginning it will bo as easy for the player as any less effective tonguoing. The young playor does not fail because be cannot give tho right articulation, but because it is not taught to him. But if he once gets established ori a thick method of tongueing it is then difficult to rectify, because it is difficult to eradicate fixed habits of any sorts. But the* young player will learn tho right way as easily as any other if ho is taught in good time, in \m first lessons, and then ho will play clearly, freely, and in good tune. In good tune because this articulation causes him to strike, a note at its right pitch, whereas hy a sluggish attack 'of the tone there is always a tendency to flatness, to pushing ' a note towards its pitch, instead of striking it exactly. Well founded on articulation, t the player will develop variety of articulation as he becomes experienced, and he will become a player whose music fs buoyant and full,of life, instead of lum-' boring and lifeless.