Jack Kopstein has launched a new website that features an encyclopedia of military band musicians, music, and conductors from around the world! This is a very valuable resource, be sure to check it out!
Sorry for the incorrect link. Please click here to view the January Community Band Spotlight featuring the Plano, TX Community Band!
Contributed by: Jack Kopstein
The music of Kenneth J Alford has become synonymous with the tradition of British military music and in particular the Royal Marine bands.
Kenneth Alford (Fredrick Joseph Ricketts) was born in London on February 21, 1881. Yearning for a career in military music, he joined the Royal Irish Regiment in 1895. After playing the cornet, piano and organ in the Royal Irish Regiment and serving in India, Frederick Joseph R Ricketts became a student bandmaster at the Royal Military School of Music in 1904 . He became the bandmaster for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1908. He also served as director of music for the Royal Marines where he gained his most prominence. Ricketts composed under his mother’s maiden name, Alford, and is remembered as one of the finest composers of military marches. He was a master in instrumentation and possessed a clear melodic sense. His marches often contain inventive counter melodies. He was a superb organist and this talent enabled him to compose brilliant and strong original melodic phrases into his marches.
He remained in the Army until 1927, when he was commissioned into the Royal Marines as a Director of Music. After a total of almost fifty years’ service to the Crown he retired in 1944 in rather poor health and died in the following year on 15th May. During his long military career, he wrote many marches that remain famous to this day and particular popular across both brass band and the mechanical music fraternities alike. His march Eagle Squadron was a salute to the Americans serving in the Royal Air Force prior to America’s entry into WWII.
Alford marches are contained on several Altissimo and Naxos albums including the album “Colonel Bogey on Parade” which contains many of his finest compositions including Holyrood,. The Vedette ,Colonel Bogey, Great Little Army, On the Quarterdeck, The Middy,The Voice of the Guns and many others.
Compiled By: Stacy Flankey
Community Band Spotlight this month features the band of Plano, Texas.
The Plano Community Band is a non-profit volunteer organization, which currently has 85 active members from all walks of life: college students, doctors, mechanical engineers, software engineers, teachers, financial analysts, veterinarian, music teachers, geologist, marketing, and many more! Throughout the years there have been many retired military service members who have joined the band, and some even played in one of the military bands! The mission of the Plano Community Band is to provide quality music, free of charge, to a wide variety of audiences in the Plano and surrounding areas for their enjoyment and appreciation of music.
Musical Director, Tommy Guilbert, leads the band. Tommy was raised in Jackson and Vicksburg, Mississippi. His mother was an organist, piano player, and teacher, which gave Tommy great exposure to music. He started playing the trumpet in the 7th grade, and during his sophomore year of college decided to major in Music. He received a Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees from Northeast Louisiana University. Tommy taught band in Mississippi and Louisiana prior to coming to J.J. Pierce High School in 1969, producing consistent sweepstakes bands, many of which received state and national honors for outstanding performance. Since leaving teaching to become a school financial consultant, Tommy has continued to be active as a clinician and conductor. Tommy joined the Plano Community Band as Conductor in 2001. Tommy and his wife, Denise, reside in Richardson, Texas.
Jim Carter, Associate Conductor, was born in Texas City, Texas and has made Plano home since 1969, going through the Plano schools and its band program at Plano Senior High. During his high school days, Jim was privileged to have played with Doc Severinsen and Alan Vizzuti, but his first love always seemed to be jazz. After graduation, he was selected to play with the National Bandmasters Association Jazz Band, performing with Marvin Stamm at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Jim attended Sam Houston University on a music scholarship, receiving his degree in Music Education in 1991. After teaching a couple years, Jim returned to Plano. To keep music in his life, Jim joined the Plano Community Band in 1993 as a baritone saxophone player. He became the band’s associate conductor in 1995. Jim resides in Plano, Texas.
The Music Director selects the music with input from the Associate Conductor. They consider a few things when picking out music for the band: a. is the band capable of playing the piece in rehearsal time available? b. Is the music challenging and will the members grow musically from the piece? and c. Will they enjoy performing and the audience enjoy listening to it?
