The Hendon Band of The Salvation Army is a non-professional Christian brass band that forms part of the Hendon Corps, a Salvation Army church in Hendon, a suburb of North West London, England. The band was founded in 1885. [1]
A Salvation Army corps was opened in Hendon in 1882, and its band, consisting of eight members, was formed three years later. Nineteenth century Salvation Army bands were made up entirely of men, and there was no requirement for members to have any particular musical ability. The early bandsmen of Hendon Band were often farmhands or shopkeepers serving the small Hendon community. The role of the band was to assist in worship at the church, and to promote the existence of the newly founded corps through 'open air' services, held outside to attract new worshipers in the district.
By 1914 the Hendon Band was of sufficient quality and strength to carry out weekend 'campaigns', visiting other Salvation Army corps in the United Kingdom, and it is recorded as having been in Gravesend, Kent, when the First World War was declared. [2]
The end of the First World War saw the arrival at Hendon Corps of demobilised soldier Fred H. Cobb. Cobb was appointed Bandmaster in the 1920s [2] and the band began to develop its reputation for high-quality musical performance. Demand for the band increased and weekend campaigns in Boscombe, Plymouth and Exeter were undertaken. In 1936, it undertook its first radio broadcast on Radio Luxembourg. Towards the end of the 1930s an offshoot band, the Young People's Band, was founded to encourage young members of the Hendon Salvation Army to develop their musical abilities. The Young People's Band continued into the 21st century. [3]
In 1950 Fred H. Cobb retired and Don Morrison was appointed Bandmaster. [2] In 1952, the band undertook its first foreign tour in Denmark. Morrison continued in service as Bandmaster for a further five years until he was succeeded by Fred H. Cobb's son, renowned cornet soloist of the Salvation Army's International Staff Band and H. M. Band of the Welsh Guards, Roland Cobb. [2] Under his leadership the band undertook its 1964 tour of the Netherlands, and its 1976 tour of Germany, Switzerland and - again - the Netherlands. In 1978, Hendon Band played the Queen Elizabeth Hall, on London's Southbank, for the first time.
1979 saw Roland Cobb's retirement as bandmaster. The band was led for a short period by Paul Ruby before Roland Cobb's eldest son, Dr Stephen Cobb (also bandmaster of the International Staff Band), was appointed [1] as his long-term successor, and under him the band's annual concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall entitled Hendon Highlights was established in 1985.
In 1988, the band toured Canada and the U.S. for the first time, playing in Toronto, Vancouver, Colorado, San Diego and the length of the West Coast, at venues including the Hollywood Bowl and Disneyworld, [4] as well as churches and a homeless shelter. [5] In 1993, the band returned to America, touring Washington D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, through the Appalachians, to the southern states of Georgia, Alabama and Florida. In 1996, a third visit was completed in which the band played concerts in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit. In the late 1990s, the band appointed its first female members.
In June 2000, Hendon Band took part in an inter-denominational service, marching at the head of the Christian clergy and congregations parading from Westminster Cathedral along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, and culminating in a further march up The Mall to Buckingham Palace for the performance of a short concert. During the same month, the band represented the Salvation Army's United Kingdom Territory at the International Millennial Congress at Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia. The band also travelled to North Carolina to perform with the Asheville Symphony Chorus, and headlined a programme entitled Hendon Highlights USA at Atlanta's Symphony Hall.
In 2002, the band toured Switzerland, and in March 2005, it played a special concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London, to celebrate 21 years of its flagship annual concert, 'Hendon Highlights', with special guests the King's Singers, and established an annual Christmas concert 'A Portrait of Christmas', with special guest Simone Rebello, percussionist. It also toured the West Coast of the U.S. This was followed in 2007 with a tour of Denmark and Sweden, and a 2008 tour of Finland.
Having served as its bandmaster for 29 years, Stephen Cobb relinquished his role as leader of the band in 2009. He was succeeded by David Rudd, a member of the solo cornet section and previous deputy bandmaster, who had also conducted the London Central Fellowship Band of the Salvation Army, as well as Ascot Brass, a non-competing band based in the Maidenhead area. [6]
Stephen Cobb returned as the band's conductor in 2012. [2]
In the 2010s, the band was noted for its principal cornetist, Philip Cobb, the youngest son of conductor Stephen Cobb, who was appointed principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra, [7] the youngest musician ever to hold this position.
Although the band includes other professional musicians, it still remains an amateur group and its members are mainly students, teachers, businessmen, and civil servants, and other professionals.
