BAND CONTEST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19247, 26 February 1925, Page 5

BAND CONTEST

C GRADE CONTEST WON BY PONSONBY BOYS’ BAND. [Bv Telegraph.—-Special to Chronicle.] AUCKLAND, Feb. 24. A feature of to-day’s events was the contest for C Grade bands, this being the first occasion on which provision has been made for C Grade bands at any contest held in the Dominion. Five bands competed out of nine which entered, and all gave fairly good renderings of the’r various selections. This was “Own Choice’’ test, each band selecting its own test piece. Generally, the selections xvere well chosen, and showed the capabilities of the various contestants. I’onsonby Boy’s Band, which won the test, is a surprisingly good team considering the youth of its members, and gives promise of developing into a first-rate band. Six bands competed in the C Grade contest. Results: Ponsonby Boys’ Band 105 Devonport United 103 Birkenhead Municipal 99 To Arolia Municipal 9! To Awamutu Municipal SS Takapunn Municipal S 3 The judge, Mr Code, commented that the playing disclosed too many crudities. lie thought some of the bands had not been long in existence, anil with more tra’ning much better results would be achieved. CORNET CH AMFIO NS HIT. AUCKLAND, Feb. 25. In the evening the big solo event of the contest, the Cornet Championship of New Zealand, was decided in the Town Hall before an and.cnee of between 2000 and 3000. The championship carries with it. as first, prize a gold modal presented by Dr. Thacker (Christchurch) and a quadruple gold-plated Conn cornet, valued at 55 guineas, presented by Messrs Eady and Son (Auckland). Out. of 62 entrants, no less than 31 faced the judge, including last, year’s South Island champion and runner-up, also the winner and runner-up of the North Island championship. Added interest was lent to the contest by the fact that A. Paxton, the “crack’’ soloist. of the Malvern Tramway Band, was among the contestants. There was some jmrticularly brilliant playing in this class, and some very bad. the judge finding it necessary to ring some off. A surprising feature of the class xvas the very easy defeat of AV. 11. Osborne, last year's champion, who simply wont to pieces and put himself out of the running early in the. first movement of the test. Four Wanganui players wore. 11. F. A'inccnt (Queen Alexandra’s Own), G. Kerr, L. Francis, and J. F. Fleetwood (all of the Garrison). Vincent was among the star performers of the evening. and was accorded generous applause for his fine reading of the work. Unfortunately, he did not play till well after 11, when a large portion of the audience had gone home. Results:- — P. 11. Bayes (Auckland Artillery) 96 W. Stevenson (Wellington Tramways) 91 A. Paxton (.Malvern) .. 92 R. B. Willis (Woolston) ........ 92 11. F. A’inccnt (Wanganui - ' .87 G TROMBONE TEST SOLO. (“ t illage Blacksmith.’’) ~ C. ,1. Aldridge (Auckland Artillery) 93 D. Kerr (Otago Artillery, Dunedin) 91 SIDE DRUM. T. G. Gee (Auckland Artillery) .. 89 C. Bell (Palmerston N. Municipal) 88 BASE DRUM. AV. Woodley (Southland Battalion, Invercargill) 92 T. Stevenson (Gisborne City) .. 91] NOTES AND JOTTINGS Tn the first A Grade lest on Monday, the first band (Auckland Artillery) commenced playing at. 6.50 p.m., and Hie last band (Port Nicholson Silver) finished at 10.50 p.m., but it was 11.15 before the judge, Air. Percy Code, announced his placing of Ihc contestants. The attendance was estimated at 5000 and fully half this number awaited the decision. During 1 lie evening there was a sharp ’ downfall of rain for a couple of minutes, but. fortunately the weather cleared almost immediately, and there was no interference with the program me. The telegraph authorities have done everything possible to expedite the transmission of results. Your correspondent interviewed Air. Frank Aston, Superintendent of Telegraphs, prior to the contest, and Mr. Aston immediately issued instructions that Band Contest results wore 1o be handled expeditiously. Red tape appears to be a minus quantity in the Auckland Telegraph Office. “On the Cornish Coast.’’ the A Grade contest test which will be decided to-night (Thursday), is a brilliant fantasia by Henry Geekl. The work is a most difficult one 10 play, and abounds with technical difficulties. It was the test piece at the last Crystal Palace, contest, so should provide a searching test for the bands who will play it in Auckland. In the latter half of the work the composer has ingeniously woven in themes from the popular song, “The Floral Dance.’’ These themes are tossed about from one instrument to another, in various keys, the xvholc making a most tricky piece of scoring, extremely difficult to negotiate, in performance.