Community Concert Bands in Bloomington (From the 19th Century to the Present)

Gary WigginsMonroe County History CenterNovember 17, 2011

Overview of the TalkCharacteristics of community

bandsOrigins of community bandsThe Sewards and the early

history of community bands in Bloomington

Newell Long and the current Bloomington Community Band

Funding of Community BandsBloomington Brass Band (if time

permits)

What is a community concert band?Community-based ensemble of wind

(woodwind and brass) and percussion players

Often bears the name of the town in which they play (and may be sponsored by it)

Some sponsored by companies, clubs, etc. ~625 company musical units in 1929

Perfect Circle Band (Hagerstown, IN) Detroit Diesel Allison Band (Indianapolis, IN)

Lions Club Band (Urbana, IL) Louisville Shriners Band

Recent Development Community band affiliation with

an academic institution Recent conversation with IVY

Tech

Number of Community Bands in the United States

Estimated 10,000 bands in the US in 1889

Perhaps 2,500 community bands today in the US

Motivation to Play in a Community BandMembers not motivated by financial

gain or academic scholarship◦Some bands pay their musicians and

attract professional musiciansMusicians play largely for enjoyment

rather than as a professionAmateur performers, making music

for pure enjoyment--true hallmark of the community band

Factors Influencing Participation in a Community Band: Cavitt, 2005Surveyed 401 members in Texas,

Michigan, and CaliforniaTypical member is over 35 years oldCollege-educated professionalEarns a middle incomeLives in the suburbsEnjoyment, fun, and social interactionThe music they play is the most

enjoyable aspect of being in the band

Typical ProgramOpen with the national anthemMay have individual band member stand for a

solo in the midst of a pieceMay feature a group or section out frontRepertoire includes:

◦ original wind compositions◦ arranged classical items◦ light music◦ popular tunes◦ marches◦ often mix of various genres on a single program

Plays to audiences of various socio-economic strata

Origins, Flowering, Decline, and Rejuvenation of Community BandsTurkish bands: percussion instrumentsMilitia or Military Bands

◦ US Marine Band formed in 1798German Moravians in Pennsylvania, NC, and

elsewhere19th C. developments in instrumentationWar times tended to increase their popularityAfter WWI, popularity declinedReplaced by school music programs

◦ Pool of amateur musicians feed into community bands

Late 20th C. Revival of community band interest

John Philip Sousa, 1870-1942

Touring Professional BandsGolden Age of Bands: late 19th –

early 20th century (~1880 - ~1920)

Gilmore, Sousa, and Pryor Bands◦Patrick S. Gilmore (1829-1882) –

Father of the American Band (1858) “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”

◦John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)◦Arthur W. Pryor (1870-1942)

Fred A. Jewell (1875-1936)

Austin Seward, 1797-1872Organized the first band in Bloomington“Vulcanus Allheart”

◦Blacksmith who created the courthouse fish◦Learned to play flute from Baynard Rush Hall

With Prof. E. Elliot, organized the first band at IU (?) sometime after 1833

Uncertainty about start date of IU bandMany Sewards in Bloomington town

bands

Earliest Bands in BloomingtonName Conductor(s) Began

Seward Band 1 John Seward 1838

Seward Band 2 John Seward 1843

Silver Band James Seward 1850

Mechanics Band 1 Charles Voss/William H. Seward

1869

Concert of September 28, 1847Duke of Holstein’s MarchSweet is the ValeUnionMarch from NormaWashington’s Grand MarchTrenton March

◦ Source: Letter of April 12, 1950 from Oscar Burlap, read in the “Band” folder at the IU Archives

W. B. Seward, Conductor, 1865

Late 19th Century Bloomington BandsName Conductor Began

Empire Band John Mack ~1875

Mechanics Band 2 William H. Seward 1886

Opery House Band ??? ??? (co-existed with the Mechanics Band for a while

Hoosier Charm Band

John Marlin ~1891

small band William Pace 1898 (formed while the 1st Regiment Band was away)

City Cornet Band, 1879

Bloomington Mechanics Band, 1886

Hoosier Charm Band, 1891

Bloomington Town Band, 1911

Thursday Band Nights, 1886-???Began with the Mechanics Band

in 1886Led by William H. Seward, 1886-

1898Concerts from permanent

bandstand in SW corner of courthouse yard

Later portable bandstand moved in rotation to each corner of the square

Third Street Park Bandshell Dedication , August 22, 1928

March: The Kentucky DerbyNovelette: Moonlight in FloridaWaltz song: Laugh, Clown, LaughMedley: Victor Hugo’s FavoritesFox Trot: Who Wouldn’t Be BlueWaltzes: RoselandFox Trot: Old Man SunshineMarch: Chicago Marine BandThe Star Spangled Banner

