The Gippsland Hospital Committee on Friday night decided to offer the Band £3 3s for the services of at least 10 performers for the excursion next Thursday, the payment to cover all expenses.

THE JUDGE'S FULL NOTES
(From the “Bairnsdale Advertiser.")
SALE BOROUGH BAND. 107 points, 2nd place
Conductor, Mr A Paul.

Own Choice Selection "Emira"

Allegro Agitato- Opened out brilliantly and good, with a capital, balance of tone and I am at once impressed with the good brass band style. All are playing to end of movement.

Adagio -Again good. The spirit of this movement well conceived and the light and shade admirable. This will take some beating. The big end of band is producing a fine sonorous tone and nice and broad in style, cornet is good in his piano bits and the soprano is a daisy so far. To end of movement good, though the intonation is just a little out at pp with trombones and horns.

Allegretto - Again nicely done. This is a good toned band, and their light and shade is perfect. Cornet is doing well and slurring correctly and is giving out a nice clean tone. At page 10 the sustained notes of second horn are a shade untuneful, with second cornet. The runs by baritones, euphoniums and basses were well done and the movement closed nicely.

Antdantino - Horn plays well, but at minim F sharp the intonation with first baritone was faulty. Soprano just a shade out in a similar way. Horn played very fair to end, though tone, in the last phrase was a little pinched.

Allegro Vivo - This was played well throughout and I can find no fault. I am bound to say, however, that the music is very easy and the effects are easily obtained by any decent band.

Andante - Capital attack all round and again the basses shine. The light and shine are good, but tempo is too quick here. The semi-quavers being too 'rushed. Driving notes are handle all right. Euphonium plays cadenza well, and Cornet plays piano and onward sweetly and effectively. At pp the trombones are effective; the soprano at mf is also good. All the sustained slurred minims are nicely, done, the only blot being a slightly faulty intonation. Cornet is still handling his solo nicely, and the whole band gives me the impression that they are thoroughly familiar with the selection.

Largo Con Brio - Opened well, and the triplets by baritones and euphonium properly realised, also by basses, though at times they were not perfectly together, and the high g by e flat bass was a trifle out. Trombones are also good in this movement and very telling. The short recit by cornet was prettily played.

Vivace - Another movement capitally done, though a shade on the quick side, and the selection closes effectively to the credit of the whole band. Points, 45.

Summary – This is the best performance of a selection I have heard today and the band is a healthy sample of a purely brass band. Their piece was an easy one, but nevertheless there was plenty of scope for good playing. I compliment the band on their excellent performance.

Test Piece, “ Recollections of Flotow."

Allegro Non Troppo - Good attack and good tone, but the handling of the inner parts has a suggestion of rawness here and there. At, rit I notice a cornet slurring where no slur exists, and the rit is a shade overdone, and now at the tempo the tone of the band is course and overblown, and the crisp attack which opened the movement is not so good. At letter B more delicacy is required. The cornet is playing well, but the tenors; etc, are occasionally a little muddy in playing quavers, and the general intonation is at fault, especially when band steps into piano. At. letter, C the diminution of tone was too sudden - should have been a gradual diminution of tone to the end.

Larghetto - Cornet is soon showing a faulty intonation, the upper F being at times painfully sharp. The management of the breathing could also have been better. The emphasised top G is exaggerated. Just a gentle touch of tongue is all that is required. Euphonium is doing nicely with semiquaver runs, but a little nervous. Accompaniments also commendable. As the solo goes along I notice cornet showing signs of exhaustion, which is further evidenced by the production of a poor top B flat. The ff one bar before letter E is very coarse. The two staccato quavers should not be played in this sledge hammer style. -The 9th bar after letter E is not played with due regard to note values and also much too choppy. Euphonium cadenza is just fair. At letter F the staccato semiquavers are altogether too snappy - the notes merely require separating in in easy and natural manner.

At sostenuto cornet is too loud, and all the first piston notes are too sharp, particularly top F, and I don't like the cadenza at the end of movement. The first section of cadenza ought to be as smooth as silk, and not in an "I am coming" style screamed.

Poco Piu Lento - This also commences a little coarsely on the part of cornet. A sweet dainty bit of a solo like this suggests refinement on the face of it, and that top F being so untuneful doesn't impress me. At rit there is a general vagueness, and I am in doubt as to the intention, but it is followed by a capital piu mosso marred only by the intonation of cornet. Attack was splendid here.