In February 2023 the Hendon Band commenced a new chapter as Dr Stephen Cobb passed the baton of leadership to new Bandmaster Jonathan Evans.
The Hendon Band of the Salvation Army exists to promote the Salvation Army's Christian message, of 'heart to God and hand to man', in Hendon and its immediate area. The band's principal function is to accompany worship at Hendon Salvation Army, London, but over the years, its reputation for high-quality brass band music has led it to be invited to play all over the world, and thus it has taken its message further than many Salvation Army bands are able to. The majority of the music the band plays is Christian, much of it composed especially for Salvation Army brass bands, though its repertoire also includes arrangements of classical and other secular pieces.
Frederick Joseph Ricketts was an English composer of marches for band. Under the pen name Kenneth J. Alford, he composed marches which are considered to be great examples of the art. He was a Bandmaster in the British Army, and Royal Marines Director of Music. Conductor Sir Vivian Dunn called Ricketts "The British March King". Ricketts' frequent use of the saxophone contributed to its permanent inclusion in military bands. His best known work is the "Colonel Bogey March".
Sir Dean Goffin was one of New Zealand's first prolific Salvation Army composers who composed not only music for the Army but for non-Army bands as well.
Lieutenant Colonel (Dr) Ray Steadman-Allen was a British composer of choral and brass band music for the Salvation Army and for band competition.
Maidenhead Citadel Band (MCB) is a Salvation Army Band and part of the Maidenhead Corps of The Salvation Army. For over 120 years the band has consistently contributed to the worship and evangelical outreach promoted by the Maidenhead Corps in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands, but may be more correctly termed military bands, concert bands, or "brass and reed" bands.
The Chalk Farm Band is brass band of the Salvation Army located at the Salvation Army Centre in Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm, London, England. It is one of the best known brass bands of the Salvation Army in the UK.
A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a concert band, military band, brass band or a marching band.
The International Staff Band is the premier brass band of The Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army, Parramatta is a Salvation Army Corps located in the suburb of Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. It is the 75th oldest active Salvation Army Corps in Australia. Situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, it has survived two arson attacks, been led by some of the most prominent Australian Salvation Army officers of the modern era, and has actively ministered to the people of Parramatta and the surrounding regions since 1884.
A Salvation Army brass band is a brass band affiliated with a Corps, Division or Territory of the Salvation Army. In society, a Salvation Army band playing in public places during Christian events in the calendar such as Christmas has become a part of seasonal customs, particularly in the UK.
The Melbourne Staff Band (MSB) is the premier brass band of the Salvation Army in Australia.
The Household Troops Band (HTB) Is a brass band associated with the Salvation Army. It consists of musicians who are Salvation Army members from various regions across the United Kingdom. The band regularly performs at Salvation Army corps and venues throughout the UK and engages in annual recording projects. Throughout its history, the band has embarked on international tours to numerous countries.
Sydney Congress Hall is a Salvation Army Corps situated in the Sydney's central business district. It is a local expression of The Salvation Army, an international movement which is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.
Symphony in B-flat for Band was written by the German composer Paul Hindemith in 1951. It was premiered on April 5 of that year by the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" with the composer conducting.
The Sydney Youth Band of the Salvation Army is a brass band based in Sydney New South Wales, whose membership is that of people aged 13–30. It is primarily made up of Salvation Army members, including soldiers and others that attend The Salvation Army. It is a part of the Salvation Army's NSW/ACT Division but functions more as a regional youth band for the Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong area.
Since its establishment in 1885, The Salvation Army's Brisbane City Temple Corps has used music to convey its gospel message and attract new people to its meetings. At the forefront of this ministry for 130 years has been the Brisbane City Temple Band. Having toured nationally and internationally as well as performing on ABC Radio, the Temple Band has served its corps, community and city well.
The United States Air Force Band is a U.S. military band consisting of 184 active-duty members of the United States Air Force.
Callender's Cableworks Band was an amateur brass band made up of members employed by and under the patronage of Erith Works at the Callender Cable & Construction Co. Ltd, later British Insulated Callender's Cables, in Belvedere, Kent, and performing in London and south-east England. They were prolific broadcasters in the early years of BBC Radio, and won 25 brass band competitions.
The International Staff Songsters (ISS) is the principal choir of the Salvation Army. Based in London, UK, the group performs Christian choral music in concerts, worship services and television and radio broadcasts, and has recorded more than 50 albums since its inauguration.