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Why It Never Wins

By

Wirihana

Auckland’s Municipal Band Is Not Ekigible

Dp: AND that has never won a contest, the Auckland FG Municipal is one of the best-if not the best gD band of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. ~ + Not eligible for contests because it is a military and not a brass band, the Auckland Municipal Band, in its instrumentation, is unique in New Zealand and Australia. Just as Boston is known the world over for its Sym phony Orchestra, and Philadelphia for its Philharmonic Orchestra, so is Auckland, at least, in Australia and New Zealand, known for its municipal band. First Conductor ORMED 15 years ago, the Municipal Band had as its first conductor one of the best of British bandsmen, the late Christopher Smith, who was specially brought from Adelaide, where he was then conductor of the Adelaide Municipal Tramway Trust Band. Mr. Smith toured Australia and New Zealand as conductor of the famous old English combination, the Besses Q’ The Barn, and at the conclusion of the tour Adelaide fortunately secured his services. , This wonderful conductor built up a truly great band in Auckland, and made it one of the most efficient cultural amenities of the city. He met an untimely end on August 27, 1930, when, after leaving a band rehearsal, he was knocked down and killed by a tram. His place wag filled by another most experienced bands. man, Captain George Buckley, who acted as conductor until he retired in March, 1986. Captain Buckley is at present conductor of the Auckland Artillery: Band.

AYTER the appointment of the present conductor, Mr TT J. O’Connor, the band was placed under the control of a sub-committee of the Auckland City Council, comprising the © mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, the Hon. Bernard Martin, M.L.C., deputymayor, and Councillor C. Bailey, as chairman. Mr. Bailey was one of the original members of the Auckland Municipal Band as a player of the euphonium. Known to his intimate friends as "Tim," Mr. O’Connor Was born and educated iu Timaru, Where, us a very young boy, he started off his

musical career by learning to play the tin-whistle-left-handed, too. He took music seriously at the age of 17, when he began to learn the clarinet, and later joined the then Timaru Garrison Band under Herr Paul. Old-time bandsmen will remember that at this time Harry Elgin — was drum-major and guided the band through many a quick-step to contest victories. Later, Mr. O’Connor was for several years a member of Derry’s Military Band, Christchurch. His first professional engagement was when he played in a band at the races. His First Sovereign "You have no idea how proud I was when I raced home to my mother with the sovereign that I earned," "Tim" told me, adding that he learned to play the clarinet in his spare time. His first important engagement was when he played in an orchestra at St. James Theatre (then His Majesty’s) in Wellington, on Boxing Night, 1912. He says he was distinctly fortunate in receiving such sound musical tuition and general advice from two wellknown Wellington musicians, Frank Crowther and Jack Garry. They guided him in his early days and taught him the vaudeville side of playing. This might sound strange to some, but vaudeville playing is regarded as the finest grounding any musician can have. HE first post of Mr. O’Connor as a conductor was in 1914, when he formed an orchestra in Timaru. When he enlisted for the war in 1915, his tin-whistle came into its own. Returning to New Zealand in 1917, "Tim" took over the musi-

cal directorship of the Timaru’ Returned Soldiers’ Association’s orchestra, writing, orchestrating and conducting a number of the shows. He played with Pat Hanna’s "Diggers," conducted orchestras and church choirs in Australia and in New Zealand, and took part in grand opera, symphony work, solo performances on the concert platform, and woodwind in Gilbert and Sullivan presentations under Gustav Slappoffski. In fact, the whole gamut of the musical scale built up his present high reputation as a inusician and band conductor. He re(Cont. on page 39.) ns ‘

Why They Never Win |

AUCKLAND CITY BAND (Continued from page 12). ceived special mention for his work from the Auckland City Council at a meeting in September, 1936. THE Auckland Municipal Band has 35 players-11 clarinets, two flutes, one oboe, one. bassoon, three saxophones, four french horns, three trumpets, three trombones, one baritone, one euphonium, three brass bass, one string bass and two drums, The band broadcasts through 1YA every first and third Sunday of the month throughout the whole year. There are four paradestwo rehearsals and two performances 2 week, and during the summer months the band plays twice every Sunday in the city’s various parks. That his band is popular with listeners is reflected in the tremendous fanmail the conductor receives. "Listeners are of tremendous assistance to me," said Mr. O'Connor, "for they tell me what pieces they like." . VERY member of the band is spe cially selected and the best instrumentalist that can be obtained. The deputy-conductor, Mr. Hal. 6. McLennan, who plays the flute and piccolo, is well known to ali listeners. To show what class of player the band included, I was reminded of the fact that during the tour of the famous Grenadier Guards’ Band to New Zealand, Major Miller, the conductor, took away with him young P. W. Hastoe, of the Municipal Band, whom he said was one of the best clarinets he had heard outside of Great Britain. After hearing Eastoe play for him, Major Miller immediately engaged him, and Eastoe left with the Grenadier Guards. He is still a member of this band, and is doing famously in England, AS I looked at the photograph of the *~" pand, Mr. O’Connor pointed to Fred Ewart, the tympanist, wearing the war ribbons, "Fred," he told me, "wag the youngest soldier to leave New Zealand with the Expeditionary Force. He went away with the Main Body, was at the landing at Gallipoli, and fought in France, and when he came ‘back at the end of the war he was still too young to go away!" On leaving the band practice room, I stumbled against an upright piano. "Don’t hurt that piano, please!" "Tim" said. "It once belonged to Paderewski. See-the keyboard folds up." And it did. It was the first piano T had ever seen with a folding keyboard. And one of the smallest pianos. It was specially made for the great Polish planist, who always took it on his tours with him so that he could practice on it in the seclusion of his cabin on boats or in the room of his hotel, "No one knows how it got here,’ added the conductor. "I don’t anyway But because the master pianist played on it we all treasure it very much."

This article text was automatically generated and may include errors. View the full page to see article in its original form.I whakaputaina aunoatia ēnei kuputuhi tuhinga, e kitea ai pea ētahi hapa i roto. Tirohia te whārangi katoa kia kitea te āhuatanga taketake o te tuhinga.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/RADREC19380506.2.10.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Radio Record, 6 May 1938, Page 12

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,145

Why It Never Wins Radio Record, 6 May 1938, Page 12

Why It Never Wins Radio Record, 6 May 1938, Page 12

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