|
|
 |
|
Brass Band History
[see also Smoky Mountain Brass Band History]
[see also British Brass Band History]
The Brass Band dates back to the early nineteenth
century and England's Industrial Revolution.
With increasing urbanization, employers began
to finance work bands to decrease the political
activity with which the working classes seemed
preoccupied during their leisure time. Thus,
the brass band tradition was founded
 Taking advantage of improved mechanical skills
and the rise of conservatories and music
departments at universities, the standards
of instrumental technology and performance
quickly improved. By 1860 there were over
750 brass bands in England alone. Although
these bands were not fully comprised of brass
instruments until the second half of the
nineteenth century, the tradition developed
to the present day current instrumentation
of cornets, flugelhorn, tenor horns, baritones,
trombones, euphoniums, B-flat and E-flat
basses and percussion. Contests are the lifeblood
of the brass band world and rivalry has always
been strong; cash prizes providing additional
incentive. Nineteenth-century politicians
hired bands to enliven campaigns and challenges
often followed. By the 1840s, a thriving
local contest circuit had grown. Brass bands
in the UK presently number over 5,000 with
many of the bands having origins prior to
1900. Originally the bands were funded by
coal mines and mills, and many today retain
corporate sponsorship. English brass bands
are also popular in Japan, Australia and
New Zealand; and in recent years a large
number of brass bands have started in several
European countries.
 What makes the brass band unique? All the
brass music (with the exception of the bass
trombone) is scored in treble clef, a characteristic
that over the years has allowed for remarkable
freedom among certain bands, making the transition
from one instrument to another somewhat easier.
The number of members (instrumentation) is
rigid, usually limited to between twenty-eight
and thirty players, but the repertoire is
unusually flexible, with concert programs
consisting of anything from original works,
orchestral transcriptions and featured soloists
to novelty items, marches, medleys and hymn
tune arrangements. With the exception of
the trombones, all instruments are conical
in design, producing a more mellow and richer
sound, yet one that has wide dynamic and
coloristic variety.
The term "brass band" is not entirely
accurate, since brass bands also normally
include up to three percussion players who
are called upon to play as many as twenty
different instruments depending on the demands
of the music. Standard acceptance of more
than one percussionist in the brass band
is really a phenomenon of the last forty
years, but one that has added immense challenge,
interest and variety to the sound. Brass
bands are one of the world's most wide-spread
forms of amateur music performance. Although
brass bands were an important part of life
in nineteenth-century America, they were
superseded by larger concert and marching
bands. However, many fine historic brass
bands are still actively performing there
today.
During the course of the last century, the
Salvation Army was predominantly responsible
for maintaining the brass band tradition
in America through their music ministry.
Only in the last two decades has a brass
band resurgence begun in North America. The
formation of the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) has been crucial and influential in the
renaissance. There are presently several
hundred brass bands in North America, many
affiliated with NABBA, and it is not only
exciting to see the tradition making a return,
but also such a valuable and unique contribution
to the rich musical heritage of the USA.
The instrumentation of the brass band begins
with one E-flat Soprano Cornet which serves
as the piccolo voice. It requires a delicate
touch and is used frequently as a soloist
or to add brightness to the cornet tutti
sound. Four B-flat Solo Cornets, or "Front
Row", are the lead voices in the ensemble.
The use of four cornets permits players to
switch off on parts that are frequently continuous
throughout the entire piece. Divisi parts
are also frequent. The four solo players
should ideally match each other in sound.
Two B-flat Second Cornets and two B-flat
Third Cornets, or "Back Row", fill
out the cornet section. One B-flat Repiano
Cornet is the "go between" of the
section. Often used as a solo voice, or doubling
the Soprano Cornet in unison or at the octave,
the Repiano is also used to add weight to
the other Cornet parts.
One B-flat Flugelhorn serves as a bridge
to the tenor horns. It is a frequent solo
voice and is often used as the top voice
in the horn family. Three E-flat Tenor Horns
(Solo, First and Second) often perform as
a section with flugelhorns and baritones.
The solo horn is a frequent solo voice. Also
commonly referred to as the alto horn in
the United States, it is an upright three-valve
instrument, with a lighter sound than the
French Horn.
Two B-flat baritones are often doubled with
euphoniums but work best as lower extensions
of the horn section. As separate voices,
their ability to blend and add a middle-low
voice without heaviness is a unique feature
of the brass band. Two B-flat euphoniums
are the predominant solo tenor voices and
also function as tutti enforcers with the
basses. Two B-flat tenor trombones provide
punch and drive because of their cylindrical
construction. One bass trombone is both a
low support for the trombone section and
adds additional weight to the bass. As the
only brass instrument to be reading in concert
pitch (i.e. bass clef), I am not sure what
the early designers of brass bands were trying
to say!
Two E-flat basses and two B-flat basses give
composers an extraordinary flexibility in
dictating the sound of the bass part. The
lighter quality of the E-flats can have all
the lyricism of the euphoniums while the
fatter B-flat bass sound adds weight. In
octaves or fifths, the section can give the
brass band an incredible richness of tone
and depth.
Three percussionists will cover the entire
spectrum of percussion instruments. Timpani,
full drum kit and tuned percussion are standard
for almost all compositions. |
|
|
|
|
|