Andante - The euphonium opened carefully, but nervously. This is a fairly good player and is doing well. The soprano with cornet put in their duo bits rather effectively, but intonation was not of the best. The turns by euphonium are not a marked success, and I wish .there was less of this tremolo tone; two bars before letter L euphonium tone is made more tremolo by the action of water the slide. The 5th bar after letter M cornet overdoes it. Why smash on those notes in this manner? The accompaniments generally it this movement creditable.

Allegro Non Troppo Here, again the cornets are too much in evidence and are coarse to boot. The basses are good, and I like the trombone, but the cornets have muzzled them and their labours in the early part of this movement, which should stand out conspicuously, are but faint in comparison with them. The second strain is better, in as much as one can now hear the bottom of the band. At letter N there is rather a good horn player, but why is he running away with the tempo. I don't think it is marked stringendo. At letter O the band is brilliant, and shows me distinctly that for attack this is a capital band. At the tenth bar some of the big end of the band is slurring incorrectly. It should tongue the first note of this bar.

Piu Mosso - Good attack, but cornet again imagining that he who blows loudest does the bravest work for his side. Collective playing is wanted here and suppress this tendency to individualism in ensemble playing. The final chord overdone, and much out of tune, consequent on too much straining to produce a powerful tone. It ought to be remembered that a powerful tone is one thing and a powerful noise is still another. Let me kindly advise this band to use discretion in these things and permit moderation to be their watchword. Points 32.

March “Precision”

This band has good attack and style. Introduction nicely managed. Light and shade hardly pronounced enough. The semiquavers for soprano and cornets are nicely articulated, slurs well done, but at times hardly together. The basses give out a good sonorous tone, and the accompaniments neatly given. Side drum deserves a worl of praise; trombones are effective; euphoniun playing capital. Altogether a good rendering of this march. Points 30.

Summary - This is a good band in many respects. The attack is excellent, and there is a crispness of style that is always, the hallmark of an efficient brass band. Still, there were faults that call for amendment, notably a tendency to exaggerate the tone in ff, as well as frequent lapses in intonation; two weak spots in the performance of this section. Otherwise a good band.

(To the Editor of The Gippsland Times.)

Sir,- For very many years a committee, of which the late Mr Coverdale was the indefatigable secretary kept alive the Sale Borough Band. The difficulties were great, but still the band existed; the committee becoming personally responsible for an overdraft of about £100 made to keep things going.

Then a move was made, in which Mr Barry Taylor was a leading spirit, to revive that band. The old committee, secretary and trustees retired, and the now management took possession. Alas! the new broom did not long sweep clean. In about twelve months Mr Taylor retired from the secretaryship, and the end of the band shortly afterwards was reached. Then a great and enthusiastic move was made under the leadership of Mr A. Allan to form a new band, to which the public heartily responded, between £100 and £500 being collected. New instruments were obtained, new uniforms provided, and a new bandmaster engaged, all under the management of a new committee. Never did a band in Sale get such a start. What wouldn't the late Mr Coverdale and his committee have given to have had such a start? Alas! what is the result? So far as the players were concerned, the public have not heard much of the band, while as regards its general management, that has been simply pitiable.

 The first annual meeting of the new band was held recently, and what a lamentable state of affairs the new committee had to report. The Mayor, as chairman, said the committee were only able to give a verbal statement as the band's affairs were in a state of chaos. No report had been drawn up. Mr Holt said he had had great work in drawing up a balance sheet, as the previous treasurer had kept no cash book, and the receipt and letter book were in one. He had the use the cheque book to draw up the balance sheet. Was not Mr Barry Taylor the treasurer? Then Mr Luke, the secretary, appointed I believe on the suggestion of the Mayor, did not appear, but sent in his resignation. No apology or explanation seems to have been offered for the state of chaos. Surely the public who handed over such a large amount of money to a committee comprising men of the position of a Mayor, bank manager, newspaper proprietor, &c., are entitled to have some reason given for what otherwise appears to have been gross neglect.

Only £71 is in hand. A few months will see this spent, and then the Sale Brass Band will, I suppose, perish. because the public cannot be expected, and are not likely, to subscribe more money for such management. What has the Mayor, as chairman, and his treasurer and secretary, to say on behalf of their “management"!

Yours, &c., AN OLD SUBSCRIBER.

The Sale Brass Band intend competing at the Warragul competitions, and for the purpose of raising money for that end they intending holding a monster euchre tournament and dance in the Victoria Hall on Monday, Sept. 11th. Double ticket 2s 6d.