extra supplement: the competition festival record september 1, 1909

Extra Supplement: The Competition Festival Record September 1, 1909Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 50, No. 799 (Sep. 1, 1909), pp. 81-84Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/905840 .

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The Musical Times. EXTRA SU PPLEMENT. September 1,1909.

This Supplement is part also of the September issue of THE SCHOOL MUSIC REVIEW, and can be obtained with the REVIEW, Price idd.

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Competition 5estiaal Z1ecorb No. 14.

CARMARTHEN. August 2 (Bank Holiday).

This is an Eisteddfod of some importance. Much of its popularity is no doubt due to its efficient manage- ment. The secretary, Mr. J. C. H. Portnell, brings experience and natural capacity to bear upon the onerous business arrangements. The event was held in the Park in a marquee erected for the occasion. It was large enough to seat some thousands of visitors, but of course it cannot be said that the acoustic properties were ideal. The musical competitions embraced the following classes: solo-singing for all kinds of voices; junior and senior pianoforte playing; vocal duets; and choirs for juvenile, female-voices, male-voices, and mixed-voices. The principal results were as follows:

CHIEF CHORAL COMPETITION (choirs not under 80 in number). First prize, ?40. Second prize, ?xo. ?1 is. to each of the

unsuccessful conductors. Test: " By Babylon's wave " (Gounod).

Pantteg Choral Society (Mr. R. J. Gregory), 53. Treboeth United Choral Society (Mr. William Jenkins), 6o.

2nd. Myrddin Choir (Mr. D. N. Jones), 61. ist. Penygraig Philharmonic Choir (Mr. D. Rowland Jones), 65.

Aberaman United Choir (Mr. Gwilym Evans), 57. (The maximum marks in all classes was 80.)

PANTTEG sang first. They displayed more enthusiasm than discipline. The attack was fierce, and the rhythm was too heavily accented. They sharpened a half-a-tone in the last section, the accompanist dutifully following the ascent.

TREBOETH at first exhibited good tone, and the expression was emotional. The intonation was not pure, and in the last movement the singing was badly out of tune. The attack was often excellent.

MYRDDIN began very softly, and secured a tender and sincere expression. The Moderato movement was much too fast, and the ensuing Allegro was taken at the same pace. The execution was fluent, and the drill showed good training.

PENYGRAIG at first distinguished itself by its amazing dilatoriness in starting. At the recent National Eisteddfod in London a prize was given for smartness in coming on the platform and being ready to begin. Penygraig would not have won the prize. Dr. McNaught said that in his lifelong experience of Eisteddfodau he had never before seen such masterly inactivity. However, it must be stated that the choir sang very well, and they gained the first prize. The tone was blendful, and there was evidence of much thoughtful study in the expression. Rubato was far too much used. The basses sang excellently. At the end movement the tone fell off, but the dramatic interpretation of this section in some degree engaged the attention and dwarfed faults.

ABERAMAN made a brave attempt, but the choir has not sufficient experience or ability for this piece. The start was impressive and the intonation was here well maintained. Later the tone was not blendful and sweet. The Moderato was too fast. Some mistakes were made.

MALE-VOICE COMPETITION (not under 60 in number). First prize-?40 and a baton to the conductor. ?i Is. to each of

the unsuccessful conductors. Tests: (a) "Lovely maiden" (D. Pughe Evans), unaccompanied;

and (b) "The Reveille" (Elgar). Mountain Ash Orpheus Male-Voice Party (Mr. H. Llewellyn).

xst. Swansea District Male-Voice Party (Mr. D. Llew Bowen). Carmarthen Male-Voice Party (Mr. W. Dunn Williams).

MOUNTAIN ASH sang (a) quite beautifully. The rhythm was delicate and dainty, and there was conspicuous unity of attack and oneness of tone-colour. More vitality

was needed at the end: 73. They began (b) in promising style, catching the mood and fire. Then they began to miss some of the fine points of the piece, its breadth and intensity. They were not quite in tune, but they kept the pitch astonishingly well: 62. Total 135.

