BANDSMEN’S NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8338, 25 January 1913, Page 10

BANDSMEN’S NOTES

By “Magenta.” 1 Since Christmas and New Year have ] passed, the brass bands of Wellington - have been resting, which no doubt they : deserved after the strenuous time of the < festive season. They have now settled < down into steady work again, and will , render accounts of themselves in duo - course. The Mission Baud gives its week- • ly performance every Sunday evening in , Uliuzuee street, under the leadership oi ; Mr H. Baker, and needless to say the ■ public attend in large numbers. Hie < standard of play is well maintained, and ; tho members are all enthusiasts in their work- The S.A. baud, too, pursues its ■ way harmoniously, and its appearances are well patronised. Mr F. L. Dean is still at the head of St. Anne’s Cadets Band, and under his tuition the boys are acquitting themselves well. The Miramar Brass Band, which Mr Dean also conducts, is going ahead well. Japp's Band still puts in good work, tho men attending practices, well, ami turning up in good numbers at the municipal fixtures, while the I’etono Municipal Baud is frequently playing out to appreciative listeners. Secretaries of bands are invited lo send in reports of performances, progress of the band, movements of bandsmen, annual meetings, etc., which will bo welcome. Newspaper reports have a wonderful effect in heartening up the members of a, band, stimulating interest in musical matters generally, and assisting to promote that healthy rivalry which is as the -breath of life to bauds all the world oyer. Many a band lias been saved from dying a natural death by a timely paragraph in a newspaper. Ernst Fanelli is a drummer in the Colonne Orchestra of Paris. For forty years Fanelli has been, hammering away at the tympani in different Parisian orchestras. Tonic, Dominant, Sub-Domin-ant, over and over again, day after day, year after year, Fanelli pounded away at the foundations of tho classics. Incidentally he helped out hie, living by copying. Finally he approached the conductor of the orchestra, tho famous Gabriel Pierne. and begged for more work as a copyist. Ho showed Mm some of his work. ’ “Whose composition is this?" asked Pierne. “It is mine," replied the drummer. "X wrote it forty years ago.” “Why, it’s a masterpiece!’ cried Pierne. "We shall play it with the orchestra.” It was played and made a great success. Now they are trying to raise a fund to permit the sixty-year-old composer to “compose iu peace” without the spectre of want at his back all the time. Band matters are reported to be brisk in Wanganui. The Garrison, under Conductor Wade, is beloved by the townspeople of the river port, and never fails to draw crowded houses when it announces one of its popular concert recitals. The City Band, under Lieutenant G. Buckley, also has its hosts of friends and admirers, and the members pay good attention to the weekly band practices. With two fine bands Wanganui need never- go short of gpod mnsic. The Wellington City keeps up its membership vary well. Though no longer a military organisation the entluißinaiu of the bandsmen is ae keen as over, and its appearances in public under the leadership of Lieut. T. Herd are always welcomed. The hand has been lucky in securing the services of Stevenson, the brilliant young E fiat cornetist, and the other sections are all filled by capable instrumentalists. An American musical magazine says that "the London Symphony Orchestra, which recently visited the States under the leadership of Arthur Nikisch, is comparable with, though ■ it docs not surpass. the finest orchestras in America. Nikisch himself, it says, has lost nothing of his old-time magnetism since ho conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and has lost nothing of his oldtime mastery. A "symphony mandolin orchestra” has been formed in Chicago, iu which plectral instruments have been subsitutea for the violin family, while the woodwind and brass remain the same, inis is a novel experiment, and it will he interesting to see how it will turn out (says n musical writer). 'The combination ought to prove at least as effective as the military band," which substitutes extra wind instruments for strings. The violin family, however, will never be eliminated from the orchestra, as there is no other group of instruments which combines beauty of tone with snob a wide variety of colour, and technical possibilities. The Lyttelton Marine Band is reported to no making good progress under Conductor W. S. King, The citizens of the port take a keen interest m its welfare, and its public performances are always well attended. The band visited Christchurch last Sunday, where it is always welcome, but it struck had luck as tar as tho weather is concerned. A howling nor’-wester blew as only it can blow in Christchurch, and bandsman and public suffered alike. Bousa’s Band is on tour in the United States, and has been engaged to appear at the great Panama Canal Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. The Wellington Racing Club’s decision to have a brass band at its meeting, which opened on Wednesday, has been received with approval by the public. A feature of past meetings was tho music of the brass bund, and when an orchestra was substituted doubts were expressed in many quarters as to the wisdom of the step. There is no doubt that the orchestra discoursed fine music, but tho public as a whole had not the opportunity of enjoying it. for the simple reason that strings are "not in it” with brass in the open air. The shrill tones of tho cornet, tho booming of tho bassee, and the rhythmic heating of the big drum lend an air of gaiety and festivity to a fathering in the open air that is beyond The powers of the finest orchestra. Each has its speciality- —the orchestra for indoors and the brass band for outside — and therefore it is no reflection on the capability of the former when it is superseded at a race meeting by a brass band. Tho National Chorus of Toronto, Canada, has just concluded a three days’ festival of music, in conjunction with the New York Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Walter Damrosch. Two concerts were afterwards given in Toronto and ono in Buffalo. New York. The festival was looked forward lo with a great deal of interest in musical circles, and full reports should he shortly to hand. The Marton Junction Band is still pegfing away under Conductor Sharpe, ‘here is a friendly rivalry between that band and the veteran Marton Royals, but, as they say that “competition is the soul of business,” so the ambition of each organisation must be of mutual benefit. The cause of music will not suffer, and the general public will reap the advantage. - In their smart uniforms 1 h- 1 Waterside Workers’ Band have a splendid appearance. From a small beginning the band has worked steadily on, and the members have taken a praiseworthy interest in the

