THE BAND CONTEST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 312, 10 January 1908, Page 2

THE BAND CONTEST.

LIEUTENANT HERD REPLIES TO CRITICS. In our issue of yesterday there appeared a statement from Dunedin by the secretary of the Kaikorai Band, Mr tT. G. Oslwrne, giving reasons why that Kind had decided to withdraw from the coming band contest. LIEITI'EXAXT HERD'S REPLY.

A representative of the Dominion interviewed Lieutenant Herd on Tuesday afternoon with reference to the statement.

'lhe secretary of the Kaikorai Band i* entirely wrong," replied Lieutenant Herd. "The position, with regard to the Masterton incident, was this:—l was staying at the same hotel as Mr Hume, and after the first selection had been played I was going to bed when Mr Dixon (agent for Messrs Boosey, instrument makers) invited me to come into Air Hume's room. Mr Hume, without any suggestion whatsoever from me, gave me the results of the first selection. I was disgusted, and said so. Mr Hume remarked that it was customary, In English contests, for the marks to l>e announced immediately after each selection. 1 thereupon informed (he secretary of the Association (Mr K .). ( lakes), wlio called a meeting of bandsmen. .Mr Hum® was present at the meetinj. as also was Mr Dixon, who supported my statement as to what had occurred in Mr Hume's room. The meeting, with one exception, approved of my action in informing the secretary of the Association, and the matter then dropped. "With regard to the second allegation contained in Mr Osborne's statement. in which he accuses me of having obtained an unfair advantage over my opponents by procuring the score of 'l.'Ebreii' in advance, my reply is that immediately the name of the scleclion was made public. 1 cabled Home for the score. Any other enterprising bandmaster would have done the same thing." HOW THE "TEST PIECE" IS SELECTED.

The procedure with respect to band contest selections is stated to lie as follows:—'Whe» a contest lias been decided upon, the secretary of the executive of I lie Hands' Association is instructed to

j write Homo to a firm of music publishers (usually Messr*. fl. Smith and Co.), asking them to select a suitable piece for a contest of grade or "B," as the case m;iy be, The particular piece selected U not known to the local executive. Immediately upon the arrival in the Dominion of the music, the shipment is bunded over either to the president of the Bund*' Aasoeiation. or the Mayor of the town in winch the contest is to t;ike place. Precisely three months from the date of the contest the music U distributed to the competing bands, so that each may practice on the set piece on equal term#. An enterprising conductor. on receipt of h j ?« score, may cable j Home for the ''opera score," containing the words, us this is of great assistance to him in arriving at an artistic interpretation of the music, j THE KLKOTIOX OF .WOrtE. opinions differ as to the method of appointing judges for band contests. At present, the rule Is that only competing bands have a vote. Tt is held by some that the eleHion should Ik> conducted under the auspice* of tlie full Associat;"U. each oflHiated band having a vote, whether competing in the contest, or not. lit the opinion of some, a band should have the option of withdrawing from the contest if the result of the election dnes not meet with its approval. although the more sportemnnliVe eonrse would certainly b? to accept the ruling of the majority.