The Oshawa Civic Band is a traditional Canadian "British" brass band based in the city of Oshawa, Ontario. It is similar to the bands of The Salvation Army, which means that all parts, except for the bass trombone and percussion, are in treble clef, and the instrumentation is made up of Eb Soprano Cornet, Solo, 1st/Repiano, 2nd and 3rd Bb Cornets, Bb Flugal Horn, Solo, 1st and 2nd Eb Tenor Horns, 1st and 2nd Baritones, Euphonium, 1st and 2nd (Tenor) Trombones, Bass Trombone, EEb and BBb bass and percussion. [1]
The band began life in 1870 as the band of the 34th Ontario Regiment, and was a traditional Military band. [2] In 1920, the regimental band merged with the Oshawa Citizens' Band, to become the Oshawa Civic and Regimental Band. [1] [3] As time passed the band evolved into its current configuration. In 1942, a bandshell and a bandroom were built in Oshawa's Memorial Park for use by the group, with the sponsorship of industrialist Robert McLaughlin. [4]
Official ties with the regiment were ended in 1968 due to budget cuts by the federal government as a result of the Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. After this, Naval Lieutenant Bill Askew intervened in the destruction of the band's history, resulting in it officially assuming the name of Oshawa Civic band and has since become incorporated. Many of the former regimental bandsmen continue to play with the Civic Band today. The band performs regular outdoor concerts in Oshawa [5] during the summer months, as well as at special events and ceremonies. The band has often performed in concert with other musical groups, including the Festival Singers [6] and the County Town Singers. [7] In 2016, the band recorded a CD. [3]
A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion families of instruments, and occasionally including the harp, double bass, or bass guitar. On rare occasions, additional, non-traditional instruments may be added to such ensembles such as piano, synthesizer, or electric guitar.
In Britain, a brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around communities and local industry, with colliery bands being particularly notable. The Stalybridge Old Band was formed in 1809 and was perhaps the first civilian brass band in the world.
The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) is a Primary Reserve armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Canadian Army. The unit is based in downtown Oshawa, Ontario, and is named after Ontario County (1852–1973). Formed in 1866, and more commonly known as the 'Ontarios', 'black cats' or 'ONT R' (pronounced "ON-tar"), the regiment ranks among the oldest continuously serving Reserve (Militia) regiments in Canada and is one of the senior armoured regiments in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.
English Folk Song Suite is one of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams' most famous works. It was first published for the military band as Folk Song Suite and its premiere was given at Kneller Hall on 4 July 1923, conducted by Lt Hector Adkins. The piece was then arranged for full orchestra in 1924 by Vaughan Williams' student Gordon Jacob and published as English Folk Song Suite. The piece was later arranged for British-style brass band in 1956 by Frank Wright and published as English Folk Songs Suite. All three versions were published by Boosey & Hawkes; note the use of three different titles for the three different versions. The suite uses the melodies of nine English folk songs, six of which were drawn from the collection made by Vaughan Williams’ friend and colleague Cecil Sharp.
Walter Sinclair Hartley was an American composer of contemporary (classical) music.
The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band is a British brass band formed in 1881. The band is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The band is known across the world, and is regarded by many as the best and most consistent "public subscription band" in the world.
Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen is a Norwegian contemporary composer.
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely 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 brass section of the orchestra, concert band, and jazz ensemble consist of brass instruments, and is one of the main sections in all three ensembles. The British-style brass band contains only brass and percussion instruments.
Hans Werner Henze composed the nine Sacred Concertos that comprise his Requiem over the course of three years from 1991 to 1993 on commissions from the London Sinfonietta, Suntory Corporation for the NHK Philharmonic, and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Cologne. The first movement, Introitus: Requiem Aeternam was commissioned by the London Sinfonietta as part of a memorial concert for Artistic Director Michael Vyner who died on 20 October 1989. In addition to Henze, the London Sinfonietta also commissioned seven other prominent composers to write works in Vyner's memory to make up the program which was performed on the 6 May 1990.
The Bolt, Op. 27, is a ballet music score written by Dmitri Shostakovich between 1930 and 1931 to a libretto by Victor Smirnov. The humorous and satirical full-length ballet in three acts and seven scenes was choreographed by Fyodor Lopukhov and premiered on 8 April 1931 at the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Leningrad. It was not performed again until 2005, when a two-act choreography by Alexei Ratmansky was performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
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.
Third Carrickfergus Silver Band commonly shortened to Third Carrick Band are a championship section silver band from Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland.
James Harley is a Canadian composer, author, and professor of music born in Vernon, British Columbia. His creative output consists of orchestral, chamber, solo, electroacoustic, and vocal music.
A fanfare orchestra is a type of brass band consisting of the entire saxophone family, trumpets, trombones, euphoniums, baritone horns, flugelhorns and alto/tenor- or F-horns, as well as percussion. They are seldom seen outside of Europe, with a high concentration of these bands in Belgium and the Netherlands, many of them civil bands with a few Dutch bands also serving the Armed forces of the Netherlands and its veterans.
River Brass was established in 1991 as a community band. Over the years, the band has developed into a high-caliber competing band. The group took its original name from the ox bow bend of the Ohio River that separates the cities of Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky. As the band gained more members from across the tri-state region, the geographical footprint was well beyond the original "bend in the river", so the name was changed in the fall of 2015 to "River Brass" to include members who live near both the Ohio River and Wabash River. The band currently rehearses at Epworth United Methodist Church in Newburgh, IN. Its current conductor is Dr. Pat Stuckemeyer.
The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation serves as the official service of military bands in active service within the Russian Armed Forces and formerly the Soviet Armed Forces. It is part of the Military Band Service Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
The Military Music Department of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces serves as the official service of military bands and choirs in active service within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Margaret Isobel Drynan was a Canadian composer, musician, writer and educator.
"Children's March: Over the Hills and Far Away" was written by Percy Grainger as his first original work for band.