 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(August 2013) |
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.
In the early Summer of 1885, there was a "Great Kent March" by Salvation Army Officer Cadets. They were known as "Life Guards" and the march was headed by a band of 25 brass instrumentalists, each wearing a white pith military helmet (the normal military headgear of the day), a red guernsey, blue trousers and gaiters and carrying a knapsack and water bottle. Later it was suggested that a permanent band might be established. A War Cry (Salvation Army newspaper) advert called for volunteers; it read:
If you're young, if you're saved, if you're physically fit, if you can play a brass instrument.....are prepared to leave home and family for six months active service for God and the Army...then be at Clapton Congress Hall on 12 March 1887.
The Household Troops Band was formed with Staff-Captain Harry Appleby as bandmaster. No salary was offered and no guarantee was given apart from food and clothing. On 1 June 1887 the pioneer 25 members of the Household Troops Band left Clapton Congress Hall to march into Salvation Army history. Their first tour lasted six months. The next year, in October, the band left for Canada as the first British Salvation Army band to cross the Atlantic. The tour was a success and led to Canada's own Household Troops Band being formed.
Whilst they were away a second group of players was inaugurated under the leadership of Samuel Webber and the tradition continued. On 14 October 1889, in the country village of Whitchurch in Hampshire, it is reported that the Household Troops Band lead a march of over 1000 Salvationists in a great march for liberty. The local Salvationists had suffered persecution and injury in the Whitchurch Riots and over 800 had been imprisoned for conducting open-air services. This demonstration and others led by the local Corps likely led to The Salvation Army winning a legal case allowing them the right to play and preach in the open-air.
The first Troops band returned home to Britain in 1891 and later members of both bands amalgamated. Then six years after it all started, in 1893, the band was dissolved to make way for a new band, and it was from the ashes of the Household Troops Band that the International Headquarters Staff Band (now known as the International Staff Band) was formed.
In 1985, Captain John Mott, then National Bandmaster, established a new Household Troops Band by selecting members from the "A" Band at the National School of Music, Cobham Hall. Following his retirement on 16 October 2010, Major John Mott was succeeded by Carl Saunders. [1]
Composed of individuals from various Salvation Army centers, the band is selected based on their commitment to Salvationism, endurance, adaptability, and musical skills.
The band conducts a limited number of rehearsals to prepare for the Summer Tour, which is the main focus of their work. These tours usually take place during the last week of August and are primarily held in coastal resorts, where larger holiday crowds gather, sometimes straining the resources of local Corps due to the vacation season.
A notable aspect of the band is their march to the afternoon open-air venues. Although traffic can pose challenges, the band generally overcomes them through effective organization and cooperation with local law enforcement. Subsequently, in the evening, they hold a Festival in the local Citadel.
The band has embarked on various tours over the years, including the South Coast in 1985, the Bournemouth area in 1991, the East Coast in 1996, and Essex, Kent & Dorset in 1997, among others. Additionally, the band releases a CD recording nearly every year.
Regarded as one of the prominent Salvation Army Bands in the UK, the Household Troops Band shares this distinction with the International Staff Band. Notably, the Household Troops Band stands out within the Salvation Army as the only band internationally known for wearing a distinctive Pith Helmet.
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organization headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organization reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7 million, consisting of soldiers, officers, and adherents who are collectively known as salvationists. Its founders sought to bring salvation to the poor, destitute, and hungry by meeting both their "physical and spiritual needs.". It is present in 133 countries, running charity shops, operating shelters for the homeless, and disaster relief and humanitarian aid to developing countries.
William Booth was an English Methodist preacher who, along with his wife, Catherine, founded the Salvation Army and became its first General (1878–1912). The Christian movement with a quasi-military structure and government founded in 1865 has spread from London to many parts of the world. It is known for being one of the largest distributors of humanitarian aid.
The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native salakot headgear of the Philippines.
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.
Kenneth Downie is a composer of brass band music.
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 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.
Eric Walter John Ball OBE was a British composer, arranger and conductor of brass band music, described as "one of the most prolific writers and influential figures in the brass band and choral world".
Commissioner Charles Henry Jeffries was a British pioneer Salvationist and notable convert, after he left the Skeleton Army and attained the third highest rank possible as an Officer in The Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army in Canada is the Canadian territory of a Christian church that is known for its charity work, with a motto of Giving Hope Today. The Salvation Army was formed in 1865 in London, England, and it began working in Canada in 1882. Today, it operates in 400 communities across Canada and in Bermuda. The Salvation Army Archives are in Toronto, and the Salvation Army's Training College is in Winnipeg.
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.
The military bands of the United Kingdom are musical units that serve for protocol and ceremonial duties as part of the British Armed Forces. They have been the basis and inspiration for many military bands in the former British Empire and the larger Commonwealth of Nations as well as musical organizations in other countries. Military musical units with British influence include United States military bands, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Music Corps and the Military Band of Athens. British military bands are controlled by the military music departments of the three services that compose the armed forces. These include the Royal Marines Band Service, the Royal Corps of Army Music, and the Royal Air Force Music Services. British style brass bands and carnival bands were then and are currently inspired by the British Armed Forces and its brass bands, especially of the Army's regular and reserve formations, as they follow a similar format as it relates to brass and percussion instruments.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
