I don't know if it's still the same, having been gone for close to 30 years, but there was always a huge tradition in England for brass bands. Mostly they were in the north, but most small towns had them. They were manned with miners, shipbuilders, carpenters and other artisans who would fill their cheeks on a regular basis, and then pursue a national crown as being the best in the land. Usually the competition was at the Albert Hall in London.
I always found the tone of a stringless band rather mournful, but there was no escape as a child, as my father used to like it. Every Saturday afternoon there was a program on the BBC - Strike Up the Band, I think it was called - which he would play, and the wireless would boom out the plaintiff sounds of cornets, euphoniums and horns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyb39zUqeq0&feature=related
This track is Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Elgar, played by the Grimthorpe Colliery Band. It's about 3.30 long.
No comments:
Post a Comment