Comments ~ 2008: June

A bit quiet on the e mail front - Bet it won't last after this weekend...

Excellent choice

Bruce Broughton’s 'Masters of Space and Time' will prove an excellent test for bands that gather at the Masters Brass Band Championships next spring. 

This finely wrought, exciting work ranks among a handful of musically excellent works written for brass band in the early 21st century. Having played a role in the work’s commission back in 2000 for NABBA’s 2001 contest, I am personally delighted that so many outstanding ensembles will bring this music to life once again.  

Broughton’s title provides a witty comment upon what musicians are always striving to achieve--mastery of the time their music embraces, gained by mastery of the physical materials through which they provide pleasing musical experience.  

May all the bands and conductors transcend technique and speak clearly to the hearts and minds of the listeners that will gather next year in Cambridge.

Ronald W. Holz 
Past President of NABBA 

Something blue?

I have had an interest in the old blue Regal Zonophone records which featured British Salvation Army musicians and were produced between 1927 and 1957. That interest and the gift to me of nearly a complete set of these records culminated in a website I have created. It enables visitors to listen to these old records via the internet. 

I have also provided scans of the record labels which enable the visitor to see exactly what was on the label.
 
If you would like to hear some of these wonderful old records again please visit my website at www.regalzonophone.com
 
Ian Barton

What have we come to? 

I echo Simon Gresswell’s comments about the sad announcement from David regarding his suitability to be an adjudicator at the English Nationals due to his recent involvement with Black Dyke.
 
Surely David’s decision clearly singles him out as a man of the utmost integrity who would never stoop to the insinuations that he felt he faced should Dyke have won under his adjudication. 
 
It is maybe a lesson to those who quickly point the finger that they should remember that a man who does such a selfless action because he feared a backlash from the uneducated and unaware is surely worthy of our trust and support.
 
David Horsfield has done many things for banding, and to be asked to adjudicate at a major contest surely is all we as a movement should allow him to do and not make him afraid of losing the reputation he has spent many years earning from those who would dare to question his integrity.
 
A bloody annoyance in my book.  Banding isn’t better off for this scenario.
 
Richard Walker 

Morrison points out good practice

Alan Morrison’s interesting article makes a number of very good points, but he perhaps misses the point somewhat with certain test pieces.

Many older works that were transcribed for bands are now outdated, and if they were looked at again today by a skilful arranger, they would surely use a broader palette of tonal colours – including the use of pedal notes.

So why penalise MDs using common sense in doing just that if they so choose?

It seems rather mean to penalise conductors when it is the test piece itself that perhaps needs an overhaul.

Carl Stewart 

What we play? 

With reference to the comments in regards to music we play (Comments: May 2008) I would like to refer to Jim Corrigan.
 
I really don't mind you, or anyone else, having an issue with anything I've composed, just as I don't mind anyone enjoying anything that I have written.

I also don't mind you misrepresenting the way I write, or suggesting that my scoring is lazy (Although the piece you mention was actually sketched on paper, then typeset into the PC).
 
But, to put the record straight - I spelt Macbeth the same way as Shakespeare did, and the same way as his great work has been reproduced for many, many years.
 
I apologise for this reply being a month or so late - I have been busy copying and pasting a new piece (Man has my ctrl button taken a beating!) and have only just had your insightful post brought to my attention.
 
Pete Meechan 

Congratulations Ray!
 
Carlton Main are thrilled to announce that Ray Sykes has been awarded the MBE in the Queens Birthday honours list for his service to Banding and the local community of South Elmsall.
 
Ray has been a member of the band for over Fifty years and played his first contest at the age of twelve on sop would you believe and then followed in his fathers footsteps becoming Band Chairman, a position he still holds today.
 
Well done Ray!

Nigel Dixon 

A roll of linoleum…

To add to the debate - Colin Gallacher should know by this time that music making is like linoleum - you need a flair for it. 

And by the way you were right the first time, it's a doughnut....

Ken Lynch

Clearly written Morrison

Having read Bob Childs take on the question of pedal playing in British Bandsman a couple of weeks ago, I did wonder what was the possible reason behind him writing an article that contained a none too cleverly disguised side swipe at what he obviously thought was the reason why his band lost at the recent Welsh Regional Championships.

In my opinion that was a poorly written and slightly acerbic article that failed to address the relevant points in question.

Now we can fully understand why, with Alan Morrison’s take on the same subject on 4BR.

Clearly written and with no subtext either, it is a well argued case, which, although I don’t fully agree with, is stated with clarity and balance.