SWANSEA was in fine form. The first piece (a) was charmingly sung. There was an attractive crispness in the rhythm and a piquant delicacy in the expression: 75. (b) " The Reveille"' revealed the fine capacity and resource of the choir. There was due frenzy and agitation, fairly if not completely controlled. Some of the expression was thrilling and few points were missed: 71. Total, 146.

CARMARTHEN displayed a bright tone in (a) and the execution was fairly neat. On the whole it seemed that not all the singers knew the music well. They ended rather sharp; 6I. In (b) the tone adopted was too hard -a sort of barking quality. This resulted in a rather trivial performance of the nobler passages of the piece. Much more unity and certainty of execution were called for: 55. Total, 116.

LADIES' CHOIRS (not under 30 in number). First prize, 7. Second Prize, ?2. Ios. 6d. to each of the

unsuccessful conductors. Test: "Blodau Mai" (J. 0. Jones).

Excelsior Ladies' Choir (Madame Ben Thomas), 57. Carway and District Ladies' Choir (Miss Violet Gilbert), 60.

ist. Carmarthen Young Ladies' Choir (Miss A. M. Buckley), 70. 2nd. Tyrhos and District Ladies' Choir, 68.

EXCELSIOR.-Unsteady tone, but pleasant in quality. Rhythmic treatment lacked grace. Some voices need repression. Some effective, tender expression secured. Not certain of the notes.

CARWAY.-A hesitant start. Piquant style. The facial expression was noticeable. Some graceful rhythm. Balance needs more second sopranos. On the whole painstaking.

CARMARTHEN.-Bright tone. Good balance. Warm blend. Excellent altos. Andante section lacked grace, but the Allegro was fluent and rhythmic. Some charming gradations of force.

TYRHOS.-Voices thin, rather juvenile. Neat, pretty rhythm. In the Lento some excellent expression and skilful treatment. Altogether first-rate training exhibited.

GLEE COMPETITION (not under 40 in number). First prize, ?8. Second prize, ?2. Ios. 6d. to each of the

unsuccessful conductors. Test: "Y Blodeuyn Olaf" (J. Ambrose Lloyd).

Myrddin United Choir (Mr. D. Evans), 69. The Trimsaran Party (Mr. William Evans), 69.

2nd. Pembrey United Choir (Mr. J. H. Morgan), 70. Burry Port Glee Society (Mr. D. John), 64. Glanyrafon Glee Society (Loughor) (Mr. David Davies), 68. Penygraig Glee Society (Mr. D. Rowland Jones), 65. Excelsior Glee Society (Madame Ben Thomas), 58.

ist. Young Choristers (Mr. J. Lewis), 74.

MYRDDIN (Acc.).-Impressive style, earnest and sincere. Tone thin but sweet. Alto and tenor weak. Well in tune. Attack excellent and much agreeable finish. Expressive. No full resonance.

TRIMSARAN (Unacc.).-Sweet tone. Bass not sonorous enough. Trebles and altos sang delightfully. Very expressive, always tuneful. Rhythm fair. Kept pitch.

PEMBREY (Unacc.).-Thin tone all round but a good blend. Tender expression. The Agitato excellent. Attack showed fine training. Much clean finish. Kept pitch.

BURRY (Unacc.).-Over-subdued at the opening. The restraint led to strain. Tone-quality much mixed. A careful rather than an impressive performance. Kept pitch.



THE SCHOOL MUSIC REVIEW.-SEPTEMBER I, I909.

GLANYRAFON (Acc.).-Good balance. Too strenuous in forte. Intonation somewhat suffered. Attack first-rate. Great warmth in the expression. Occasionally too fervent.

PENYGRAIG (Unacc.).---Elaborate preparation before starting. A fresh tone, sometimes rough. Tonal attack curved and attack straggled in cadences. A fair but not specially delicate performance.

EXCELSIOR (Unacc.).-Style and attack rather casual. Tenor tone peculiar and weak in the balance. Much fervency displayed. Trebles sang well. On the whole needed more unity. Kept pitch.

