MASTERTON MUNICIPAL BAND.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8994, 2 December 1907, Page 6

MASTERTON MUNICIPAL BAND.

SATURDAY'S OPEN-AIR CONCERT. By "Lynx." It must have been pleasing -to the members of the Municipal Band to see such a large gathering on Saturday evening on the occasion of the performance of a varied programme of music. It was an ideal evening, and the items were very much enjoyed. The opening march "United Australia," is new to me, and while not presenting anything difficult, is of a taking vein. The waltz, "Inspiration" is also new, and has a nice opening, although short. The first figure is a vocal one, but the conductor was heard tp say "Never mind the singing to-night," and consequently it was not given. This, 1 think, is a mistake. While the selection of the items on Saturday was of a varied nature, the introduction of the vocal part would have rendered it more so. Some time ago the band used to. play a vocal waltz, which was always appreciated. I hope Mr McLeod will give us the vocal portion next time. The "Storm and Sunshine" march is becoming wellknown, and rightly so, as it is a splendid march, and should form one of the. regular repertoire. The playing of "The Pilgrim of Love" (recitative and solo for trombone) was of an "in and nut" character, there being occasional flashes of brilliancy, while portions of the introduction were somewhat shaky, the horns and cornets being the offenders. The solo itself was well handled, although the breathing at times was faulty, thereby interfering with phrasing. Perhaps the most popular number was a set piece "The Record," containing a collection of- up-to-date songs. "Waiting at ' the Church," "Seaweed," "Ain't yer swine to say good-bye," and "We parted on the shore," among others, being readily recognised. "The Bohemian Girl" followed,/ some movements being nicely plaved. There was a lack of body in the opening, but the next movement was productive of some really good work by the solo and accompaniment in "I dreamt I dwelt," although the cornet got astray a trifle towards the end of his solo. The crescendo and accellerendo leading up to the allegro staccato was well done, the last two bars particularly so, and the forte chord at the beginning of each phrase received deserved attention. A few faults were apparent in the turns which occur in this passage, but amends were almost immediately made by the way the staccato runs for cornets and the bass solo were played. The bass was good, and due emphasis was given the music, a circumstance which, alas! is too often forgotten in a heavy passage, the invariable aim of the player being to play as loud as possible, regardless of phrasing, and accent. The cornet solo following was shaky at times, the pitch being high set, and probably accounting for the defects. The cornets, however, shone out in the tonguing work which followed, playing nicely together, while the euphonium, baritone and trombones were heard to advantage. The remainder of the selection was largely a repetition of the previous movement, and appeared to be more of an overture than a selection. The closing march "Viscount Nelson" was all too short, as it is a "beauty" There is a familiar swing about it that inclines the writer to think that it has been played here before, nevertheless it is a fine march, the counter passages being very cleverly worked in, the euphonium, baritone, and horn being, allotted several decidedly pretty parts to play. Of the playing throughout the evening, one can honestly say it was much enjoyed; still it lacked brilliancy at times, but some wonierful recoveries • were made, the faulty passages being only momentary. The tone was perhaps a little light in the fortes, but the pianissimo accompaniments were sweet and tuneful; in fact, the tune was a pleasant feature right through. I hope the Saturday programmes will take place at regular intervals, so that we may get whatever is offering in the way of new and popular pieces, and which, of course, could not very well be included in a Sunday programme.