It’s an interesting topic too, as many top band conductors are taking it upon themselves to ‘rewrite’ the composers intentions on modern test pieces by use of Sibelius software and misplaced musical ideas – i.e. the overuse of pedal playing.

You don’t have to be an, ‘inexperienced judge’ as Bob Childs wrote, to fail to hear when a band is playing stuff that isn’t written.  Conductors just have to have the common sense not to do it in the first place. 

Ian Moores
Chesterfield 

Bravely said Alan

Well done Alan Morrison.

A well written article by someone who understands what modern brass bands and their conductors have been messing about with for far too long.

Why they feel that pedal notes must be played at every opportunity to try and fatten up usually weak ensemble sound has been a mistaken belief that conductors of even our top bands have failed to appreciate or understand.

It’s a practice that has scarred the traditional sound of the brass band and should be rightly penalised where it is not written.

Nice to see someone brave enough to tell it as it should be.

Alex Crown 

The pedal question - in depth...

I read with interest Alan Morrison's article on the custom and practice of BBb Bass players pedalling, and to a large extent I agree with him. 

I am a bass player and have played a mixture of EEb and BBb Bass with a number of top ranked bands and there are some points things I would like to add to the debate:

1. Yes - it is a matter of musicality and taste.  Used with subtlety and musical judgement it can add a phenomenal element to a band's sound.
 
Used unintelligently it can ruin a performance.  In my view it requires a subtlety of musicality. 

So far as I am concerned there are a few guiding principles concerning pedal playing:

a. It's OK where you believe the composer or arranger was restricted by the range of a 3 valve Bb tuba and has had to impede the shape of a musical phrase.

b. It's OK where you believe the composer or arranger misunderstood the transposition for BBb Bass.  I have heard a convincing theory that one composer occasionally became muddled about whether the relationship between EEb and BBb Basses was the same as between Cello and Double bass.

c. It's Ok where you believe the composer or arranger was not aware of the possibilities of the lower octave, but would have used it for a specific effect had they known of it.

d. Think about the emotional effect of your pedal (i.e. how it affects mood and colour).

e. It's not OK if your pedal changes the underlying motivic shape for the phrase.

f. Many recent pieces have writing in them right down to the pedal register - it's not usually appropriate to add any more pedals!

g. Don't pedal if the composer has said publicly that he doesn't want them (e.g. Edward Gregson and Connotations)

h. If in doubt, "Less is More"

2. Tuning can be difficult - as you add to the number of octaves.  It's easy to play sharp in the extreme low register.  If you're pedalling it's important that the octave above you is in tune and that you can hear it. 

This means that the section needs to sit in the right order and get the balance right. 

3. Psychoacoustics do exist.  I'm not sure exactly how we 'hear' pedals, but they are complex wave forms and our perception of these low pitches is not simple.

The phenomenon of 'summation tones' and 'difference tones' means that when two basses pitch a perfect 5th apart, perfectly in tune, then we can perceive a 3rd pitch (the 'difference tone') an octave lower than the lower of the two pitches, and also a 4th pitch, higher than the upper one (the 'summation tone'). 

This practice has been used in organ building for well over a hundred years.

If you add to this the frequency responses of your average HiFi, it's clear that something is going on with our perception of sound of low pitches, which means that what you 'hear' isn't always what people play.
 
Pedal G on BBb Bass (at 22 hz) is at the lower threshold of human hearing.  The lowest pedal notes on organs with 32' stops are below natural hearing range and a few large organs have 64' stops whose pitch we can perceive, even though they are really infrasonic.

There is also 'false pedals'  - forcing your instrument into sounding like you're playing 'pedal' F (3 leger lines below the stave) using open fingering.  This occurs because there are sufficient harmonics common to the length tubing to make you perceive the sound.

Interestingly, psychoacoustic theory is sometimes used by EEb Bass players to add an ‘upper’ octave to 'fatten out the sound' in loud, full band passages. 

4. When "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" was the test piece for the National Finals there was an entry in the fugue with two semiquavers followed by two quavers on a low G (2 leger lines below the stave). 

The frequency of this pitch is 44hz – (44 vibration cycles per second).  At a tempo of crotchet = 144 this means that a full length crotchet contains just over 18 full vibration cycles.

At this tempo, a full length semiquaver will contain about 4 1/2 full vibration cycles (compared with a top G on a cornet which would contain about 73 full vibration cycles) - by the time you have allowed for the movement of the tongue at the beginning and end of repeated articulated notes, there are likely to be closer to 3 vibration cycles each on the BBb Bass's low G semiquavers. 

