OUR BRASS BANDS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 8 December 1927, Page 7

OUR BRASS BANDS

ENGLISH JUDGE’S CRITICISM. '•ARTISTIC FLEXIBILITY LACKING.” Mr. Palliser, president of the North Island Bands Association, has received a letter from Mr. Halliwefi, of Wigan, England, who judged the last contest m Wellington. He says: "It is difficult to describe just how the bands stand, in a way, there are many first-rate bands, 'yet the result is somewhat disappointing. Jn the first place they have not that solid, even sonorousness and oneness of tone which obtains at Home, and there is a lack of cohesion in idea and performance. This does not mean lack of smartness in attack; some are very smart indeed. It is more correctly described as wanting in artistic flexibility. In individual playing there is ample evidence of this quality, but in combnation it is weak.” Mr. Halliwell believes that if New Zealand bands could overcome this weakness they would be better on the average than English hands. He said that deliberately, because there seemed to he more care taken in the cnrlv training of the player. He remarks on the performance of the boys, and says there were many good soloists in the advanced sections, some splendid executants, and a few really fine players all round.