20th-Century Bloomington BandsName Conductor(s) Began

Bloomington City Band

??? Waterbury/Wylie Cathcart/Archie Warner/Charles Cosner/Alva Hughes/

~1901

Bloomington Town Band

Henry (“Harry”) O. Crigler

1919 - ~1941 (definitely gone by 1949)

Bloomington Civic Band

Carl Frye ~1953 - ~ 1963

Bloomington Band Al Olson/???

1966 - ~1970

Bloomington Community Band

Newell Long/Tim Moore/Joe Car

1978 -

Newell H. LongFeb 12, 1905 – Jan 4, 1999

Conductor, BHS Band, 1935-39 Conductor, University School Band, 1939-43 IU School of Music, 1935-

◦ Associate Conductor of Bands◦ Chairman, Undergraduate Division, Music

Education Department◦ Assistant Dean

Founding Director, Bloomington Community Band, 1978-97

Fellow, Phi Beta Mu National Bandmasters Hall of Fame, 1977

Indiana Music Educators Association Hoosier Musician of the Year, 1985

Newell & Eleanor’s Musical Skits

From Newell and EleanorThe more we team together, together, together,The more we team together, the stronger we’ll be.

This ending is choral,But it has a moral:When people work togetherThey taste victory. Source: Final chorus in “The Music Hater” An Instant Opera in One Act by Newell and Eleanor Long.

Earliest Photo of Today’s BCB

Newell Long at 3rd St. Park Bandstand Dedication, 1993

BCB at Courthouse, ~1995

Guest Conductors of the BCB

Stephen W. Pratt (2009)Gary R. Wishmeyer (2010)Craig Paré (2011)

BCB at 3rd Street Park, 6/23/11

Musicianship WorkshopsEugene Rousseau, Dominic

Spera, Carl Lenthe (2009)Thomas Walsh, Howard Klug,

Gary Gray, Edmund Cord, Mark Woodring, Richard Seraphinoff, Kevin Bobo, Wilber England, Norman Hanson, Maria Harman, Will Petersen, Peter Brockman, Selena Yamamoto, Guy Hardy (pro bono) (2010-2011)

Venues for the Bloomington Community Band

About 20 concerts per year in Bloomington and surrounding areas◦Arts fairs◦Civic events (parades, dedications,

etc.)◦Retirement Homes◦College Mall◦City and State Parks

BCB at McCormick’s Creek State Park, July 16, 2011

BCB at Spring Mill State Park August 20, 2011

2010 BCB Awards

Be More Award for Arts and Cultural Organizations (Bloomington Volunteer Network)

Cassady Electric Volunteer of the Year Award (Downtown Bloomington, Inc.)◦Jointly with the Bloomington Brass

Band

Brass BandsAlmost always associated with

factories or industry in Britain and Europe

Synonymous with “Silver Band”?No trumpets or French hornsUsually 27-29 membersHighly competitive

Bloomington Brass BandFormed ~1983 by David Whitt, initially

as an unofficial IU groupOther conductors, 1986-90: David

Pickett, Ran Whittle, Jeff WestphalAl Olson then took over as conductorPlays ~ 20 concerts per year with all

kinds of music, not just Brass Band music

Some BCB members play with the BBBAverage size of the band: ~20-22

members

Funding of the BCB in the 1890s

“Organized ten years ago, in all that time, the only outside aid it has ever had is the sum of $50 which the city council appropriated to assist in building the band stand.” (Bloomington World, 24 June 1896)

Restaurant in a baggage car on the Monon to Chicago to raise money for music.

Funding of the BCB, 1890s -1920sWeekly contributions from downtown

businesses in the early days◦Amounted to $20 to $25 a week (Fred A.

Seward)

Council Votes $500 to Band: 1920◦ “A good band is always a strong factor in the uplift of a community, and

it should be supported by general taxation instead of by a few professional and business men.” (Bloomington Daily Telephone, 22 September 1920)

Support from a small property tax and the Community Chest: 1940 (Fred A.