In effect this means that any small mismatch of breath support, tongue and finger has a greater overall effect at these low pitches at quick tempi than it does on higher pitches. 

In other words - pedalling is more suited so slower musical lines. 

Don't forget, a good BBb player can play an octave lower than the pitch used in these calculations!

The physics of brass playing is an interesting subject and whilst it affects everyone in a band, some elements of it are peculiarly relevant to lower pitched instruments.

Pete Denton 

The borrowed question - in Wales

I was interested in reading your editorial concerning the increasing incidence of 'borrowed' players at contests and the increasing practice by contest organisers to relax hitherto stringent rules on this matter.

The opposite is true in Wales as the following example shows.

Lewis Merthyr Band recently competed in the local contest held in Tredegar.  The band's principal E flat bass player was away on a cruise celebrating his wife's 60th birthday. A band based in the Forest of Dean which Lewis has friendly relations with from a lower section were kind enough to offer the services of one of their bass players as a stand-in. 

However, it was then found that a player not registered with the Welsh Registry although registered with its English equivalent, is not permitted to be 'borrowed' for a contest administered under the Welsh Registry. 

On further research it was found that this was not the case the other way around.  Welsh registered players can be allowed to play at 'English' contests such as the Butlins Mineworkers as an example! 

There have been several instances of players from well known continental and even Australian based players appearing for some of our 'top' bands on one-off basis! I am further informed that more than one well known Welsh based band are not in fact registered under the Welsh Registry.  I wonder why?

Suffice to say that Lewis Merthyr played with just the one E flat Bass player and managed to come second! It would seem to me that this practice is almost 'racist' or am I taking this too far perhaps?

I notice moves towards achieving a more 'national' voice for bass bands.  I really don't hold out much hope given the sort of attitude displayed above!

David Arnold
Cardiff 

Sad reason

I was sad today to read David Horsfield’s reasons for not judging at the English National.
 
Can I just say you will hard pressed to meet a more loyal, honest and upstanding person in banding.
 
What is this world of ours coming to?
 
Simon Gresswell
Hove Edge, Brighouse 

Subjective adjudication

The debate around adjudication is interesting but somewhat circular, because listening to brass band music is a subjective experience. 

To expect a purely analytical method of judging is unrealistic; even Steve feels it necessary to include some points of 'emotive' discretion to his proposal - which then weakens the point about analytics. 

The main difference between a contest and exam is that in the exam everyone can 'win' by passing.  Unlike the contest where someone has to be 'best', nobody is really bothered about whether the next person got the top mark, just so long as they personally didn't fail. 

Therefore the subjectivity element is not so important to the masses - nor is it so
public.  The one advantage he does bring is in a structure that can be published and pored over (and then disagreed with) by the public.

Any sport, and it occurs to me that competitive banding is, (come on, if darts is a sport why not music?) that relies upon a subjective assessment will leave results open to criticism by those unhappy that their 'team' didn't win. 

The same debates go on within gymnastics, diving, boxing and most winter Olympic sports to name but a few.

What is required is an acceptance that the people that have been asked to judge do so on the basis that they are qualified to give an opinion.  In a subjective event, the fact that your opinion differs is not relevant - any more than it is in a boxing match. 

If it were, then why not get a 'jury' made up of a member from each band and let them discuss the merits of each performance and vote between them?  (Of course, this is still flawed as there would then be accusations of collusion between bands - much as their is in Eurovision song contest)

If you can't trust the judges, let a panel from members of the public who have no particular experience or qualifications judge. 

We probably wouldn't have a clue where the split note was or the fact that the horns weren't loud enough in the 25th bar, but we would tell you who we liked... Or perhaps remove the subjectivity and go for the band that can play the piece the fastest?

Ultimately, no-one will seriously want to remove the subjectivity.  So quit whining about not winning and concentrate on playing to the best of your ability.  If you go in believing you don't have a chance because the adjudication isn't fair, you know what? 

You're probably right, you don't stand a chance!

Michael Vennard

A question of interpretation?

This is the first time that I have felt compelled to put electronic pen to cyberpaper, but I feel that I should make some comment on the current hoohah about the verdict of the judges at the recent All England Masters Contest. 

I would say immediately that I was not present so I hope that my views are taken as without bias!

It would seem to me that this competition presented the age-old problem of technique versus interpretation.  There is nothing new in this and I speak after 52 years of contesting.  However, there is a lesson to be learned!

We expect one man to adjudicate most often, sometimes two and occasionally three, and yet in any of these combinations, one consensus view is obligatory.  However eminent the judges may be, whilst they can each adjudicate and perhaps agree on the percentage of wrong notes, cracked notes, tuning and intonation errors, how can we possibly expect them to agree wholeheartedly on interpretation?

