BAND MUSIC.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20543, 19 February 1935, Page 10

BAND MUSIC.

Timaru Municipal Win Hymn Test. SUPERB PERFORMANCE. ("Star” Special Reporter.) TIMARU, This Day. High praise for the performances in the hymn test at the New Zealand Bands’ Association’s festival was given by the ji?dge (Mr A. Baile, Australia). Mr Baile has previously visited New Zealand with the Newcastle Steelworks Band. He said that the balance and interpretation had been wonderfully fine. The annual festival under the direction of the New Zealand Brass Bands’ Association opened auspiciously. There is an assured attendance of seventeen bands and with the exception of Woolston and Wanganui Garrison, the best A grade bands of the Dominion are taking part. In the. A grade section Palmerston North (last year’s champions) are on the scene to defend their title, while in the B grade the 1934 winning band, Wellington Boys’ Institute, is again entering. . The contest is controlled by officials representing the Timaru Band Contest Committee, headed by the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satherthwaite), with Mr C. G. Baker (secretary) and Mr A. Schnack (well known to bandsmen as a solo adjudicator) as supervisor, and also representing the New Zealand Brass Bands Association, with Mr E. Palliser (Wellington), the president and Mr John G. Osborne (Wellington), secretary. The trombone trio was an excellent contest. The judge, Mr Baile, said he had heard some very fine playing and choice of music. Percy Coder’s “ Comrades in Arms ” was excellent—one of the best that could be selected. Mr Schnack was not too well pleased with the baritone soloists. There was no outstanding performance and the leaders lacked consistency. Hymn Contest. The attendance at Fraser Park was large when the first hand mounted the platform about 2.30 p.m. for the hymn platform about 7.30 p.m. for the hymn sions half an hour later. The evening was calm and the playing was heard to the utmost advantage. The adjudicator (Mr A. Baile) was in a tent close to the platform, and in a favourable position to detect the slightest flaw. Many favourite hymn tunes were heard and general interpretations were of a devotional character. Bands excel in this class of work, and the renderings were of a subdued order. At no time was there any exaggeration of hymn requirements. The intonation was wonderfully good. In the majority of instances the effects produced were very fine, the impression being created of the rise and fall of an organ with all its sweetness and greater power. The performance of the winning band was superb, and the judge had by no means an easy task to separate the competitors. The bands appeared in the following order: Westport Municipal (conductor, M. K. Mara), own choice hymn “Fierce Raged the Tempest’’: Palmerston City Silver (W. O’Hara), “ Kyrie Eleison ’’ (Mozart); Gore Municipal (E. Smith). “Old Earth Timaru Municipal (Lieutenant W. H. Osborne), “Deep Harmony’’; Taranaki Regimental (Captain F. W. G. M’Leod). “Deep Harmony Christchurch Municipal (J. Annand). “Fierce Raged the Tempest’’; Greymouth Municipal (W. L. Francis), “Deep Harmony”; Wellington Boys' Institute (A. Iremonger), “New Rochdale”; Invercargill Civic (A. R. Wills), “Deep Harmony”; Artillery Band, Southern Command (Lieutenant H. F. Davie). “Nearer. My God, To Thee”: St Kilda Municipal (J. Dixon), “Nearer, My God, To Thee ” Queen Alexandra’s Own (Lieutenant E. Webb), “Nearer, My God. To Thee”: Palmerston N. Garrison (Lieutenant C. Pyke), “Pax Dei”; Port Nicholson Silver (J. J. Drew), “ Rochdale.” Before the awards were announced several addresses were made and the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) welcomed the visitors. Mr E. Palliser (Wellington) president of the New Zealand Brass Bands’ Association, and an old Timaru boy, also spoke. On behalf of the bandsmen of New Zealand he thanked Timaru for taking up the contest, and expressed the association’s gratification to the guarantors j who had assured the financial side. The bandsmen were fortunate in their choice of a. judge (Mr Baile). Newcastle Steelworks Band had set a standard, and he had no doubt the bandsmen of the Dominion had benefited bj r that visit. Admiration of Playing. Mr Baile said words failed him to express his admiration at what he had heard in the hymn contest. In Australia the A grade bands did not make a feature of hymn playing, hut he could say he had never heard anything better than he had listened to that night.. The tone, tune, balance and interpretation had been wonderfully fine, and there was a general nice devotional atmosphere in all the playing. He considered the winning band had given a fine performance. Mr Baile also referred in brief to the good points of the leading bands and the reasons why he had placed them below the winners. Awards were;HYMN TEST. Timaru Municipal, " Deep Harmony,” 97 points 1 Port Nicholson Silver, “ Rochdale,” 95 points 2 Greymouth Municipal, “ Deep Harmony,” 94 points . 3 Other competitors were:—Queen Alexandra’s Own 93, Artillery Band, Southern Command, 93, Invercargill Civic 93, Christchurch Municipal 91, St Kilda 91, Taranaki Regimental 90, Westport Municipal 90, Wellington Boys’ Institute 86, Gore Municipal 85, Palmerston North City Silver 85, Palmerston North Garrison 85. BARITONE SOLO, “ The Emperor ” 1 (Percy Code). R. Winslade (St Kilda), S 7 points . . 1 1 C. E. Smith (Timaru), 86 points . . 2 Other competitors were:—R. Jackson (Greymouth) 85. J. B. Thompson 1 (Palmerston North Garrison) 85, A. Torell (Ashburton Silver) S 4, C. Boyce • (Palmerston North City) 83, W. Lever > (Port Nicholson) 83, J. Campbell l (Christchurch Municipal) 82, G. Bonnie (Gore) 82. » TROMBONE TRIO. : St Kilda (J. Marshall. R. Caughlan s and R. Miller), 92 points 1 : Timaru Municipal, 91 points 2 | Port Nicholson, 89 points 3 , Other competitors were:—Christ- . church Municipal 88. Invercargill , Civic 86, Taranaki Regimental 84, New ' Plymouth Municipal 84, Palmerston . North City Silver 84.