YOUNG CHORISTERS (Unacc.).-Tone sweet and the blend excellent. Great unity of attack and style. Some very delicate expression. Many evidences of skilful training.

JUVENILE CHOIR COMPETITION (S.S.A.) (not under 40 in number, and not over i6 years of age).

First prize, ?6 and a silver-mounted baton to the conductor. Second prize, ?2.

Test: " In this hour of softened splendour" (Pinsuti), arranged. Myrddin Juvenile Choir (Mr. W. Thomas), 63. Tabernacle Juvenile Choir (Mr. Willie Thomas), 67.

ist. Fabian's Bay Juvenile Choir (Mr. T. Morris), 73. 2nd. Towy Minstrels (Mr. Tom Williams), 69.

Young Volunteers (Mr. D. Evans), 67. MYRDDIN.- Remarkable unity. Phrase-ends clipped

too short. Fairly well in tune. Delicately accented rhythm. Tone needs sweetening. Some wrong notes. Expression fair.

TABERNACLE.-Some very small children. What can they know about such words! All girls. Tone thin but bright. Pretty rhythm and altogether remarkably good training. Altos a good quality.

FABIAN'S BAY.-Breathy tone at first, but highly refined and tender. Altos unusually well developed. Unity in vowel definition remarkable. Hence a capital blend. Lost pitch a little in second verse. The long slurs very well vocalised.

TOWY MINSTRELS.-A large mixed choir. Dramatic expression almost aggressive in its fervency. Much rubato displayed. Tone pleasant except in fortes. Tendency to sharpen. A very painstaking and admirably drilled performance. Needed more grace and beauty.

YOUNG VOLUNTEERS.-Beautiful tone. Got most distressingly sharp. In the process many chords were badly out of tune. The phrasing was simply excellent and the expression intensely earnest and tender. Except for the sharpening there was hardly a fault.

Dr. McNaught adjudicated. The criticisms given above are compressed from his notes. Mr. Harold Malkin, F.R.C.O., adjudicated all the preliminary competitions, and Mr. T. S. Puddicombe and Miss Annie Morgan were the official accompanists.

The attendance was large and the audience was greatly interested. The President, Mr. John Crossman, Mayor of Carmarthen, with Mrs. Crossman, helped the success of the occasion by their presence and geniality, and the proceedings were continually enlivened by the wit and tact of the Rev. Evan Davies (Gwan-cae-gurwen), who was the platform conductor.

NATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE FESTIVAL, CRYSTAL PALACE.

August 21. Last year thirty-four choirs sang in four classes, and

we then stated that this large number constituted a record in Crystal Palace festival competitions. This year thirty-two choirs entered and only one failed to appear. It is worthy of particular note that all this astonishing activity and enthusiasm were displayed practically without the stimulus of money-prizes, for all the awards for the first places were challenge shields and trophies, and the highest money-prize for second or third place was only three guineas. Fifty singers do not rise in the small hours of the morning and travel from Wales, Portsmouth, Nottingham and other distant places merely to gain a fraction of their out-of-pocket expenses. What can objectors to competitions say to this? No one who sat through the competitions could fail to notice the intensity of the desire on the part of singers and conductors to do well. There was not one bad performance, and there

were several of great excellence. One junior choir touched the highest level, and that was Stratford (London, E.), under Mr. A. Sears. It was strikingly evident that many of the conductors were skilful choir trainers, who knew what to do and what not to do. One of the negative virtues of the performances generally was the absence of exaggerated "expression." Here and there the desire for high colour and emotional effect led to some distortion of the rhythm, but on the whole taste and judgment were displayed.

The scheme of the competition imposes a certain test (selected from the festival books for the combined choirs) and an "own-choice" piece. The advantages and disadvantages of this plan have often been debated. For our own part we must say that a competition cannot be regarded as ideal when competitors submit different and often very widely different pieces to the judgment of an adjudicator. On a fete day at the Palace, when thousands of people are intent on enjoying their holiday, no doubt it is pleasant for them to hear a delightful variety of favourite pieces. That is a fair reason for tolerating the arrangement, but at the same time it must be understood that while it lasts the competition is necessarily not of the highest grade. Carrots and roses, we believe, were not pitted against one another in the fascinating and appetising shows of fruits and flowers that were displayed in the naves.

