Sorting Music For Disposal

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIII, Issue 6025, 25 September 1946, Page 3

Sorting Music For Disposal

PACIFIC & MIDDLE EAST BANDS MUCH PATIENCE REQUIRED To provide equipment for the armed forces during the war is one thing, and to sort it out when the war is over so that it may be disposed of to the best advantage, is another. It often presents greater difficulties. The National Patriotic Fund Board has had experience of both sides in connection with a number of its activities, not the least of which have had to do with brass hands and dance bands formed for the entertainment of service personnel during the war years. As these combinations have been disbanded instruments and music have been returned to the board, and the sorting-out process has been put in hand preparatory to tenders beingcalled for the purchase of instruments and music. It has been h big job, and is not completed yet. The handling artd sorting of -the music has presented the greatest task and requires considerable patience and labour. In all 25 full brass bands were equipped for service overseas, both in the Pacific and Middle East, from patriotic funds. The force in Japan and certain camps and stations in New Zealand have also been provided with band instruments. In addition, instruments and music were supplied to various concert parties formed within the New Zealand forces.

It can therefeqre -be appreciated that apart from instruments, there was a large quantity of music to be sorted out. In this work the patriotic authorities have the assistance of Mr Gladstone Hill, well known as director of Music to the R.N.Z.A.F., and conductor of the Air Force Band during the war years, who for six and a half years has been bands advisory officer to the board. As such he looked after the purchase of instruments and general equipping of the bands for services provided from patriotic funds, and now with others he has played an important part in getting things in ship-shape for the realisation by the board so that the proceeds may be paid back into the patriotic funds for post-war welfare work among returned men and their dependants. Appreciation has been expressed of the way the music was kept and catalogued by the librarians of the various bands. It can readily be understood, however, that when the music from all bands was cased and returned to Wellington, with no details as to the contents, a tremendous amount of sorting was involved. A big hut in Wellington was used for the work and for storing the instruments. At the present time the music is being catalogued for sale to New Zealand bands, and to ensure that every set for sale covers the required parts and the necessary number, every sheet of music has to be counted and sorted. Nearly 500 numbers have been completed. Each set comprised an average of 25 sheets of music, and each had to be counted twice —once for checking the correct instrumentation and the second for the number of parts. A total or 25000, sheets of music has therefore been counted by Mr Hill. Referring to the music, Mr. Hill said that there had never been such an extensive and valuable library of brass band music offered to New Zealand Bands. The collection included many marches that had been out of print for years, and there were many others that had not been heard in the Dominion for years past. Around the hut where the work was being done there were cases of music, big drums, side drums. zylophonTS, some violins, and double basses those really big ones that take a power of blowing. The instruments that are left represent cnly a small part of the total number returned by the bands. Already many instruments have been sold by tender. The next sale by tender will be of dance band equipment, which will include drum ■ sets, saxophones, trumpets and trombones. After that ther will be a “wash-up” disposal of remaining instruments. They will include brass band drums, bass drums, side drums, guards’ model drums for pipo bands, some violins, clarinets, banjos and ether odds and ends. . An interesting sidelight is that a number of the, technical schools have purchased instruments to assist the bands that have been formed at these schools. Some of the equipment sold to these schools has been in need of repairs which, the purchasers have explained, students in the engineering and woodwork classes will be able to carry out.