I recall one of the first orchestral recordings I heard, that of Klemperer conducting Wagner's 'Rienzi' Overture.  It was taken so slow that I nearly fell asleep!  Toscanini's version however, was what seemed twice as fast!  Which was the correct interpretation? 

I once asked a very famous musician that question and his reply was that Klemperer was too frail to conduct any faster!

The answer to all this is a simple one in my contention.  Let the adjudicator(s) give separate marks for technical performance and interpretation.  This would apply be there one or more judges, or there could be one judge to each discipline. 

My point is that if this was applied to the recent Masters competition perhaps we would have seen why certain performances were placed lower or higher than was expected.  In other words a particular band would be seen to have scaled the heights technically, but slipped up on interpretation etc.

By adding the two factors together an automatic consensus would be arrived.  Am I being too simplistic?

This could be taken a stage further.  Copy the system used in ice-skating and have adjudicators in the open holding up their score cards for each discipline ie. Technical merit, artistic merit etc. and everyone would see immediately how that particular performance had been rated and more particularly by whom!

Now that is being facetious!  Or is it?

David Arnold
Cardiff 

Too much TV!

Having read Roger Lincoln’s suggestion for a change of adjudication style I can only conclude that he’s been watching too much TV! 

Sorry, but flawed though the present system is I’d rather have a result based on the knowledge and experience of a respected adjudicator(s), than on ‘who brought the most supporters’……….
 
Roger Pearcey
Suffolk. 

Partisan audiences

To quote Mr McEnroe; "You Cannot be serious!"
 
If we adopted the 'I'd do anything' or 'Britain's got talent' method of adjudication (as per Roger Lincoln's suggestion) we would fall on our banding swords as we all know what would happen.

Ok, his suggestion was to allow adjudicators to give their opinions without a vote and then give the audience key pads to vote for the best band. Spot the problem?

Yes, we all know those bands that flood the halls with their own (very loud) supporters hoping to influence the adjudicator’s decision (and unfortunately, it sometimes works).

So now we have a scenario where these bands just rally as many troops as possible to grab a key pad and we are back to square one. Cost aside, a partisan audience could never offer a subjective opinion, as we all know.
 
Eddie Hill 

Too much beer?

I believe ' Honest Harry Hill – Brass Band Bookmaker to the Stars’ may have had too many beers whilst sitting in his mansion finally soaking in his hot tub. 

‘Visions of Gerontius’ appears at 9 -1 and 50 -1

John McCririck
AKA Tim Malpas 

Concert band criteria

With regards to the link to concert band equivalent criteria and response - just a quick follow up to my last post.

After a conversation, I found out about the National Concert Band Festival. Here's a link to their criteria. http://www.ncbf.info/?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=5

I'd be interested in what people think.
 
In response to Mr. Gallagher

(2nd, 3rd and 6th paragraph)

When I used the term x-factor, I didn't mean the t-v show. I meant something musical that draws the listener in to a performance. It was a vague definition and I’m sure could be defined better. I really don’t want that to detract from what I’m saying and I’m disheartened if it has done so. I think that there are lots of positive factors that I could have listed but I wanted to keep the letter concise, so I didn’t expand upon it as much as I could have done. So sorry for that.

(3rd paragraph)

As to the differing opinions of ‘flair and inappropriate pyrotechnics’.
This is the problem that I’m raising. That while adjudicator’s have conflicting opinions about how to assess a piece and have differing priorities and tastes, the whole process of contesting becomes a lottery based on who the individual in the box is.

This is why some formal criteria is desperately needed, so that individual tastes don’t overrule more fundamental issues like tuning etc.

For argument’s sake lets say that an excellent phrase of music would be one that gives you that ‘tingling on the back of the neck’.

This is subjective but valid in ‘positive’ adjudication, but more importantly even if the feeling doesn’t happen, an experienced adjudicator can tell, for example, if a musical line has shape and/or convincing musical direction that would warrant a ‘positive’ mark, whether he likes it or not.

If bandsmen want to stick with adjudications that are subjective, a simpler solution could be that when the adjudicator is appointed to a specific contest, he could write a letter which is sent to bands a month or so before the contest.

This could include what he expects from the performance and his likes and dislikes, so that each conductor has a fair chance of producing a performance that is on the adjudicator’s ‘wave-length’.

But I go back to the issue that I think it is not the role of an adjudicator to judge by what he personally likes or dislikes, but by being able to methodically assess the merits of a performance. And if you're an experienced musician you can analytically do this, regardless of whether you like it or not.

