THE KILTIES’ MAGIC WAND.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9388, 6 March 1909, Page 4

THE KILTIES’ MAGIC WAND.

' Conductor Albert Cook, of this great Scottish Canadian Hand, with his magnetic touch, puts real eonl into the musio plaved by the Kilties. He has travelled greater distances with his musicians, and has conducted more concerts in one year, than any other person living He holds the unique record of 700 concerts in 12 months. His magio wand moves up and down in rhythmical motion, and the melody seems to ripple in dainty waves in the direction in which he points it, or to swell out in a beautiful fugue of harmony like the wind and the sea playing on the grand organ pipes of •nature. You ican see by his face that music has harmonised his temperament. Mr Cook is a musician to his Anger tips and he understands the value of “camaraderie” in bands. Mr cook bails from Toronto. He studied at Boston oonservatoriwms and afterwards at Frankfort on Maine, at the College established by Joachim Raff. He is a composer of many pieces, but early found his forte in conducting bauds. The Kilties are a combination of reed and brass instruments. Mr Cook thinks the reeds give a subdued and beautiful effect to playing and enable compositions, to be located in a much more satisfactory manner than would be the case where there is a preponderance of metal. His Majesty King Edward VII. presented Mr Cook with a baton, set with rubies fand diamonds, on the occasion of the second command performance of the Kilties Band. It was His Majesty’s Birthday, and in ortjer to do honour to the talent of this great band, His Majesty donned the kilts. It is the only time on record that any band has ever been twice commanded by King Edward VII. The Kilties Band has bean tonring the world for eight years, under the direction of T. P. J. Power, the famous Canadian enterprenenr. The Kilties are a military band, augmented by the Clan Johnstone troupe of bagpipers and dancers. They will appear in Marton on Tuesday, March 9th, when an open-air matinee will be held in the Park at 3 p.tn., and in the theatre in the evening.