Dr. McNaught adjudicated in the upper junior and both the senior classes.

Mr. W. McNaught adjudicated in the small choir junior classes. A compressed version of their notes is given below. The marking scheme was as follows: Accuracy Tone, Attack, Pace, General Total

Blend, Pronunciation, Rhythm, Effect Intonation Enunciation Expression,

Phrasing, Interpretation

I0 20 I0 20 20 80

JUNIOR CHOIRS, 20 to 30 voices. Prize-The " Ideal Trophy," presented by the Ideal Clothiers, Ltd.,

Wellingborough. Set test: (a) " Sing a light and cheerful lay " (Nicol).

(b) " Own-choice"' piece. Order of singing. (a) (b) Total.

Tottenham (Mr. A. D. K. Macdonald), " , lovely night " (Roeckel) f.. .63 65 128

Croydon (Miss E. L. Turley), "The cuckoo sings in the poplar tree" (G. A. Macfarren)* . 69 66 135

Fulham (Mr. H. J. Gentry), "O, lovely night" (Roeckel) .. .. . .68 70 138

Erith (Mr. F. G. Ayre), Orpheus with his lute " (German) * .. .. . . .. 72 66 38

Willesden (Mr. F. Clark), "O, lovely night " (Roeckel)t . 67 66 133

2nd. Enfield (Mr. E. Ashton), "Whispering winds" (Labbett) ........ .. 74 7I 45

ist. Faversham (Mr. G. Cooper)," The cuckoo sings in the poplar tree " (G. A. Macfarren) .. 76 73 149

Dover (Mr. E. Ross), "Hark, the bells are ring- ing" (Smart) .. .. .. .. .. 70 67 137

Chatham (Mr. W. G. Obray), "Ye mariners of England " (Pierson) .. .. . .. 65 68 33

3rd. Rochester (Mr. F. W. Ralph), " Oft in the stilly night" (arr. by W. G. McNaught)* .... 71 73 I44

Maidenhead (Mr. Leonard Rockley), " Happy is the man" (G. W. Martin)* .. . 663 130

3rd. Long Eaton (Mr. W. Woolley), "A lullaby" (Roeckel) .. .... .. .. 72 72 144

f Two-part. * Three-part.

TOTTENHAM.-(a) Intonation faulty at first, but improved afterwards. Rhythm rigid, slow and sluggish. Style inclined to be mechanical. Attractive soprano tone; alto tone often squeezed. Bar 44 not clear. Little graduation of tone; mp and mf not distinguished. Bar 86, some difference of opinion. The cheery atmosphere of the piece not fully realised. (b) Accompaniment not so firm as to preserve the pitch. Again too little contrast. An improvement in tone and blend but not in enunciation and attack. No charm in the rhythm. Rather mechanical. Some passages attractive.

CROYDON.-(a) Bright tone and sprightly rhythm. Careful, if not always discreet, attention to expression marks. Pleasant and firm tone in the altos. Intonation pure. "Let him sigh" slightly overdone. (b) (Unac- companied.) Over-accentuation occasionally impaired phrasing. Low A in alto missed fire. Not much sustaining power in vocal resources. Second verse a falling-off in execution.

82



THE SCHOOL MUSIC REVIEW.-SEPTEMBER I, 1909.

FULHAM.- (a) Gay rhythm, well sustained - why accelerando in second verse? Tone-production less satisfactory than in (b). Good as execution. "Avarice" and "wight" mispronounced. (b) (Sung first.) Nice smooth tone, well balanced and blended. Intonation good, except sharpened fourths in alto part. Some attempt at mood-painting. Slight loss of pitch at the end.

