The British Ship Adoption Society

The final round of the Music Prize competitions and the Baird Cup competition were held together on the evening of Tuesday, 23rd June, in the Memorial Hall. The Adjudicator was Mr. Percy Lovell, Director of Music of Bootham School.

Thirlwell was in for the piano prize, but though he did not succeed in winning it himself he had the satisfaction of accompanying Mackinder who carried off the Instrumental prize with a stylish and neat performance of a couple of dances by Hassefor. This, with Ibberson's piano solo (Prelude in D flat by Gliere) was the Rise's contribution to the Baird Cup. School House were also fortunate in having Stevens, who won the Pianoforte prize with a "solid Brahmsian" approach to the E flat Intermezzo. The Corelli supporting piece, two clarinets and piano, was rather disappointing owing to Grieves' clarinet developing reed trouble. Temple, who won last year, were very thin on the ground, but both Kitching and Summers played their solos with confidence. Queen's put on a small symphony orchestra of seven players (oboe, clarinets, bassoon, horn and a couple of violins) who played a baroque-type dance specially composed for the occasion by 0. G. Hodgson. Hodgson also played the famous B flat Intermezzo of Brahms, but though it was a harder piece he did not strike quite the authoritative air of Stevens and so missed the piano prize by one mark. The Grove programme started off with a near-brilliant account of the Mozart F major sonata (K.332) by Hall and a convincing account of the Handel theme known to all Brahms lovers, arranged for trumpet and trombones. Brown can be congratulated on a fine performance here, a near-miss for the instrumental prize. Manor, with J. C. Platts (flute), McKenzie and J. Robinson gave a very promising performance of two not too difficult pieces. If Platts aims higher he stands a good chance of winning another year.

School House won the Baird Cup for the first time, beating Queen's by three marks and Manor by six. They are to be congratulated on a good piece of team-work in a well contested competition.

F.W.

THE RECORD LIBRARY

This year the Record Library has enjoyed great popularity, especially during the winter terms. It has been very noticeable, too, that more members of the Junior half of the School are taking advantage of it.

Whilst the members of the Library continue to grow in numbers, so increases the number of records. This year there have been no fewer than nineteen additions, including five new stereo L.P.s. The Library now contains one hundred and thirty-nine long-playing records, of which nineteen are in stereo. We would like to thank C. F. Foster (0.P.) and A. W. Perry (0.P.) for their donations to the Library of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Beethoven's String Quartets respectively.

It is of interest to note that in a quick popularity poll using the year's withdrawals as a guide, Beethoven is the most popular composer, displacing Tchaikovsky who slips down to third place below Wagner. Dvorak runs a very close fourth.

C.G.G.