45 BANDS ENTER N.Z. CONTEST

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 October 1948, Page 4

45 BANDS ENTER N.Z. CONTEST

GARRISON, QUEEN’S OWN, MARTON INCLUDED

WELLINGTON. Last Night (PA).— Forty-five bands have entered for the championship brass band festival, to be held at Auckland from February 13 to 19, this being a record number for New Zealand, according to Mr. J. G- Osborne, secretary of the New Zealand Brass Bands Association. The following bands have been nominated for the various tests:— CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS Auckland Watersiders, Hawera Municipal, Kaikorai Brass, 2nd New Zea.and Armoured Regiment (Queen Alexandra’s Own), Woolston Brass, Wanganui Garrison, and Wellington Watersiders. B GRADE A Section: Ashburton Silver, Auckland Watersiders (Junior), , Ist Battalion Auckland Regiment, B.enheim Regimental, Hastings Citizens, Wellington Institute, Lower Hutt Municipal, Nelson Garrison, Palmerston North Garrison, Greymouth Municipal. B Section: Crichton's Cobbers, Hamilton Citizens, Te Aroha Municipal, Newmarket Returned Soldiers, Wellington Tramways, Whangarei Municipal.. C GBADE Auckland City, Gisborne City, Hawke's Bay Regimental, Kerepeni Boys, Marton Municipal, Masterton Municipal, Matamata Citizens, Motueka Citizens, Mt. Eden, Ngaruawahia Municipal, Otahuhu Railway Workshops, Patea Municipal, Papatoetoe Municipal, Ponsonby Boys, Takapuna Municipal, Te Akarana Girls, Te Aroha Boys, Te Awamutu Municipal, and Wellington Watersiders (Junior). Test selections to be played by championship bands when the New Zealand brass band contests are held in Auckland next February are "Selection from Carmen," by Bizet, and "Northern Rhapsody,” by Thomas Keighley. “Northern Rhapsody” is built up on the North of England idiom and includes the well-known tune, "On Ilkk'.mamoor,” and a Morris dance from Mottram-in-Longendale, Cheshire. Other test selections are:—■

B grade.—A section: "Gems of Chofin,” "Sinfonietta" (Gheel) and "Pride of Race" (K. A. Wright). B section: "Serenad(tfczart). C grade.—" Divertimento" (Eric Ball).

The judges will be Mr. A. H. Baillie (Sydney), Mr. T. Goodall (Wellington) and Mr. J. D. Goflin (Timaru).

Under the new system, brass bands taking part in the contests are divided into four grades-championship grade, A grade, B grade and C grade. Both Wanganui bands, Queen Alexandra and Wanganui Garrison, are in the championship grade, the other six in this section being Woolston, Kaikorai, Hawera, Auckland Watersiders and Wellington Watersiders.

In preparation for the contests. Wanganui bands are making an immediate start with practising the test selections.