ERITH. - (a) Tone and style attractive. Careful attention to expression. Occasional breathiness and forced tone. At times mechanical. Good sense of climax. Intonation good. (b) Creditable attempt at a piece beyond their powers. Lower parts weakly sustained; sopranos inclined to lose pitch. Expressive. Good as interpretation, but not as execution.

WILLESDEN.--(a) Clean, unified tone. Neat execution. Inclined to be hurried ; on the other hand poco meno mosso portion too slow. Weak alto entries in each verse. (b) Final consonants overdone. An accelerando in each verse. Well-knit tone and good intonation.

ENFIELD.-(a) Light and cheerful style. Meno mosso section excellent; the contrast of mood well caught. Perhaps a too little graded in form. Tone always pleasant and well governed. (b) Efficient vocal resource again in evidence; parts well nourished and balanced. Altos occasionally forced lower notes. Natural style; graceful and tasteful. Enunciation occasionally lapsed.

FAVERSHAM.-(a) Well-trained voices; warm tone, and perfect unity in every respect. "Fa la la" section a little too serious. Otherwise a first-rate performance. A sense of mastery throughout. (b) Low A# in alto not successful. The sopranos always ejaculated their " cuckoo " too quickly. Third of the chord inaudible in the last line. Tone again admirable; perfect chording.

DovER.-(a) Not perfect unity. Tone bright but inclined to be breathy. Rhythm heavy at times, but well sustained. " Fa la la " section mechanical. Cheerful, but not always light. (b) Lacked light atmosphere and swing; too contemplative. "Across the bay" wrong time. Tone mixed; some good voices, but some harsh production. Careful, but not inspiring.

CHATHAM.-(a) Slow, plodding. Sung in same style as (b)-even less suitable here. No gradation and contrast. (b) (Sung first.) Young, open tone. Vigorous, martial style. All the sopranos girls, all the altos boys- a serious mistake. Too much sameness, a uniform f. Execution splendid; but not much besides.

ROCHESTER.-(a) Bright, well-knit tone. Attractive unity and cheerfulness in the style. Inclined to hurry. Some crescendos overdone. (b) Expression marks again over-read; excellent technically, but inartistic. The unity a feature. Perfect chording; pure and well-blended tone. Not successful as a mood-picture.

MAIDENHEAD.-(a) Hurried. Tone smooth, but over- restrained -not natural. No colour; the "fa la la" portion being especially wanting. Some neat execution. Good intonation. (b) Again colourless. Mere execution, and that not always faultless. Little attempt at expression. Intonation frequently at fault.

LONG EATON.-(a) Warm, attractive tone; some vowels a little at fault. A little wanting in delicacy of treatment, and execution not always clean, especially in the "fa la la" section. Poco meno mosso portion slightly over-painted. (b) No conspicuous mood in the opening; inclined to be mechanical in style and too uniform in tone. Well unified in tone and execution. Intonation practically faultless. The ending not pp.

JUNIOR CHOIRS, 30 to 40 voices. Prize-The " Co-partnership Trophy," presented by the Co-partner-

ship Tenants, Limited. . Set test: (a) " Oft in the stilly night" (arranged for S.S.A. by W. G. McNaught). (b)An "own-choice " piece.

Order of singing. (a) (b) Total. Penge (Mrs. Benjamin), "Jack Frost" (Hatton) 64 59 I23

ist. Stratford (Mr. A. Sears), "Who is Sylvia?" (Macfarren).. .. .. .. 78 156

Wealdstone (Mr. E. Aldridge), "Lift thine eyes" (Mendelssohn) ..65 56 12I

Cwmbach (Mr. D. R. Davies), " The stream and the flower" (T. Price) ..68 70 138

Woolwich (Mr. J. Hines), "Jack Frost" (Hatton) 7I 70 I4I 2nd. Portsmouth (Mr. G. J. Adams), " Oh, sing to me

a spring song" (Ashworth) .. 73 72 145 Peterborough (Mr. W. J. Roberts), "Hail, star

of eve" (Spofforth) .. . 68 66 134 Luton (Mr. W. Haith), "Lift thine eyes to the

mountains" (Mendelssohn) .. .. .. 70 64 134

All the "selected " pieces were trios, and all had to be sung unaccompanied.

