Major Tom
Palmatier, past President of NABBA has written the
following description of the brass band instrumentation.
One E flat Soprano Cornet 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 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 fill out the cornet choir.
One B flat Repiano Cornet is the "roving
middle linebacker" 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 choir 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
Tenor 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 an additional weight to the
tubas. As the only brass instrument to be reading in
concert pitch, I am not sure what the early designers of
brass bands were trying to say!
Two E flat Tubas and two B flat
Tubas give composers an extraordinary flexibility
in dictating the sound of the bass part. The lighter
quality of the E flats can have all the Iyricism of the
Euphoniums while the fatter B flat Tuba sound adds weight.
In octaves or fifths, the section can give the brass band
an incredible richness of tone.
Three Percussionists will cover the
entire spectrum of percussion instruments. Timpani,
battery, and mallets are standard for almost all
compositions.
It might be worth stressing here that although brass band
literature works most effectively with the appropriate
instrumentation, a number of bands function quite
successfully with the use of Trumpets instead of Cornets,
and French Horns instead of Tenor Horns. The NABBA annual
competition also has a section, which permits more
flexible instrumentation.
A Brief History of Brass Bands
The brass band
dates back to the early nineteenth century and England's
Industrial Revolution as an outgrowth of the medieval
waits. 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.
Fervent discussion has always ensued as to which band was
founded first. Certainly the two bands with the longest
traditions are the Bessies O'Th Barn Brass Band and the
Black Dyke Mills Brass Band. Taking advantage of improved
mechanical skills and the rise of conservatoires 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.
BESSES
O' TH' BARN BAND 1900
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
1 840s, a thriving local contest circuit had grown.
ABINGDON, IL, Brass Band 1903
Today two
major championship events are held each year in England;
the National Championship and the British Open
Championship. The National Championship is only open to
bands from England, Scotland and Wales. This competition
ran sporadically in the nineteenth century from 1856,
but was firmly established by Sir Arthur Sullivan in
1900. The Open Championship invites bands from all
countries and has been in existence since 1853, the
first winners being the Mossley Temperance Saxhorn Band.
Both major championships are held in the fall each year,
are fiercely competitive, and it is a great honor to win
either of these competitions. The time commitment is
very extensive with the top bands rehearsing at least
three nights a week prior to the championships, and
often every night the week before the competition
itself. Youth brass band competitions are similarly well
established, providing quality players for the adult
bands as the young members mature, thereby continuing
the tradition.
BESSES
O' TH' BARN BAND, IN CHICAGO 1906
Brass bands in Great Britain presently number in the
thousands with many of the bands having origins prior to
1900. Originally the bands were funded by coal mines,
mills, and many today retain corporate sponsorship. To
this day, the bands use only non-professional musicians
who in former years were usually employed at the
sponsoring company. It is a testament to the quality of
performance in the brass band tradition that many
players are able to secure professional positions as a
result of their brass band experience. Indeed, several
professional brass musicians in this country began their
education in the brass band world, New York trumpeter
Phil Smith and Chicago trombonist Michael Mulcahy being
two good examples.
BUTLER, MO, Brass Band 1908
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. If you
plan a trip to England, be sure to find a brass band
concert to attend.
Crystal Palace Trophy
What makes the
brass band unique? Al1 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 mellower, 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.
CYFARTHA BRASS BAND, WALES
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
today. During the course of this century the Salvation
Army were predominantly responsible for maintaining the
brass band tradition in America through their music
ministry. Only in the last fifteen years 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.
ILLINOIS REFRIGERATOR FACTORY BAND
"Brass Bands
are one of the world's most wide spread forms of amateur
music performance" Original works from Gustav Holst and
Edward Elgar to modern-day composers such as Philip
Sparke, Edward Gregson and Joseph Horovitz have resulted
in a growing and dynamic repertoire. American composers
such as James Curnow, William Himes, Stephen Bulla and
Bruce Broughton all got their start writing for brass
bands of the Salvation Army and are currently writing
brass band music in addition to their other compositions
for band, orchestra and film scores.
MASSED
BANDS CONCERT, BELLEVUE 1935
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 this country. Brass Band Music There
is a massive catalog of music available for brass bands
spanning every conceivable style. Luckily, outside of
Test Pieces, the cost is more reasonable than for wind
band. Brass band music is unique in that all parts, with
the exception of bass trombone, are in treble clef. This
concept developed during the nineteenth century enabling
self taught musicians with no formal training to move
easily throughout the band. Why the bass trombone
remained in bass clef is a mystery to this day. All
parts, again with the exception of bass trombone, are
also notated in Bb or Eb. In other words, no matter
which valve instrument you are playing, written C below
the staff will be open, D will be 1 & 3, E will be 1 & 2
and so forth.
DUBUQUE, IOWA, Circa 1865
