Comments ~ 2008: December

Ramblings and queries, questions asked and opinions given - a last Festive dip into the 4BR postbag reveals quite a lot of each in fact...

Betty Smith - no X Factor wannabe

Re your recent item, which included what, can be construed as a derogatory remark about Betty Smith.

It would have perhaps been helpful if you had researched the ability and talent of Betty, she most certainly did not need to be an X factor wannabe.

She was a member of the British All Stars Jazz Band, this band included Don Lusher, Kenny Baker, and several other players who even you could not consider to be X factor wannabe's.

Betty's husband, Jack Peberdy was involved in bands from an early age, conducting Kibworth in his 20's He went on to become an established arranger.

His arrangements of ‘12th Street Rag’ and ‘McCarthy Park’ were first used by the William Davis Construction Group Band conducted by John Berryman at the Rothmans contest.

As a member of the band at that time we also did concerts that featured Betty, with Kenny Baker, and another with Don Lusher.

Unfortunately Betty is no longer well enough to respond to your comments herself, so perhaps you would be gracious enough to retract your unfortunate remark.
 
Dave Coble 

Trophy enquiry

My enquiry is regarding the Mitchell-Hedges Warwick Vase Trophy awarded to winners at the Butlins Mineworkers Brass Band Competition.  Are you able to tell me if this is one and the same trophy donated by Mitchell-Hedges circa 1948 to be awarded to winners at National Amateur Boxing Championships?

I am researching Frederick Albert Mitchell-Hedges as part of my Hedges One Name Study (www.Hedges-Study.org.uk) He is not a member of my own family but rather high-profile in my Hedges ONS. 

Sue Parsons nee Hedges 

Desperate!

I've been desperately trying to find out who publishes Denis Wright's arrangement for piano and brass band of Litolff's 'Scherzo'.

Bram Gay mentioned it on these very pages a little while ago and I recall playing it myself a long time ago but can find no trace of it on any publisher's website! As I'm planning a concert with a pianist next year it would be an obvious choice.
 
Can anyone help?
 
Dr. Matthew Pollard
Composer, conductor, arranger, teacher 

Rankings...

I am personally very interested in the development of the Brass Band rankings all over the years.

Is there a possibility to provide me with the end of year rankings of all years (2001-2007)?

Thank you very much for your reply

Silvan Lombriser
Switzerland

4BR Reply:
You should be able to access past ranking through the site

Norwegian blue...

I enjoy following your band rankings, especially when the Norwegian bands have been competing. Just two quick questions: 

How can Tertnes Brass (no. 183) enter the list for December without having competed since the Norwegian Nationals in February?

Also, I don't know if you put this into your calculations last year, but Tomra Brass Band actually retained their controversial 4th place in the Norwegian Nationals 2007 after a formal complaint following the competition, though they were still relegated for failing to pay their fees on time.

Åsmund Gjære
Norwegian bandsman

4BR Reply:
I'm sure our little Ranking Wizard will try and sort all these things out 

Bands on the Beeb?

I am a UK Brass Band enthusiast in the United States - Texas to be exact. 

Does BBC Radio have any regularly scheduled program (via the Internet) that plays UK Brass Band music?  I find the BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3 web sites impossible when trying to find the answer to my question. 

I decided if anyone would know, 4barsrest would know.
 
Thank you very much.
 
Jeffrey Blair
Wharton, Texas USA

4BR Reply:
The BBC does offer a service whereby you can replay past programmes on the internet and has a regular brass band spot called 'Listen to the Band' on Radio 2 with Frank Renton. Go to the site and it should all become clear.

The Fenlands remembered

I enjoyed your editorial this month, but feel that your appraisal of Arthur Wills' wonderful suite 'The Fenlands' is short of one very important fact; that this piece was commissioned by and performed by The Cambridge Co-operative Band, conducted by David Read.

Although we are now more familiar with David as one of the most experienced adjudicators on the circuit, it must not be forgotten that he was one of the foremost cornet players of his generation and also an inspirational conductor and educator.

He built Cambridge Band up from virtually nothing to one of the best bands in the country and still (I think) the only East Anglian band ever to qualify for the Royal Albert Hall finals.

It is also worth noting that David is also responsible for the beautiful cornet playing on the 'B' side of the recording you mention. So, 4BR - credit where credit is due!

On the subject of Arthur Wills' piece, the City of Cambridge Band (as it is now called) will be performing in Ely Cathedral again on the 22nd December as part of the cathedral choir Christmas celebrations.

We are hoping that we can cement new relations with the cathedral and it's Director of Music, Paul Trepte and perhaps one day we will be able to perform 'The Fenlands' again.

It is understandable that, in this age of money worries, some of these 'extended' pieces might get neglected. However, I think we are doing our movement a great disservice to ignore such music simply because it requires extra effort to perform.

Duncan Wilson
Musical Director, City of Cambridge Band 

Brass in Concert rumours  

I hear through the banding grapevine that not everyone is happy about the results at Brass in Concert.