In my opinion, there is then room for an emotional response to complement and expand on the reasoned positive points where the adjudicator has genuinely been touched by what he has heard. (But this is my opinion and isn’t necessarily part of my main argument. The analytical reasoning is the most important part).

(5th Paragraph)

The problem is not ‘the crowd’ disagreeing with the adjudicator. The problem that we have experienced in the brass band world is adjudicators disagreeing with each other.

And in assessment of A-level, GCSE, Associated Board, Trinity Guildhall and The National Concert Band Festival this simply does not happen to the extremes we see in the Brass Band World.

(6th Paragraph)

I’m sure adjudicator’s believe that they have got their list of results right. I don’t question that. They do the best job they can in the current circumstances. 

And my letter was to help them to be able to do that to the best of their very capable ability but by giving them a clear structure and framework that they would ALL work from.

Stephen Bradnum 

Casson autobiography

In response to the recent enquiry from Lawrence Killian regarding the imminent publication of a Colin Casson autobiography, I hope the following information may be of help.
 
My father-in-law, Gilbert Merry ( also known as Tom ) received a telephone call earlier this year from Colin who told him that his book was to be published " very soon" and that he would bring a copy to Halifax for him as he had mentioned Gilbert in the book.

Unfortunately, Gilbert is rather hard of hearing these days and was unsure of the times that Colin was referring to and subsequent to the telephone conversation he has suffered from ill health and has spent some time in hospital and is, therefore, unsure if Colin has tried to get in touch again.
 
It would certainly appear that a book is either now on release or is very close to it.
 
If anyone has the e-mail address of Colin and would pass it onto me I would be very grateful, as I would like to contact him on behalf of my father -in -law.
 
Victor M Wood 

French Revolution

In 1994 there was no real brass band movement in France.

Jacques Gaudet and myself thought there was potential though. We started with the French Open with 4 bands – 2 only from France and no winnrs from the home country.

Now we have 14 years later we have 7 French bands all playing at a reasonable level and three winners in their respective sections. Progress indeed.

Jacques Gaudet and I are very proud to be part of this French Revolution. Long may it continue and I do believe that there are now around 20 bands coming through to compete in the next few years. 

Stuart Broadbent

No National announcement?

I am surprised that 4BR has not yet commented on the delayed wait for the notification of tests pieces for Harrogate. The dates appear to be moving from 1 June to 4 June and now allegedly to 5 June and beyond. 

All bands need to know the tests so they can ensure that music can be ordered and practices sorted before the summer holidays.  
 
Does 4BR know anything?
 
Andrew Davies

4BR Reply:
It seems the promoters wanted to keep the announcement for themselves to herald their new website, so there was little we could do. It hasn't stopped us from speculating though...  

21st century adjudication

I have long been a supporter of the adjudication system (particularly just having one person in the box) but reading the various letters that have appeared recently I'm rapidly coming around to TVs 'Britain's got talent' and 'I'll do anything' method of adjudication i.e. give the experts their say but in the end let the public decide.

After the contest, let each of the adjudicators give their views and results openly and publicly (without consultation with the other adjudicators) then let the audience decide with a keypad voting system.

Of course this system has flaws clearly the main ones being 'have the voters heard all the bands?' and 'how many unbiased voters are there?' but that applies to the TV voting system as well and that seems to produce what most people would regard as a fair result.

If the present system does indeed result in or even threaten a boycott of contests then surely anything is worth a try - even just at one major contest like the Masters? Let's get banding into the 21st century.

Roger Lincoln 

Impractical idea

Regarding Mr. Bradnum's comments. I think he highlights himself just how difficult and totally impractical his idea would be in practice.

Arguing for an 'analytical' rather than an 'emotive' response from the adjudicators he goes on to say that 'bands could gain points... for soloist flair or that 'x factor''. How can you be analytical when deciding on what constitutes 'soloist flair'?

In some instances what one person decides is flair someone else may think is inappropriate pyrotechnics. What on earth is the 'x factor' and how can it be given a true analytical measure???

When Mr. Bradnum says "these should try to be analytical but there is I feel some room for an emotive response in these positive sections".

I think he has hit the nail on the head and I would suggest that all adjudicators (regardless of what a cock-up the crowd think they've made of the results) try to judge with both an analytical and an emotional hat on.

Leave the X-Factor to Mr. Cowel and let the adjudicators get on with judging both the technical ability of the band and the musical interpretation the conductor places on each contest performance.

Colin D. Gallagher

P.S. - In fine Glaswegian dialect 'soloist flair' would be the part of the stage the soloist stands on. 

