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This may seem really far-fetched, but I have to wonder if geography had anything to do with it. Being that England is a relatively small country, word about banding probably spread fast and bands were able to hear each other and get new ideas, instruments, and techniques fairly quickly. America, with it's vast rural areas had a hard time getting news around. That would be my long stretch supposition. If a population has a common thread and they have an extended group with which to share and compete with, chances are that population will exist with many of the same morays and customs as the broader population as long as it is able to communicate shared intelligences.

My other supposition is that Britain did not represent a huge population juxtoposition to the US that say, the Italians did. The Italian musical culture is more predicated on a wind band ideal as is the German Culture, with it's prediliction for "HarmonieMusik". We can see a similar musical diaspora in the Appalachian region where many Irish, Scots, and Welsh settled after the Revolution, bringin their indigenous form of folk music that has transformed itself into what we now know as bluegrass. If England had a potato famine or a total break down of it's social mores and immigration had become broader, I suspect that brass bands would have become more popular. One needs only to look to Canada and the Islands to see a more stable, albeit smaller, banding scene that in America.

Here is a question, or rather a statement to ponder: Tuba and Euphonium players may well be at the forefront of the genesis of the brass band movement because of the opportunities it allows to be more of a voice than a regular band. I purport that the banding scene will become bigger, and more competitive with the UK because of this. Thoughts?

Chuck Jackson
Music Director, The Las Vegas Brass Band

Chuck Jackson wrote:Tuba and Euphonium players may well be at the forefront of the genesis of the brass band movement because of the opportunities it allows to be more of a voice than a regular band. I purport that the banding scene will become bigger, and more competitive with the UK because of this. Thoughts?

Here's endorsement of your proposal, Chuck:

Chicago Brass Band was invited to perform at the 2005 Northeast Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference, and Illinois Brass Band will be performing at the Midwest Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference.

Steve Marcus
Tuba Section Leader and BBb Bass
Chicago Brass Band

I hope I get to hear one of the two performances.

I am proud to say that the Las Vegas Brass Band will be the host ensemble for the Southwest Tuba-Euphonium Convention in Las Vegas next June. Good news all-around for those of us who conduct and those who play in these fine ensembles.

Chuck

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Phil, drop a line to Carole Nowicke (contact me offliist if you don't have her email). She's made a project of profiling some of the old time band leaders and should have a tone of background material for your project.

One problem with many of the US Civil War era saxhorn bands was the use of OTS instruments. Great for marching, but not such a good idea if you're giving concernts.

And the US wasn't as organized as Britian when it came to teaching brass in public schools.

You can go through the LOC collection of band music and note that as the old instruments were being retired in the 1870's, woodwinds were being brought in to augment the sound; most notably clarinets. By the time Sousa published "Sound Off" in 1885, the concert band with mixed instrumentation was pretty well formed.