PENGE.-(a) Well drilled. Intonation not perfect. Not sostenuto enough. Too many detachments of words. Attack excellent. Some pretty expression. Never touching. Lost whole tone chiefly in second verse. On the whole exhibited capacity. (b) Rather slow and heavy. Attack good. Enunciation a good feature. The " creep " passage began doubtfully, but improved. Tone agreeably musical. Intonation not perfect.

STRATFORD.-(a) Nearly all girls. A clean, beautiful blend. Very tender, charming and emotional. A tear in the tone. The sostenuto perfect, without weighting the rhythm. Every phrase had been studied, and there were no intrusive verbal accentuations to destroy the sweep of the curve. Not much body in the tone, but a supreme and diaphanous delicacy. Perfectly in tune. Practically a perfect performance from every standpoint. (b) A trio arrangement of a beautiful part-song. Again the subtle touch of rhythm. Restraint of the best sort because it was perfectly controlled. The tone flowed out freely, although never with much resonance. Enunciation very clear. A highly refined performance.

WEALDSTONE.-(a) Sweet tone, good sostenuto and a pleasant unity. Expression very careful, if not ever touching. Bar I2 confused with bar i6 each time. A refined performance on the whole. (b) Too eager and effusive. Rhythmically good as attack. Tonally, not so good-disposed to curve. Too formal, square, military. Not tender, beautiful and caressing. Still, it was tuneful.

CWMBACH.-(a) Full mature tone. Some fairly "grown-up" girls. A certain haunting quality in the tone that was very sympathetic. The vowels were not well defined: they were Welsh children, and they did not suffer in marks for this. The attack and general unity were very good indeed. A good sostenuto and the expression was fairly touching. Fine training evident. (b) Sang in English, although Welsh words were in the copy. An agreeable warmth in the tone. Altos good- a real bass to the harmony. Occasionally a bite in the attack was not quite musical. The piece was well coloured and the expression was not exaggerated. Just needed a finer tone to be altogether first-rate.

WOOLWICH. - (a) Delicate and expressive start. Balance good, altos a good bass. Some specially thought-out expression that was very creditable. Tone sweet and blendful. Intonation not quite pure. Very tenderly expressive if not supremely touching. (b) Too slow, and so in some degree laboured. The fine touch at " the seaman's grave

" was well realised. Many small points that showed care and insight. The word " peeping was a dainty point. A good climax.

PORTSMOUTH.-(a) Very slow. A fine sostenuto admirably controlled. Deeply expressive. Tone sweet and blendful. Caught the fearsomeness and sad reminiscence of the words. The intonation gave way. An achievement as expression, but not so satisfactory as regards resonance. Lost about a tone. (b) Thin tone. but sweet. A charming lightness of rhythm. Attack perfect. Not much resonance for a climax. The rhythm always a feature.

PETERBOROUGH.-(a) Well arranged choir. Orderly and attentive. Full tone, and at the same time refined. Clean finish in the attack. Not much mood, but there was a note of regretfulness in the expression. Kept very well in tune but lost pitch a little. Vowels well defined: this gave resonance. The interpretation on the whole good if not specially striking. (b) Here again the full tone but not wholly musical. Some over-eagerness. The rhythm was prettily treated and the attack was excellent. Last movement better more sostenuto. Scarcely dolce enough.

LUToN.-(a) A full, sweet blend. A suspicion of stiff- ness in the rhythm. Vowels well defined. Altos a full resonance. Rarely quite touching. Always musical, but not particularly expressive. Lost pitch a little. (b) Very slow. Hardly more than half the usual pace. As music always interesting, the voices were so good. Needs more grace and refinement and sincerity of expression.

83



THE SCHOOL MUSIC REVIEW.-SEPTEMBER I, I909.

ADULT CHOIRS, 30 to 40 voices. Prize-the " Excelsior Shield," presented by the Kettering

Clothing Society, Ltd., Kettering. Set-test: (a) " The trysting tree " (G. F. Bennett).