The sound barrier

"The difference in sound quality (between Fodens and Redbridge at Cambridge) was evident to everybody in the hall, with the exception of the three wise men in the box", writes Sophie Griffin.
 
I wonder if she (or anyone else) has ever considered that sitting inside a semi-solid box (or, as in some cases, behind a fabric curtain) may have an effect on what its occupants hear, compared to what those outside the box hear.  Common sense tells me that it probably does.

In fact, I was having just such a discussion with a friend the other day.  He was outside, I was inside, and we were speaking to each other through a partially open window.  We both had to shout quite a lot until I stepped out into the garden, after which we found it much easier to hear what the other was saying.
 
It would require a sophisticated experiment with proper controls to formally prove or disprove the theory suggested above.  As an alternative, the judges could sit in open adjudication with no (probable) impediment to their hearing. 

For that to happen, however, bandsmen would be required to trust the adjudicators to be impartial, something which, to their lasting shame, they have not been willing to do since the dawn of contesting.
 
Jim Yelland 

Eric Crees

In reply to Sophie Griffins' question; "What has Eric Crees done in brass banding (apart from some work with Desford in the Eighties) to allow him the honour of adjudicating one of the top contests of the year?"
 
I think you'll find that perhaps his time for regular involvement in banding affairs since the eighties has been curtailed somewhat by pursuing a career as an integral  part of one of the best brass sections in one of the best orchestras in the world , teaching at some of the best colleges in the country and producing some fantastic arrangements for symphonic  brass ensemble.
 
Perhaps this isn't enough for her to give him credibility as a musician ?
 
.... and we wonder why some people don't take bands seriously.
 
Amazing comment , amazing attitude.
 
Sandy Smith
Holmfirth 

Confluence anyone?

I wonder if any band out there has a full set of "Confluence" by William Himes, and if they could let me have a copy of the 2nd Horn part?

My e-mail address is kerrybowden@sky.com, I would be very grateful if someone could help me out.

With regards to the recent International Masters Contest in Cambridge, I think the result was just about right. No one can take away the brilliance of Fodens, but surely, music has got to be about more than players technique, and I just didn't feel that Fodens captured the mood of the music. I am a fan of theirs and I attended a concert they gave on the night before the contest, they were brilliant!

Desford weren't perfect but they seemed to capture the mood!

Hope no one is offended by these comments,

Kerry Bowden
M.D. Cross Keys Silver Band 

Lucky Black Dyke

We were lucky to hear Black Dyke at York Minster on Saturday night presenting a tremendous concert of serious music to a packed cathedral. They produced a wonderful sound in this magnificent setting on a beautiful summer evening, sunlight dancing through the great west window, tone in bucketfuls rising to the rafters which all added to a delightful evening of brass. 

Over 1500 people attended this concert and 90% were in their seats almost an hour before the first note had been played. What a Tour de Force the programme was:
Toccato from Widor Organ Symphony, Wilby's Pagannini Variation, Elgar's Nimrod,  Wagner's Procession to the Minster, Gregson Laudate Dominium and Respeghi’s Pines of Rome interspaced by a feast of musicianship unequalled from Richard, Sandy and David.

The Yorkshire Youth Band of over seventy young people played two pieces after the interval Big Top & Dreamcatchers the latter featuring a dozen soloists that was a tremendous performance.
 
Two points struck me from this musical bonanza the first being that Nick chose a very serious programme which was diametrically opposite of the modern trend in Brass Military concerts but life in general as can be witnessed by TV and Radio.

The second was to here and see the Yorkshire Youth Band making a great statement for Youth of Britain that I’m afraid will never be reported on the front page of our papers or News at Ten.

A wonderful night of music and our thanks to all

Ernest Lomas
Castle Douglas 

Keith Wardle remembered

I originally composed the following for the Kippax Band website and have been asked to forward it for wider reading:
 
It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of our former conductor Keith Wardle who died, aged 50, early on Monday morning, following several months of illness. Our thoughts at this time are very much with his parents Eric and Thelma and his brother Mark, all of whom have had close connections with us over a number of years.

Keith first came to Kippax in 1992, with the band in the newly constituted 1st Section. He immediately impressed with his precise style and attention to detail, though never at the expense of making music. He was fascinated by the band’s long history and by the feats of previous conductors, such as Brian Nicholson and Tony Whittaker, who had propelled the band into the top section during the 1970s and 1980s. 

By the time he left in 1997, Keith had achieved his aim of putting Kippax back into the Championship Section, winning the Mineworkers’ 1st section at Blackpool along the way.