Seward)

Recent Funding Crises Among Community Bands“Lack of Funding Threatens

Community Bands” –ABC News August 1, 2010◦Adrian City (MI) Band: city cut

$7,530◦Decatur, IL: funding reduced $15,000◦St. Cloud, MN: reduced from $40K to

$15K◦Results of widespread funding cuts:

Fewer shows Musicians playing for free Bands have to raise money or seek

business partnerships

Recent Funding of the BCBLowes Hot Dog StandDues: $25 instituted in 2009Member donations for rehearsal spaceIndiana Arts Commission grants, 2009-12

◦ Musicianship workshopsLarge and small donationsIn-kind donations (rehearsal space and

library storage)Community Foundation Endowment

◦Bloomington Community Band Fund: $10,000◦Matchstick Initiative 2012: $47,500 goal

Newell Long Conductors Cup

Candidate for Conductor

Parting Thought . . .

It is difficult to trust anyone whose instrument changes shape as he plays it!!!

Bibliography: Bloomington Duncan, H. C. “Austin Seward.” Indiana Magazine of History, v. 4, no. 3,

September 1908, pp. 103-116. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27785168 (accessed 3 Nov 2011)

Mathiesen, Penelope. “The Sewards and Bloomington Bands.” Monroe County Historian, October 2008, pp. 5-6. http://www.monroehistory.org/about_us/oct_2008.pdf

Reed, Bennett P. “Bloomington Band of 1911.” Bloomington Daily Herald, 1949?. (Our Bloomington of Yesteryear, no. 26)

Sanders, Chauncey. “The Development of Indiana’s ‘Marching Hundred’ Since 1896.” Indiana Alumni Magazine, v. 2, November 1939, pp. 12-15, 30.

Seward, Fred A. [Paper on town bands in Bloomington read before the Monroe County Historical Society, Jan 11, 1940] ◦ http://cwcfamily.org/sewband1.htm (summary)◦ http://bloomingtoncommunityband.net/about/history/other-articles-and-web-sites-with-

information-on-the-bcb-and-its-predecessors/fred-seward-paper-mchs-january-11-1940/ (full text)

Wiggins, Gary. “History of the Bloomington Community Band.” Monroe County Historian, August 2011, pp. 4, 7. http://www.monroehistory.org/about_us/august_2011.pdf

“Bloomington Bands: Something About the Tooters of Long Ago.” Bloomington World, 24 June 1896. http://cwcfamily.org/sewband1.htm

Bloomington Community Band History Web Pages. http://bloomingtoncommunityband.net/about/history/

Bibliography: General Berry, Lemuel. “A Programmatic Approach Towards Organizing a Brass or

Community Band.” Woodwind, Brass, & Percussion, v. 21 no. 7, November 1982, pp. 6-9.

Cavitt, Mary Ellen. “Factors Influencing Participation in Community Bands.” Journal of Band Research, v. 41, no. 1, Fall 2005, pp. 42-59.

Hansen, Richard K. The American Wind Band: A Cultural History. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 2005.

Hartz, James Michael. The American Community Band: History and Development. MA Thesis, Marshall University, 2003. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/masters/hartz-jason-2003-ma.pdf (accessed 3 Nov 2011)

LeCroy, Hoyt F. “Community-Based Music Education: Industrial Bands in the American South.” Journal of Research in Music Education, v. 46, no. 2, 1998, 248-264.

Schmidt-Jones, Catherine. “A Short History of Wind Bands.” Connexions http://cnx.org/content/m14566/latest/ (accessed 3 Nov 2011)

Unze, David. “Lack of Funding Threatens Community Bands.” ABC News August 1, 2010. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lack-funding-threatens-community-bands/story?id=11287901 (accessed 3 Nov 2011)

“Community Band.” eNotes http://www.enotes.com/topic/Community_band (accessed 3 Nov 2011)

“Is There a Strong Future for Community Bands?” Creeva’s World 2.0, August 23, 2008. http://creeva.com/2008/08/23/is-there-a-strong-future-for-community-bands/ (accessed 8 November 2011)

Professional Organizations & Sources of MusicAssociation of Concert Bands

◦ http://www.acbands.org/

National Band Association◦ http://www.nationalbandassociation.org/

North American Brass Band Association◦ http://www.nabba.org/

Chatfield Brass Band & Music Lending Library◦ http://chatfieldband.lib.mn.us/

Band Music PDF Library (Golden Age)◦ http://www.bandmusicpdf.org/

Arkansas Valley Wind & Percussion Ensemble ◦ http://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/home