(b) An "own-choice " piece. Order of singing. (a) (b) T

Faversham (Mr. A. F. Keech), "Winter days" (A. J. Caldicott .. .. .. 69 68

Rugby (Mr. G. Hidden), "The soul's longing" (F. James) .. .. .. .. .. 6 68

Ideal Clothiers, Wellingboro' (Mr. A. E. Smith), " Rustic coquette " (F. Champneys) .. .. 50 50

2nd. Portsmouth (Mr. C. Weedon), "As it fell upon a day " (James Coward) 72 69

Willesden (Mr. F. Clark), "Weary wind of the West" (E. Elgar) .. .. .. .. 60 56

Woolwich (Mr. J. Hines), "Hymn to music" (Dudley Buck) . . .. .. .. 69 69

ist. Penge (Mr. T. F. Tate), " Eldorado " (Pinsuti).. 74 69 Canning Hall, Wood Green (Mr. A. J. Franklin),

" Strike the lyre " (T. Cooke) .. .. .. 68 69

'otal.

I37

132

I00

'4'

ii6

138 I43

I37

FAVERSHAM.-(a) Hidden tone, certainly well subdued. Refined style. Blend agreeable. Rhythm better if a daintier spring. The pp passage (bars 24 to 26) very unsafe: some singers groped. Many evidences of good training and appreciation. (b) The sombre resonance adopted by this choir suited this piece. Altos lacked sonority. The tone generally rather "swallowed." Attack good as to initial notes, but not so good inside the phrases. Too much oo in the bass quality. The expression was good, but the interpretation, on the whole, was not very interesting.

RUGBY.- (a) Very deliberate opening. Tone fairly blendful. Attack rather of the lingering kind. Altos got distressingly sharp, bars 3o to 32. The pp section (bars 24 to 27) very well done. On the whole, the expression was too "blue." Needed more glow and sincerity. A wee bit dull. (b) Again inclined to drag. A serious mood gained. Tenors not strong enough in the balance. Resources of the choir not fully developed. This was felt in the storm passage, page 6. "Would God that once again" not sostenuto and moody enough. The attack hardly compact. Some fine climaxes. The soft parts were often beautifully done.

IDEAL CLOTHIERS.-(a) Slow. Tone rather pinched in all parts. Not open enough, and hence not blendful. Vowels not resonant. A man's voice now and then heard singing soprano or alto an octave below! Some un- certain notes. The sopranos sang very expressively. On the whole, the choir needs to cultivate a finer tone and a stricter discipline to secure general unity. (b) A brave attempt. Very spirited, but again lacking the essential of unity. It appeared that half the choir was pulling the other half along. At the minor section the key was momentarily lost. The choir is full of enthusiasm; they must add control.

PORTSMOUTH.-(a) Good tone if not conspicuously beautiful. Bass rather too sombre. Well selected pace and rhythm made very interesting. Climaxes realised and always musical. The end was particularly taking. Pitch kept. (b) Deliberate, measured, a trifle too square. Too many consecutive accents alike. Full tone, cheerful and resonant. Prompt attack, but the rhythm lacked interesting treatment. The andante missed tenderness- no wave in the rhythm. Some wavering and fitfulness on p. 6. The last page was most effectively treated.

WILLESDEN.-(a) The opening was well subdued and controlled. Then came dullness, chiefly owing to a plodding rhythm. The execution became tame and the attack was gingerly. Bars 24 to 27 not correct, or at least not in tune. Here and there some pretty expressive effects. Lost pitch. (b) Again the vague tonal and rhythmic attack. Tone pleasant. The climaxes displayed little or no vitality. On the whole the execution lacked grip and certainty.

WOOLWICH.-(a) Pretty tone, a little over-restrained. Led to attack being hesitant and tremulous in places. Some beautiful expression-quite touching. Unity not conspicuous. Rhythm often well if not finely treated. (b) The opening was not broad enough. Should be largamente. The attack inside the phrases not always unified. Climaxes well intentioned, but with indications of individual over-eagerness. Listesso tempo began loosely. Bass later rather ragged. Fugal section

needed more control. Some effective tender expression. Missed being impressively imposing.