Returning in the summer of 2005, Keith found Kippax doomed to relegation to Section 2, but immediately set about stopping the rot, once again getting the band to play together and enjoy their music making. 2006-7 was a true purple patch in Kippax history, with titles at both Butlins and Pontins, as well as qualification for the National Finals, arguably cementing his position as the band’s most successful conductor ever.

Rehearsals with Keith were never dull. There was much to be learned and much to be enjoyed. Despite his reputation for laid-back, off-the-wall humour, the week before a major contest was usually “tin-hats on time” as Keith strove for nothing less than perfection – but the results speak for themselves. 

He genuinely cared about the music and about the players around him and consequently brought the best out of both. 

Always one for the random thought or fact (his internet user name “OddBod” summed him up perfectly), Keith left this life on the same day as Bo Diddley and Yves Saint-Laurent. In Bo, he can share the journey with a fellow musical genius who trod his own path and loved his art. Yves, however, is unlikely to be impressed by the dodgy suits.

Rest in Peace, Keith. The players and supporters of the Kippax Band, past and present, owe you a huge debt of gratitude for the fun, enthusiasm and musicianship you brought into their lives.
 
Andy Fake 

Adjudicator’s Opinions vs. Analytical Reasoning
 
One of the main reasons why brass band contests are often referred to as ‘a lottery’ is because different adjudicators have different opinions (educated as may be), which are then reflected in the results.

These are sometimes evident in some contests with more than one adjudicator when they have been separated and have the list of results in a different (and sometimes very different) order. This evidence can only go to show that the current system doesn’t really work.

As a moderator of GCSE and A-Level performance exams and from training days with both Associated Board and Trinity Guildhall one finds out that the job of a moderator is to not have an opinion as such, but to base the moderation of each performance against a list of clear criteria which has been agreed by each board. Therefore as long as each moderator ad heirs to these given criteria, no matter where you take an exam over the whole country, with any examiner at any exam centre you will get the same analytical result.

If the brass band movement feels like it would like to ‘move’ forward with adjudicators who all ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’ resulting in more consistent and analytical (rather than emotive) results then the next problem becomes criteria.

This maybe the issue that needs real debate. For example, I will propose (and it is only an idea which I’m sure those more wise and experienced than me can develop further,) is for at set test piece contests to have a sheet, with the title of the work at the top.  Each band would start with say 180 points (out of 200). 

Down the left side there could be a list of the rehearsal marks or sections (again this can be debated as to the length of the time between rehearsal marks or sections) then have may be 5 or so columns adjacent to each section. 

The headings could be intonation, ensemble, balance, dynamics, solo lines etc. (these should be analytical, e.g. a band is in tune or it is not, dynamics are observed or they are not.) As a band falls short of one of these headings a cross or two (depending on the severity of the failing) could be placed in each relevant column next to the rehearsal mark, a word or two maybe written to explain why. (E.g. horns sharp.) 

But also there would be two or three columns where bands could gain points with a tick. For example, for soloist flair or that ‘x factor’ etc. etc. with a word or 2 again to explain why (these should try to be analytical but there is I feel some room for an emotive response in these positive sections) (e.g. melodic shaping of solo horn - excellent) 

Then, starting as I suggest with 180 points, (This figure may go up or down with the duration of piece so that the highest theoretical mark awarded would cap at 200 -  with maybe a max of two positives for each section- again this can be debated and modified for each test piece) subtract all the negative crosses and then add the ticks resulting with the final points for each performance. 

I realise there is the problem of bands coming out with the same number of points, in this scenario, the adjudicator could look back over the sheets looking at the ticks and comments he has made and work out in his head which performance had the x-factor for him or her and make an educated opinion (some may say that certain criteria have more weighting than others, e.g. intonation and say that if one band had less tuning problems then it should win, etc. etc. remember this is just an idea to be explored and debated).

This point system will then not only make it clear not only who has won, but will also sort out analytically all the other placings, which are equally as important, for example a band who must come higher than 5th from bottom to avoid relegation. The points would probably be more diverse than they are now with some large gaps between the top and bottom bands but surely that helps as the points don’t really mean much (analytically speaking) at the present time. 

I think it’s also important to adapt and differentiate these sections and their criteria for all sections from Youth through to Championship, as obviously expectations are much higher for the Championship than they are for Section 4 bands. 

This I realise only works for Set Work contests but maybe a more general version could be drawn up for Own Choice contests.

I know some of the comments on some of the comment sheets are useful with the present system but it would still be clear what a band would have to work on from these sheets. There could be space at the bottom of the sheet for a couple of sentences to sum up each performance.

