BRASS BANDS
Sir,-For sheer bad taste, appalling in its ignorance, towards a section of the community which renders service in quality and quantity second to none in the country, the letter on brass bands in the current issue of The Listener, written by A. R. D. Fairburn, is the finest example I’ve ever read. I would go further and say it’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a letter, couched in terms and innuendoes calculated to hurt and injure thousands of readers of The Listener, get past the editor! Brass bands have their limitations, and they know it, which is more than can be said of certain music critics. Some of the playing at the recent band contest completely answers Mr. Fairburn’s cheap sneers. The French had a popular song once which claimed that "Forty million’ Frenchmen can’t be wrong." The thousands who thronged the Auckland contest can’t all be wrong, despite the lofty and hyper-critical effusion of Mr. Fairburn. From anfong 31 competing bands with a membership of one thousand men it should surely be obvious to all-except Mr. Fairburn-that there are degrees of musical attainment, especially as there are four grades 6f bands competing. Just as, for instance, there are degrees of understanding and readability in-the frothings of some of our so-called music critics. Mr. Fairburn should know-or if he does not, he is now being told-that criticism to be acceptable to decent people should be free from malice and ridicule; should not be indulged in for the purpose of belittling those criticised and even if there is some justification for such criticism, should then be issued in a constructive manner. Otherwise, as in the letter ‘under review, it is just plain rudeness!
H. GLADSTONE
HILL
(Plimmerton).
(We have had so many letters on this topic that we shall reserve a page for the others in our next issue. Even then they will
have to be severely condensed.-
Ed.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19490401.2.14.1
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 510, 1 April 1949, Page 5
Word Count
322BRASS BANDS New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 510, 1 April 1949, Page 5
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