Accusations of bias, rumours of discontent, queries and questions about programmes and even the direction the contest is now heading.

It makes you feel proud to be a brass band supporter in fact.

If anyone is really unhappy and can offer a different approach to what is a great contest then let them come out and say so. If not, keep all the tittle tattle and rumour mongering to themselves.

John Hinton
Bath 

Money isn’t everything… 

After having recovered from a very late performance, as I know, at Perth which was well past my bed time I read with interest the retrospective of the competition.

You indicate that the competition is becoming a "domestic battleground" and that while there is a nice first prize a £3000 this will need to be increased to tempt better quality bands from across the border.

I have had a quick look into this and it would appear that not only does this prize match the British Open first prize it beats the British Nationals by £1000 ( a ridiculous prize that has been at that level for too long)...making £3000 appear to me to be an attractive prize.

I believe that when looking at prize money we need to compare outlay against potential reward and what the band sees in this. For example...my colleagues and I competed at this years European Championship. I note from your money list that Cory appear to have earned £7.4K. Now they will have had some additional support in their efforts in that they were involved in the gala concert.

It cost our band more than double the potential first prize to attend and compete at that competition. But the band viewed this as an experience to be gained for all (we have been very supportive of the competition in the past replacing the bands who had originally qualified and who did not attend as it was overseas). We had a highly enjoyable weekend away as a band.

If we were howvere to qualify for again for this contest and I had some input I would be suggesting we balance our acceptance of invitation against cost of competing.

To take another example...Brass in concert with what appear from your money list to have a first prize of £4000 prize has implications of cost in that pieces have to be commissioned and paid for and there is a lot of work in organising and arranging to do there after...and then there is all that being silly on stage stuff to do!

So £3000...I have not found too many more higher than this and even one of those at £4000 didn't attract what you have described as too many high level bands.

More would be good but I believe that, while there were some organisational challenges on Saturday and that Perth is a bit further North than Glasgow, SABBA have put their money in the right place.

A good prize pot and a weekend that promotes banding right across the spectrum...in particular youth...the latter part being rightly praised by this site in its many articles.

The move to Perth removed a high hall cost allowing monies to be directed at prizes. I dont know what else SABBA can do to attract those higher level bands you allude to but I hope they succeed...

On one other issue...the bit about cut and paste parts...it works for me. That is the third or fourth piece where compound time signatures have been converted to more simple time and in my opinion have had no impact on the feel or delivery of the piece of music other than to make them playable.

Have not seen one adjudicators comment stating that we had changed...and not one saying the change had resulted in an effect on the piece!

In closing I hope my comments raise once more the position of prize monies at the majors as I believe that this debate needs to be taken forward as soon as possible.

J J Corrigan 

Comments on our youth… 

I have just been on to your website to hear the comments of the adjudicators on the standard of playing heard at the Youth championships in Perth Concert Hall on Sunday.

I had the privilege of conducting the Arbroath Instrumental Youth Band which won the development section and I would like to thank you for highlighting the high standard of the playing on the day and having the comments of the adjudicators on your website.

I am not a teacher but have the honour of conducting the youth band, the members of which are all taught by Mr Michael Robertson.

Mike conducted the Carnoustie and District Youth Band in the senior and premier sections and deserves all the credit for the work which he does and the adjudictators rightly said that if they had had their way they would have given a platinum award for the performance in the senior section on Sunday.

The soloist Eion Tonner is worth watching as a star of the future. He not only played the Peter Graham solo Slavische Fantasie twice in one day, his second performance was better than his first, which was, as one adjudicator put it, 'awesome and worthy of top class championship section performances'.

What I wanted to highlight though was the pleasure of seeing the adjudicators out in the open and clearly enjoying everything being played.

As a player and conductor seeing the enthusiasm, particularly of Les Neish, was an absolute joy and although I did get a chance to thank him for the results on Sunday, I didn't get the opportunity to tell him this. Please can we have more adjudicators with such sparkle!

Ann Ness
Vice President
Arbroath Instrumental Band 

Not such a great experience in Perth…
 
Thanks for the coverage of the Scottish Open lads. Sorry you found one of Perth’s best restaurants not quite up to scratch, but it sounded like an interesting night!

I would agree with your comments concerning the Scottish Open and the choice of ‘St. Magnus’ as the test piece.   It is all well and good choosing a very popular piece for the contest, but it’s not of any use if only a handful of the bands can actually play it.

The bands knew it, the audience knew it and even I suspect, a few of the MDs knew it too on the weekend.

We need to be more realistic with our choices for contests such as this, other wise it does nobody any good.

Ian Henderson 

More honesty please!

Just a quick observation from the recent Scottish Open.

Can we have more adjudicators like Kevin Wadsworth and Jason Katsikaris please?

Great interviews where they were honest, constructive and even witty about what they had heard. Book them for next year!

 David Phail

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