I hope this doesn’t offend anyone who loves the current system, it’s just if anyone said to the GCSE or A-Level board, Trinity-Guildhall or Associated Board. ‘I have an idea, lets scrap all this criteria nonsense and just have a blank sheet of paper and use our own individual opinions (no-matter how educated they may be) you really would be seen as insane.

Stephen Bradnum 

Masters objectives?

Reading of the Masters result, it is remarkable that we still constantly expect there to be an objective “best”, a “correct” performance. It reminded me of Eric Grunin’s fascinating Eroica Project. http://www.grunin.com/eroica/index.htm

In this he has analysed the recordings of the first movement of Beethoven’s Eroica  Symphony between 1924 and 2000.

To take tempi as an example; the shortest recording is 12minutes 17 seconds and the longest comes in at 21minutes and 3 seconds.

Average tempi vary from 110.74 to 174.58 bpm with the former having been recorded by Klemperer and the latter by Hermann Scherchen – interestingly while Klemperer’s name is up there in the pantheon of the 20th century’s music greats it is Scherchen’s recording that goes the closest to Beethoven’s marks on the score.

What rumpus would there be on 4BarsRest had these 2 interpretations come up against each other in a contest?

It’s a fascinating browse on the web and well worth a visit. In this country more and more is being made of there not being any choice left in politics as all parties fight for the middle ground; we could find ourselves going the same way in the brass band world if every time adjudicators go looking for a different interpretation they are hammered down by the listening public and more and more bands search for the safe, literal readings.

That said it would be a great help if better explanations of what was been sought were delivered by adjudicators; at least then if we disagreed we’d know better what exactly we were disagreeing with.

Dylan Richards
Market Harborough 

Masters questions

I couldn't agree more with Martin Smith of Manchester in your postbag 29/5/08 regarding the All England International carve up festival last Sunday.

I too listened to every performance bar 2 and the placings at the end were a mystery to me as well.

4 questions sprung to mind after the results

1.   How old are some adjudicators and are they really fit to be judging Brass Band contests?

2.   What has Eric Crees done in brass banding (apart from some work with Desford in the Eighties) to allow him the honour of adjudicating one of the top contests of the year? He has regularly given strange decisions?

3.  Since the only big name band that plays at Cambridge anymore have suffered twice at the hands of random adjudication in the last three years, I wonder whether they will just decide call it a day, thus sounding the death nail to a once fantastic and original contest.

4.  Musicality or interpretation aside, HOW could any adjudicator put a band with the sound Fodens made on Sunday below the sound Redbridge made?

I'm not meaning to be disrespectful but the difference in sound quality was evident to EVERYBODY in the hall with the exception of the three wise men in the box!!

Amazing day, Amazing turn of events!!

Sophie Griffin
Doncaster 

Awesome experience 

I simply must write and tell anyone who did not get the chance to see Black Dyke at York Minster on Saturday miss an absolutely amazing experience.

The pinnacle of the evening (for me) came at the end of the first half when they played "Procession to the Minster".  The sound was awesome, and I was sat on the front row. 

The hairs stood up on the back of my neck towards those final last bars. Considering where we were, it was a truly religious experience. 

Well done Dr Nick & Dyke.

Jim Owen 

Rankings waffle 

Not once has it been fully explained exactly how the rankings are calculated on the 4BR site.  It is shrouded by waffle.
 
A much clearer explanation can be made by publishing exactly how many points will be awarded to each placed band at every contest.  This can then be extended to account for the reduction of ‘points’ for the previous years.
You would possibly then get a lot less questions regarding ‘why has my band slipped back when I won the contest’.
 
I cannot foresee any reason why you have not explained it fully in the past.
 
Karl Pettit 

How many points?
 
I was just wondering how many points are rewarded for the Flemish Open Championships. The line-up was very strong with Willebroek and Buizingen attending and all other bands being in the top 115 of the 4barsrest-ranking list.
 
Amsterdam Brass managed to reach place 5 in this strong field, just in front of Pemberton and Metropole (ranked 54 and 57). I, however, do not see the band listed in the top 200….. possibly because a fifth place is not rewarded with a whole lot of points?

Keep up the good work!
 
Cheers (although it’s a bit early…)!
 
JT Steegstra
Chairman, Amsterdam Brass

4BR Reply:
There are more than 200 bands in the 4BR/World opf Brass rankings so each band does get points.  

Benediction help?

I am trying to locate and buy the music Benediction by John Stevens – David Thornton plays this on his album Devil’s dual.
 
Kevin Kavanagh

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