Performance Practice of Brass Band Music of the American Civil War: a Perspective from Saxton's Cornet Band
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2015 Performance Practice of Brass Band Music of the American Civil War: A Perspective from Saxton's Cornet Band Joel M. Crawford University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.002 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Crawford, Joel M., "Performance Practice of Brass Band Music of the American Civil War: A Perspective from Saxton's Cornet Band" (2015). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 53. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/53 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Music by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Joel M. Crawford, Student Dr. Skip Gray, Major Professor Dr. David Sogin, Director of Graduate Studies PERFORMANCE PRACTICE OF BRASS BAND MUSIC OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR A PERSPECTIVE FROM SAXTON'S CORNET BAND DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the School of Music at the University of Kentucky By: Joel Martin Crawford Cincinnati, Ohio Director: Dr. Skip Gray Lexington, Kentucky 2015 Copyright © Joel Martin Crawford 2015 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION PERFORMANCE PRACTICE OF BRASS BAND MUSIC OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR A PERSPECTIVE FROM SAXTON'S CORNET BAND This project examines source materials, methods, and instruments required for creating an informed period performance of military brass band music from the American Civil War. The rapid development of brass bands in America combined with the volatility of the war meant that much of the development of these styles were not formally documented. To compound this problem an instrumentalist trained on modern instruments who plays on an instrument from the period will produce a sound highly colored and influenced by their sound concept on a modern instrument. Experience with the instrument and attention to their idiosyncrasies will offer the closest possible sound to bands in the Civil War era. This project examines primary musical sources as well as considerations on how to properly approach a period performance of brass band music of this era. Central to this examination is the author's training and experience as a member of the Civil War period performance ensemble Saxton's Cornet Band. KEYWORDS: American Civil War, Brass Band, Period Performance, Saxhorn Joel Crawford Student's Signature 9/15/2015 Date PERFORMANCE PRACTICE OF BRASS BAND MUSIC OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR A PERSPECTIVE FROM SAXTON'S CORNET BAND By Joel Martin Crawford Dr. Skip Gray Director of Musical Arts Project Dr. David Sogin Director of Graduate Studies 9/15/2015 Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the members of Saxton’s Cornet Band for their support of this project and their continued mission of preserving and presenting the brass band music of the American Civil War. I would especially like to thank for their contributions Dave Henderson, David Goins, Nicky Hughes, Mike West, and Don Johnson. I would like to thank the members of my committee: Dr. Skip Grey (Chair), Dr. Jason Doval, Prof. David Elliot, Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson, and Dr. Mark Summers. I greatly value all the insights and guidance shown to me throughout this process. And finally, I could not have done any of this without the support of my parents, Kent and Teddy Crawford, and my wife, Cassie Crawford. iii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................................................iii List of Figures................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1—Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Summary of Project ........................................................................................................ 1 Problem(s) That Led to the Project................................................................................. 3 Importance of the Project................................................................................................ 3 Prior Writings on the Topic ............................................................................................ 4 Thesis .............................................................................................................................. 5 Methodology................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2—History and Mission of Saxton’s Cornet Band................................................ 7 Henry Saxton and the Historical Saxton’s Band............................................................. 7 The Modern Saxton’s Cornet Band—Living History Ensemble.................................. 11 Chapter 3—Brass Bands in the American Civil War ....................................................... 16 Field Musicians............................................................................................................. 17 Brass Bands of the Union Army ................................................................................... 20 Brass Bands of the Confederacy................................................................................... 23 Role of the Brass Band ................................................................................................. 25 Chapter 4—Original Band Books and Music ................................................................... 28 Overview of Original Sources ...................................................................................... 28 Instrumentation ............................................................................................................. 30 Music of the Original Band Books ............................................................................... 31 Brass Band Music Published Prior to the American Civil War.................................... 32 Published After the War................................................................................................ 33 3rd New Hampshire Regiment Band—The Port Royal Band ...................................... 34 1st Brigade Band of Brodhead, Wisconsin................................................................... 39 Manchester Cornet Band of New Hampshire ............................................................... 45 25th Massachusetts Band.............................................................................................. 48 Chapter 5—Evidence of Original Sound .......................................................................... 50 Written Accounts and Wax Cylinder Recordings......................................................... 50 Arrangements and Instruments ..................................................................................... 54 Practical Experience...................................................................................................... 56 Chapter 6—Performance Practices................................................................................... 59 Ensemble Balance......................................................................................................... 60 Phrasing......................................................................................................................... 63 Emphasis and Grace Notes ........................................................................................... 64 Expressiveness .............................................................................................................. 65 Tempos.......................................................................................................................... 65 iv Chapter 7—Period Instruments........................................................................................