A History of Brass Bands in Harrogate
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Spa Brass A history of brass bands in Harrogate Harrogate Borough Brass Band – c. 1901 Gavin Holman May 2021 Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Harrogate - the spa and its waters .................................................................................................. 4 Harrogate Brass Band (1842-1861) .............................................................................................. 10 Harrogate Rifle Volunteers’ Band (1862-1907) .......................................................................... 14 Harrogate Subscription Band (1888-1889) ................................................................................ 25 Bilton With Harrogate Fife and Drum Band (1887-1913) ......................................................... 28 Harrogate Town Band (1890-1902) ............................................................................................. 30 Harrogate Temperance Band (1890-1926) ................................................................................. 33 Harrogate Borough Band (1901-1939) ......................................................................................... 53 Starbeck Brass Band (1904-?) ....................................................................................................... 71 Harrogate Postmen’s Band (1910-1915) ...................................................................................... 72 Harrogate Drum and Bugle Band (1912-1913) ............................................................................ 73 Harrogate Salvation Army Band (c. 1920 – c. 1950) ................................................................. 74 Harrogate Silver Prize Band (1927-1956) .................................................................................... 76 Harrogate St John Ambulance Band (1940-1947) ..................................................................... 86 Harrogate Band (1970 - ) ............................................................................................................... 87 Tewit Youth Brass Band (1978 - ) ................................................................................................. 96 Other musical entertainers in Victorian and Edwardian Harrogate ....................................... 98 Other local brass bands ................................................................................................................ 104 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 114 Appendix 1 – Brass Band Contests in Harrogate ..................................................................... 115 Appendix 2 – Annual Reports [1892 - 1932] ............................................................................ 142 Appendix 3 – Harrogate musical life in pictures ...................................................................... 168 The author ...................................................................................................................................... 173 Introduction Introduction The brass band movement, as came to be known, had its origins in Britain in several types of musical ensembles in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The army, and to a lesser extent the navy, had various bands to provide music for marching. These were primarily drum and fife (or flute) bands and occasionally using trumpets. Within the urban areas of the larger towns the “Waits” were groups of musicians who were employed by the municipal authorities to provide music, and also signal the passing of time during the day. A third group was the church band, using for performing sacred music in and around the church services. These quite often were mixed string and woodwind ensembles. Music making for the working classes was somewhat limited in scope – instruments and sheet music were expensive, so in most places the local folk music traditions were their musical bread and butter, leaving the “drawing room” domestic music of classical and operatic piano music the domain of the upper classes. In the early part of the 19th century there were several inventions and developments in manufacturing that significantly improved the playability of brass and woodwind instruments, increased their range and reliability and, crucially, reduced their costs. Flutes and clarinets gained additional keys; the keyed bugle appeared, and eventually the valved brass instruments. A number of manufacturers developed improved ranges, culminating with those by Adolphe Sax, whose saxhorn family formed the basis for most of the modern brass valved instruments today. Early town and village bands used a mixture of instruments – usually whatever was to hand – and certainly until the middle of the century, it was not uncommon for the “brass band” to include some woodwind – usually flutes and/or clarinets. Gradually, over time, the bands developed into an all-brass format, and the introduction of contests between bands helped to standardise the numbers and instrumentation to provide a level playing field for the competitions. There is no difference between brass bands and ‘silver’ bands. In the early 1870’s a cheap method of silver-coating brass was developed, and those bands that could afford the process or the new coated instruments adopted the name ‘silver band’. The underlying instruments were identical. Sponsorship and patronage were important for these early bands. This enabled them to quickly achieve a good standard of performance, with new instruments, uniforms, and a full complement of players, which otherwise would take much longer to reach through concerts and other band fundraising activities. Another source of income for bands was subscriptions – solicited from members of the public or the local town or village authorities. The mixed instrumentation of woodwind and brass still remained in use, but largely in military bands and, in the 20th century the “concert” or “wind” band developed into its current format. Meanwhile the brass band went from strength to strength, with over 5,000 bands being in existence during the peak of the movement, around 1895. Since that time the numbers have reduced, due to various factors – not least the impact of the two World Wars and the increasing number of alternative forms of entertainment, musical and otherwise – so that today there are only about 1,200 brass bands active in the British Isles. Over the last two hundred years there have been nearly 20,000 distinct and discrete bands. The bands in Harrogate over the years reflect much of what was happening in other towns and cities across the country. Not being an industrial area, the coal mines, mills and other industries did not play any part in the support of Harrogate bands, but patronage from the people of the town and district, and also from some significant individuals, enabled the various bands to thrive. 3 Harrogate - the spa and its waters Harrogate - the spa and its waters Since the early 17th century the waters of Harrogate had been taken by locals and visitors to the area. The chalybeate springs of High Harrogate were originally the more popular, but by the middle of the 18th century doctors had discovered a satisfactory method of using the sulphur wells of Low Harrogate for internal treatments and extended their use in baths. These wells and baths were outside to begin with, in small enclosures, but were eventually covered over with a range of buildings in the 19th century. A separate chalybeate spring was found, where the Royal Hall now stands, which effectively made it independent of High Harrogate. The Pump Room was opened, a Promenade Room built and the Valley Gardens laid out. The wells at Harrogate, 1772 In the early days of the spa, musicians were engaged by the various hotels to entertain their guests. These were usually solo artists, violinists, singers and the occasional string band. Over time, as the town and hotels started to grow, and more more formal establishments were built, such as the Promenade Rooms, and the later Spa Rooms, more entertainment was sought in the form of recitals and concerts by visiting artists and groups. The wells at Harrogate, c. 1780 4 Harrogate - the spa and its waters The rivalry between High and Low Harrogate for visitors to their respective springs continued for a while during the early Victorian era, until Low Harrogate became the centre of the town and its ‘watering’ activities. In the summer of 1839 the residents of High Harrogate engaged an unknown brass band to perform on the Green, playing during the season from 11-12 am, 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. It was made clear the band were engaged at a certain salary per week and would not accept contributions, though visitors could provide donations to defray their expense at the local chemist, draper’s, or post office. The chalybeate well, High Harrogate, 1796 Musical entertainments for the visitors, at first, and then also for the residents as the town developed, included the formal evening concerts together with daytime music provided by various bands. In the early days these were occasionally engaged by the various hostelries and spa organisations, but later the town corporation contracted with professional bands to come to the town and perform during the ‘season’. Before the building was put on top of the waters “the vulgar sorts of Harrogate were doing promiscuous things in the water”