Band news – the summer so far…
Crystal Palace Band has been busy since Easter,
out and about all over the South East. For
us, the summer began in April with a performance
at Dane John Bandstand in Canterbury, which
was well-received and a pleasant way to start
the season. 'Harry Potter' and 'My Fair Lady'
were just two of the selections played at
May's excellent Spring Concert in St John's
Church. Next stop, Golders Hill Park Bandstand
on Hampstead Heath, where it was ice creams
all round in the break (tiramisu and mocha
– yum!). At the beginning of June the B Band
played at Macauley Primary School Summer
Fair in Clapham, and showed that they continue
to improve. Jubilee Celebrations organised
by Coulsdon Rotary Club at Warlingham School
saw CPB wearing union jack hats, while an
enthusiastic audience sang along. Glorious
sunshine greeted us in Canbury Gardens in
Kingston, a good crowd and lots of passing
boats on the shimmering Thames. Historic
Hever Castle was as picturesque as ever,
with many CPB members enjoying a picnic beforehand.
Highlights to come include Herne Bay and
Broadstairs, but keep an eye on the website,
as engagements change constantly.
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The following piece was sent in by a band
member, who shall remain anonymous. However,
he would like to stress that it does not
apply to the trombone section!
ART OF THE EFFICIENT
A Company chairman had been given tickets
to the performance of Schubert’s Unfinished
Symphony. He couldn't go and passed them
on to his work-study consultant. The next
morning, the chairman asked him how he had
enjoyed the performance, and was handed a
memorandum which read:
"For considerable periods, the four
oboe players had nothing to do. The number
should be reduced, and their work spread
over the whole orchestra, thus eliminating
peaks of inactivity.
All of the 12 violins were playing identical
notes. This seemed unnecessary duplication,
and the staff of this section should be drastically
cut.
Much of the effort was absorbed in playing
demi semi-quavers. Now this seems an excessive
refinement, and it is recommended that all
notes should be rounded up to the nearest
semi-quaver.
No useful purpose is served by repeating
with horns the passage that has already been
played by the strings. If all such redundant
passages were eliminated, the concert could
be reduced from two hours to 20 minutes.
If Schubert had attended to these matters,
he would probably have been able to finish
his symphony after all.”
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