
Bands in American Musical History
Inflection Points and Reappraisals
University of Rochester Press
Published on 26. March 2024
Book
Hardback
378 pages
978-1-64825-082-8 (ISBN)
Description
Essays on the history of bands in America from ca. 1820 to 1930, offering new insights on a major sphere of music making that brought diverse repertories to wide audiences.
The essays in this volume, written by leading scholars in the field of American band history, examine a broad spectrum of issues, including biography, performance, repertoire, and marketing. Detailed studies of key turning points in the evolution of bands examine P. S. Gilmore's 1864 New Orleans concerts, the Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett's 1872 tour, the 1892 transition from Gilmore's Band to Sousa's Band, C. G. Conn's lavish artist-endorsement posters, and the demise of the Sousa Band in the late 1920s.
Additional essays seek to rectify oversights and add insights to the lives of key figures in band history. African American keyed bugler Frank Johnson's earliest works receive close scrutiny, as does the life of neglected cornet superstar Alice Raymond.
A complete reevaluation of Francesco Fanciulli, the US Marine Band leader whose reputation suffered greatly from an 1897 scandal, shows his importance in the realm of conducting and composition. An essay on the repertoire of a town band in antebellum New Hampshire and a documentary study of Civil War bandsmen seek to better understand social aspects of bands in the 1850s and 1860s.
Edited by Bryan Proksch and George Foreman. Contributors: Patricia Backhaus, Margaret Downie Banks, Steve Bornemann, Jim A. Davis, Dave Detwiler, Michael B. O'Connor, Eric Roefs, and Colin Roust.
The essays in this volume, written by leading scholars in the field of American band history, examine a broad spectrum of issues, including biography, performance, repertoire, and marketing. Detailed studies of key turning points in the evolution of bands examine P. S. Gilmore's 1864 New Orleans concerts, the Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett's 1872 tour, the 1892 transition from Gilmore's Band to Sousa's Band, C. G. Conn's lavish artist-endorsement posters, and the demise of the Sousa Band in the late 1920s.
Additional essays seek to rectify oversights and add insights to the lives of key figures in band history. African American keyed bugler Frank Johnson's earliest works receive close scrutiny, as does the life of neglected cornet superstar Alice Raymond.
A complete reevaluation of Francesco Fanciulli, the US Marine Band leader whose reputation suffered greatly from an 1897 scandal, shows his importance in the realm of conducting and composition. An essay on the repertoire of a town band in antebellum New Hampshire and a documentary study of Civil War bandsmen seek to better understand social aspects of bands in the 1850s and 1860s.
Edited by Bryan Proksch and George Foreman. Contributors: Patricia Backhaus, Margaret Downie Banks, Steve Bornemann, Jim A. Davis, Dave Detwiler, Michael B. O'Connor, Eric Roefs, and Colin Roust.
Reviews / Votes
This collection of essays, edited by Bryan Proksch (Lamar Univ.) and George Foreman (emer., Univ. of Georgia), seeks to correct some of the previous assumptions about band scholarship, expand on existing band research, and encourage future contributions to the field. The essays are interesting, accessible, and well written, drawing from rich archival material and other primary sources. Highly recommended. * CHOICE * Comprehensively researched and documented...uncovering a wealth of newspaper reviews and exposition announcements...with dozens of very interesting illustrations, including photographs, programs, and letters to develop a fascinating biography of [Alice Raymond]. * MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Rochester
United States
Publishing group
Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
22 music exx. and 125 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
700 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64825-082-8 (9781648250828)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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E-Book
03/2024
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€48.99
Available for download
Persons
BRYAN PROKSCH is Professor of music history and literature at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX GEORGE FOREMAN is Associate Professor Emeritus of musicology at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. GEORGE FOREMAN is Associate Professor Emeritus of musicology at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. BRYAN PROKSCH is Professor of music history and literature at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX
Editor
Royalty Account
Contributions
Royalty Account
Content
Introduction
Bryan Proksch and George Foreman
Part I. Inflection Points
1. P. S. Gilmore's 1864 Visit to New Orleans: Prelude to the Boston Peace Jubilees
George Foreman
2. "The Most Skilled Combination of the Kind in the World:" The Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett in the United States, 1872
Eric Roefs
3. From Gilmore to Sousa: How One Legendary Bandmaster Gave Rise to Another
Dave Detwiler
4. Conn's "Wonder" Years: Artist Endorsement Posters, 1885-1899
Margaret Downie Banks
5. "Conditions Certainly are Rotten": The Demise of the Sousa Band (1926?1931)
Bryan Proksch
Part II. Reappraisals
6. The Early Works of Francis Johnson (1792-1844)
Colin Roust
7. The Manchester Cornet Band Repertoire of the 1850s
Michael O'Connor
8. Soldiers or Artists? Civil War Musicians and the Band in Nineteenth-Century America
James A. Davis
9. Francesco Fanciulli: A Family Recollection
Steve Bornemann
10. Alice Raymond: "America's Greatest Lady Cornetist"
Patricia Backhaus and George Foreman
Notes on Contributors
Index
Bryan Proksch and George Foreman
Part I. Inflection Points
1. P. S. Gilmore's 1864 Visit to New Orleans: Prelude to the Boston Peace Jubilees
George Foreman
2. "The Most Skilled Combination of the Kind in the World:" The Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett in the United States, 1872
Eric Roefs
3. From Gilmore to Sousa: How One Legendary Bandmaster Gave Rise to Another
Dave Detwiler
4. Conn's "Wonder" Years: Artist Endorsement Posters, 1885-1899
Margaret Downie Banks
5. "Conditions Certainly are Rotten": The Demise of the Sousa Band (1926?1931)
Bryan Proksch
Part II. Reappraisals
6. The Early Works of Francis Johnson (1792-1844)
Colin Roust
7. The Manchester Cornet Band Repertoire of the 1850s
Michael O'Connor
8. Soldiers or Artists? Civil War Musicians and the Band in Nineteenth-Century America
James A. Davis
9. Francesco Fanciulli: A Family Recollection
Steve Bornemann
10. Alice Raymond: "America's Greatest Lady Cornetist"
Patricia Backhaus and George Foreman
Notes on Contributors
Index