practices, which after all. must tell in the long run. The hand is new one of the recognised musical bodies in Weiiington. The sth Beghiiont' Band Uio even tenor of its way. , The writer has not had the pleasure ol hearing it \erj often lately, but at the reception to Lord Liverpool those who aUenoei ;;a\o a good account of themselves. Sir U. Mctouush wielded the baton in good style. A lew more public appearances would be corae. The matter of municipal subsidies was somewhat before the public a lew weeks back, when the question of placing the Waterside Workers’ Baud on the list was discussed by councillors and other.-. The gist, of the discussion seemed to l>e that the City Council had had no official intimation that the watersiders hau a hand, and that until the hand, could prove its claim to a subsidy—viz. by proving to the satisfaction ot councillors that it could play—the subsidy would be withheld. Such an attitude was hardly fair to the band. It had already proved that it could play, and play very well, and tbfl.ro was really no necessity to put it through a tost. The formation of the hand was duly chronicled in the daily press, and the members, alver diligent ami praiseworthy practice, made many appearances in public. Surely that was official intimation enough that there was a Waterside Workers’ Band in existence! When the instruments were publicly exhibited in the city, that was ordinary proof that the band was in process ol formation; arid when the hand procured its handsome uniform no further confirmation was needed. If the granting of the sudsidy has not already been done it is time such a step was decided on. There are only three fciss bands receiving a subsidy, and the addition of a fourth band would not sorhxusly affect the city’s finances. One hotel alone in Kew York spends fifty thousand dollars annually on mutjo. A book has just been published in England entitled “The Full Eocognitiou of Japan,” in which an interesting account is given of music in that country. A bureau of music was established by the Government more than IUOO years ago. .\l usic was used by the Buddhists and Bhintos us a means ot emotional interpretation of religion. Noble families were entrusted with the monopoly of directing performances, and special kinds of music became hereditary secrets. With the “'awakening” of Japan, about forty years ago, music was in danger of dying by disuse. The War Department boldly recognised the need of importing occidental music, and an English bandmaster was engaged. Members of the band wore also sent to Paris to study, and in 1883 a German instructor was imported. Evidently Japan has been pursuing her old policy of selecting whatever is best from all over the world. The Amalgamated Musicians’ Union of England has now a vocalists’ section, this will be a boon to the chorus singers of the Old Land, where they have generally been at the mercy of managers. Many people have wondered why, on the inauguration of the now defence scheme in New Zealand, the old garrison and other bands were dispensed with and regimental bands formed. Naturally the members of the old organisations hold aloof from the new order of things, ana to a great extent that aloofness is still apparent. They felt they had been slighted, and that their poet services should have received more recognition lhaii tthey did, so they will eetain their’membership in those bands which nave not gone to the wall, and the cause of military music has suffered in proportion. The present military bands are doing really well under the circumstances, and in time no doubt the old grievance will disappear.