The American Band

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The American Band
symphonic concert band
American-Band-DW-Reeves-1800s.jpg
undated photo ca. 1800s
Founded1837
Location Providence, Rhode Island
Principal conductorBrian Cardany
Website Official website

The American Band is a community band based in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded as a military band in 1837 by Joseph C. Greene. [1] During its early years, the members were the highest paid in the country - even higher than the New York Philharmonic in its first season. [1] Since its founding, the band has performed near-continuously until the present day, and is one of the oldest bands in the country still performing. Many of the members are music educators, and others are involved in other careers.

Contents

History

Reeves and Church
David Wallis Reeves bandleader.jpg
Bandleader D.W. Reeves
Bowen R. Church statue, Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island.jpg
Statue of cornetist Bowen R. Church in Roger Williams Park
Advertisement in the Brown Daily Herald (1914) American Band (Providence) advertisement 1914.jpg
Advertisement in the Brown Daily Herald (1914)

The band was incorporated in 1837 as the American Brass Band, a 15-piece ensemble of brass instruments and drums, by bugle soloist Joseph C. Greene. [2]

The D.W. Reeves years

The band was directed by noted march composer D. W. Reeves, one of America's foremost conductors, [3] from 1866 until his death in 1900. [4] In the years following the American Civil War, Reeves grew the ensemble into a professional organization, performing on tours across the United States. [2] Reeves added flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons and the recently invented saxophones to the band's repertoire. [2]

Bowen R. Church

Valley Falls native Bowen R. Church (1860–1923) was a master cornet soloist. [3] Reeves invited Church, then a young musical prodigy, to join the band after an impromptu audition on a train, and thereafter became his mentor. [3] Church eventually became a headliner of the band, and briefly led the band after Reeves' death in 1900. [3]

Warren Fales

A 1914 advertisement listed Warren R. Fales as the director of the band, and noted that band members "are exempt from Jury Duty." [5] The ad noted that the band had performed at Brown University's commencement "every year for the past 50 years." [5]

Decline and revival

Following Reeves' death in 1900, the band became more of a local community group playing local concerts and parades. [2] By the 1970s, facing dwindling membership, the band eventually ceased performing entirely, until it was revived by Dr. Francis Marciniak in 1978. [2] Marciniak led the band until 1996. [2]

In the 21st century, the band has been recognized as one of the best symphonic bands in southeast New England, and was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2020. [2]

Notable performances

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References

  1. 1 2 Dudgeon, Ralph Thomas (2004). The Keyed Bugle (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 79. ISBN   978-0-8108-5123-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The American Band". Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame Historical Archive. Rhode Island Music Hall Of Fame. 2020. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bowen R. Church". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. Dudgeon, page 255
  5. 1 2 "(advertisement)". The Brown Daily Herald. Brown University Library: Brown Digital Repository.: 47 12 October 1914. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  6. "Our History". The American Band. The American Band. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  7. Mitchell, Martha (1993). Encyclopedia Brunoniana. Brown University Library. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.