BAND COLUMN

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 70

BAND COLUMN

Notes bt Coenbt.

Secretaries of bands are invited to send in Interesting paragraphs, also brief, reports oi ■arades and other functions in which their Ijands take part. All communications should be addressed to *'C<ornet," Otago Witness office.

Bandsmen will be sorry to hear of the Continued ill-healtb of Mr James Crichton. Xratest advices state that the popular conductor of the Wanganui Band is now in a. private hospital, and not doing any too well. However, I trust to hear soon of hie improving health. During his enforced absence the baton is being wielded by Bandmaster George Buckley, and uncter bis direction tho band gave the following {programme on tho Queen's Park rotunda, sWanganui, to an appreciative audience : — Contest march, "N. 1.8.8 *A." (Trussel) ; con test march, "William Tell" (Rossini); "Hallelujah Chorus" ; euphonium solo, "O pure and tender etax of eve," from •■"Tanahauser," by Bandsman T- Gray; inarch, "Merry Maids" ; trombone solo, *'Death of Nelson," by Bandsman S. Sly; cornet solo, "Alas, those chimes," from "Maritana," by Bandmaster Buckley; hymn, "Licad kindly light" ; march, "The Ctoesack." Xli« programme was repeated jfby request) the following Sunday at the jubilee Home.

.Hospital Sunday at Petone, Wellington, fcccoiding to letters and programmes kindly sent me, was a decided success, musically and financially. An ex-Dunedin bandsman, Mr "Bob" Jones, for some years a' member of the North-East Valley and Dunedin Navals' Band, is now conductor of the ■Petone Brass Band, having resigned from (the Wellington Garrison to take up that position. An extract from the Petone Chronicle says: — "The conductor of the iPetone Citizens' Band, Mr R. Hutchinson, ,was congratulated on all sides on Sunday* .on the exquisite playing of his band. Included amongst the players are four champions — Wilkinson, cornet, of Code's Band, Melbourne; Sullivan, cornet, of National {jruards' Band, California; Waitings, trombone, Albury; and Greening, euphonium, (Wellington m Garrison. Manjr experienced! bandsmen considered the Citizens' Band (the best of the afternoon, and predict that jin a short time they will be the premier band of Wellington." There is no doubt the New Plymouth Contest Committee are doing all in their power to make things go smooth and easy lor the competing bands during their stay in that town. On arriving at the termination, of the journey the fixing up and 'despatching of the bands' luggage to the itotel is always a vexatious business, often causing a wait at the station of about 20 minutes or so, and at a time when the bandsmen are in anything but a waiting tumour. This the committee are remedying, by taking- charge on arrival of each band's luggage and- forwarding it to* the band's accommodation house. .This thoughtfulness will certainly be appreciated. Mr C. M'Connefl, trombonist, of Port Phalmers, is now a member of Hastings (Band.

For the 1908 season the Manchester Parks {Music Committee have, fixed the price of payment to first-olase bands at £5 and second class £3 15s per with 5s added for carriage of stands. Bands tin their applications have to state the number of performers, place of rehearsal', and evening of the week on which euch 'retbearsals are held. The standard of playling and class of music must be good, an«t jwith the bands it is the "survival of the 'fittest." The reported unfit bands have ito -become proficient before having their application considered for the following season's playing. Following this, their playing is examined, and the band ie classed and accepted or rejectd, as the case may be. By this means the city gets good .value for the ixmey spent on> music for .the people. Quite a public function was the opening 'of the St. Kilda band rotunda, the first 5n Dunedin and suburbs. The unpromising appearance of thj^evening kept a few hunttred people away who otherwise would have augmented the crowd of between £000 and 3000 who attended the ceremony. As I have previously described the structure, it will suffice to add that the paintting, etc., hae given the prettiness and lightbees necessary to a band \ rotunda, from an (architectural point of view. In their enItleavour to provide ample space beneath ithe floor, the architects have certainly leurtailed the space between ceiling and floor. Another foot or two- higher would Shave been better, but a few performances /will decide what seems at present an (immaterial point. The honour of opening the stand fell to Mr W. Burk, Mayor of St. Kilda, who in hie speech made reference to the business relations -with the 'donors of the site, the Ocean 'Beach Domain Board, the board promising additional 'land if required. After referring in the most complimentary terms to the architects, (Messrs Barton and Walden, who generously gave their services free, to the various contractors who worked <m. the building, and to tho financial position, the speaker Stated that a committee elected yearly .would supervise the improvements—^seating, tree-planting, etc.,— and by making the place most attractive, he hoped the bands would make good use of the rotunda, for She public's and tleir own benefit. (Speeches were also made by Mr E. G. 'Allen, M.P. (who referred to the prosperity of Musselburgh and --the benefits of band* music), and Or T. Cole (of the Dunedin City Council, who stated, "in" reference to ■the £30 paid as a yearly subsidy fo each band, that this amount would "be increased .when justified). An apology was Teceiyed from Mr Keith Ramsay, also a donation of one guinea. A collection resulted in the sum of £18 being taken in the boxes. The musical programme was supplied by the ■Dunedin Garrison, Kaikorai, and Pipe Bands. The honour of playing tho opening piece fell to the Garrison Band, who; under Ahe confluctorship of Lieutenant George, pave the march "On the Banks of the iErbe," « 1 selection from x Tbe " Geisha," tad the Witz "Mai Cara." Kaikorai's contribution* were: Barn dance, "Clorsnde," and overture, "Zampa" (HeroM). ?Phe Pipe Band's items were: "The 79th'a fcarewell to Gibraltar," "Piolbhmor" Ivalse), "Brae* of Tullymet" (strathspey), "The Campbells are Coming" (maron); *<Boa, Cameron" (valse), "Mies Drummond of Perth" (strathspey), and "Kilts My Pelight" (reel). The playing by the Garri■on Band of the National Anthem concluded a. successful evening's entertainment.