PENGE.-(a) Clean, sweet tone and fine blend. The rhythm made really interesting. Had a waving, not a square accent. Many well-proportioned dynamic effects, and some refined tapering of phrases. On the whole a fine technical and temperamental performance. Pitch very nearly kept. (b) Not so compact and happy. Tone always attractive. The tonal attack not always quite true. Some of the effective crescendos (bars I7, 38, 55) not completely realised. Execution not so highly-finished as in the other piece. Small faults cropped up.

CANNING HALL.-(a) A bright tone, some sweetness in it. Not much sonority. Tenors very good, blended very well. Attack fair, occasional looseness inside the phrases. Expression evidently well studied. Some pretty delicacy. Bars 24 to 27 (the pp section) beautifully treated. A very good performance. Kept pitch nearly exactly. (b) Brisk. Fluent. Cheerful style and pleasant tone. Some over- eagerness in the attack, and some loose releases. The slurred passages a trifle blurred. Too abrupt at the " silver sigh." Many indications of skilled training. A lively and exhilarating performance.

ADULT CHOIRS, 50 to 60 voices.

Prize-the "Earl Grey Silver Challenge Shield," presented by the Right Hon. Earl Grey.

Set test: (a) "Winter days " (A. J. Caldicott). (b) " Own-choice" piece.

(a) (b) Total. Peterborough (Mr. W. J. Roberts), "Song of the

silent land " (John E. West) .. .. 68 7r 139 Sheerness (Mr. S. G. Quint), "Lullaby of life"

(Leslie) . .. .. .. .. 7 73 I44 Long Eaton (Mr. W. Woolley), "The Fortune

Teller's song" (Eaton Faning) .. .. 70 71 I14

PETERBOROUGH.-(a) A big sostenuto style. Sopranos at first not quite in tune. They shrank from the dissonant D, bar 2. Soon settled down, and began to sing impressively. Experienced training evident, and there were fluency and ease in the attack. Good but not sweetly resonant tone. No imposing climaxes. Words well finished. Last movement not convincing as expression. Bar 75 some sopranos wrong. Rhythm needed more buoyancy. Lost nearly half-tone. (b) Broad tone. Tenor weak in the balance. Some solemn and impressive effects. A very carefully studied interpretation, missing great excellence because the rhythm was so often ignored in favour of tonal expression and rubato.

SHEERNESS.-(a) At first some vague, creepy attack. Still, the right mood was caught. The fugal movement was excellent: there was vitality and elasticity. Bass vowels not well defined-they showed a tendency to sombreness. On p. 6 tone fell off in quality. The Adagio was better as tone than expression. Last page admirably treated. (b) Rather slow opening, the rhythmic prettiness in consequence almost missed. Pity to sacrifice the claim of rhythm to tonal effect. Lento drawn out too much. The pp well controlled. A well-drilled choir. Bass excellent-sang with such unity. Expression on the whole a little over-painted. But it was always interesting.

LONG EATON (Nottingham).-(a) A broad, imposing start. Fine, long sostenuto phrases and a full, resonant blend. Bass not of great sonority, and sopranos (in the fugue) rather hard in quality. Did not seem wholly at ease in the attack, and small details were not well finished. The Adagio was a trifle square where big curves were called for. The dim. (bar 4 from the end)-an arresting effect-ignored. Bass not quite happy in the ensuing arpeggio. (b) Tone very attractive: so blendful. Some startling dynamic changes exhibited the best drill. But some of the piano and pp effects not well observed. Some slight straggling. Much piquancy if not enough. Nothing specially subtle. On the whole the performance just missed brilliancy and virtuosity.

The concerts given by the junior and adult choirs are reported on another page of our issue.

REPORTS of other Competitions are given in THE SCHOOL Music REVIEW edition of the RECORD.

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extra supplement: the competition festival record september 1, 1909

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