Mr S. Trowneon, Kaikorai trombonist, has returned- to Dunedin from Gore.

Kaikorai Band was engaged for three days at tho Wingatui races, and on Sunday performed a programme of music in tho Botanical Gardens. Good progress has been made witb the preparations for >*the Ballarat trip, financially and musically, and the band is looking forward to a good winter's practice on A. Owen's splendid selection, " Heroic." A month's practice on the majority of selections is sufficient. After that a band is apt to get "etalish." This is not likely to bp the case with "Heroic." Mr Owen has created a selection that is both a pleasure to play and to study, a piece that a band can play with keen relish after months of rehearsal. The great musio firm of Wright andRourfd, Liverpool, and practically the makers of the English brass bands, writing of the Besses Band tour in the colonies, say: "It is not too much to say that their visit t<y New Zealand and Australia will quite alter the style of playing there, and that "henceforth the great endeavour will be to make much of the little things and of following the craze for big tilings and making little of them. We went through the same phase here 30 years ago. The -musical value of a piece was judged by its difficulty, and during the whole of that 30 years few contest jmdges have had the [ courage to speak out and say ' Difficult mu3ic is not synonymous with good music,' for judges do pot like to take a stand against a prevailing' foebion. As we grow better artiste we despise more and more the technical side of playing, and love more and more the emotional, and' we find, little by little, that the easier a thing is the more difficult it is. We told Mr Owen and Mr Boyle before Besses went out exactly how . they would find the bands in America and Australasia— plenty of good players, and very. very few good bands. Take the case of Mr F. L. Traverei, a brilliant New Zealand cornet Dlayer and a successful conduotor. When he arrived in England he was ereatly disappointe-l with contests I like Kirkcaidy and bands like Besses. But the longer he stays here the more he hears in the playing. Thousands of beautiful nuaoees which at first he never noticed have been impressed^ on his memory, and jiow be finds that a man may proclaim himself a. great artist by playing only half a* dozen level notes, because he can convey such a message with those half a dozen notes as jio one else can. It is a great pity that our colonial cousins had not the •pleasure of hearing Mr Owen's playing. That would have been the. greatest revelation of all, for to hear him play a recitaiive is to realise the highest possibilities of braes instrument playing. We have teard most of the great brass instrument players of the past 40 years, but in expres-' sion, tone, sense, and meaning none has ever approached him in this kind of work. It 'was not in mere execution that _Mr Owen stood pre-eminent, but in artistic expression. We have plenty of players who could get through as many notes aa he could, but none who could make the same sense of half a dozen simple notesc When we sent out ' Schubert ' • td contests in Australia and New Zealand we were told it -was easy— far too easy. •We were told the same of ' Halevy.,' ' Herold,' and ' T*nnhauser.' They were all too easy. We knew.* exactly what was, the matter ( anJ when we explained ourselves *c only got laughed at for our pains. And now they tell us that their eyes are opened, and.fchev understand what we meant. The -artist is he who can make little things arreat, who can take .up things that others deem mere dross and turn them into gold." The above letter 16 a splendid object lesson, and if applied to individual handsmen, ajso bandmasters, is worth pounds per every word in the letter. A ' plea.aant surprise awaited Mr ,T. Bes•wick on his return home from judging the Ballarat contest. A letter from Secretary W. D. Hill conveying ±he Competitions Committee's appreciation of the good work —the most satisfac+orv judging ever done *t the contests— of Mr Beswiok, reached Manchester in advance of the^ popular adjudicator. The letter, containing as it did a. future invitation to Australia, gave Mr Beswick great pleasure. The Temuka Bicvele Olub i« ciroula.ris--' ing bands concerning the holding of a second-class band contest on Easter Monday in conjunction with the club's annual snorts. The -oriyes suargetfed are— First £20: second, £10; third, £5. F.ach band would select its-own test" piece. The club is desirous of ascertaining What amount of support is likely to be forthcoming, and bands who have any tdf* of taking part should «v>mmunicate with the secretary (Mr D. M. RodgersK. The Gi«borne Private Band, under Mr D. M*Killop. gave a successful open-air concert on Sunday," 16th inst., when an attractive programme was carried through. Mr T. Rodger gave as a cornet solo "Annie Laurie," from the selection '• " Fair Maid of Perth in which lc Mary of Argyle " /euphonium) ' was introduced. While the local papers say' there was a large attendance, a letter p'uWished a, day or two later complained of the poor support given to the bands' by the public, of which only a small TvroDortion took advantage of tho concert referred to. The writeV. who forwarded 10s 6d as a token of his appreciation of the playing of the Gisborne Private Band, wants to know why the Poverty Bay Turf Club does not engage one of the local bands instead of visiting professionals.