The band performs for many different venues, for example, formal concerts in the esteemed Eisemann Center, which allows the band to play more intricate works, to concerts in the park, which is casual and concert goers will bring picnic dinners and children dance and play while the band performs. They have also participated in the Barnes & Noble “Bookfairs” as a fundraiser. The band plays summer concerts every other week, with fresh repertoire each time! One of the summer concerts is always a “Children’s” concert, one is always a “Patriotic” theme, and one is always a swing/big band concert. Other themes have been “Broadway Favorites,” “A European Stay-cation,” “International Dances,” and recently “Band Member Favorites.” Some “Band Member Favorites” consisted of: “American River Songs” by Pierre LaPlante, “In the Miller Mood” arranged by Warren Baker, John Philip Sousa’s “King Cotton,” and “Texas Star March” by David Lovrien. But the band’s favorite piece performed was Steven Reineke’s “Pilatus, Mountain of Dragons” with pipe organ.
The band is continually looking for ways to partner with the school in the area. They recently brought an 11-year-old trumpet prodigy to perform with them and speak with students. In the Children’s Concert, the band allows the children to “conduct” the band and use the summer concerts in the park as an opportunity for children to see the instruments up close.
The Plano Community Band is a proud member of the Association of Concert Bands, an international organization dedicated to the advancement of adult community bands.
Check out the website here: www.acbands.org/
Visit the Plano Community Band’s website: www.planoband.com
Thank you, Nancy Michalek for your gathering all of this great information, and helping us set up this Community Band Spotlight!
Contributed by: Jack Kopstein
“Hail to the Chief” is a march primarily associated with the President of the United States. Its playing accompanies the appearance of the President at many public appearances. For major official occasions, the United States Marine Band and other military ensembles generally are the performers. It is preceded by four ruffles and flourishes when played for the President. The song is in the public domain.
Verses from Sir Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake, including “Hail to the Chief who in triumph advances!” were set to music around 1812 by the songwriter James Sanderson (c. 1769 – c. 1841), a self-taught English violinist and the conductor of the Surrey Theatre, London, who wrote many songs for local theatrical productions during the 1790s and the early years of the 19th century.
A version of Lady of the Lake debuted in New York May 8, 1812, and “Hail to the Chief” was published in Philadelphia about the same time, as ‘March and Chorus in the Dramatic Romance of the Lady of the Lake’. Many parodies appeared, an indication of great popularity.
Association with the President first occurred in 1815, when it was played to honour both George Washington and the end of the War of 1812 (under the name “Wreaths for the Chieftain”). Andrew Jackson was the first living President to have the song used to honour his position in 1829, and it was played at Martin Van Buren’s inauguration in 1837. On July 4, 1828, the U.S. Marine Band performed the song at a ceremony for the formal opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which was attended by President John Quincy Adams. Julia Tyler, wife of John Tyler, specifically requested its use at her husband’s inauguration. It was used at James Polk’s inauguration, Later it became a mainstay to announce the arrival of the president; William Seale says, “Polk was not an impressive figure, so some announcement was necessary to avoid the embarrassment of his entering a crowded room unnoticed. At large affairs the band…rolled the drums as they played the march…and a way was cleared for the President. Under the term of Harry Truman the Department of Defence made it the official tribute to the President. It has now become standard practice for the president to be honoured by the playing of the music by any function where a band is in attendance
During the American Civil War (1861-1865) the same piece was also used to announce the arrival of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. On October 3, 1861, Davis visited with Generals P.G.T. Beauregard, Joseph Eggleston Johnston, and Gustavus Woodson Smith at Fairfax Court House (now the City of Fairfax) for a Council of War. While at Fairfax, President Davis also conducted a formal Review of the Troops, which numbered some 30,000. At the start of the review, the band of the 1st Virginia Infantry struck up “Hail To The Chief” and concluded with “Dixie”.
The Bellefonte Band from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Contributed by Stacy Flankey
Community Band Spotlight this month features the band of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, a historic town full of Victorian charm. The group consists of volunteer musicians of all ages from the surrounding areas. Their mission: “to share our love of music, and have fun while doing so.” This year the band celebrates it’s 27th anniversary!
Bellefonte Community Band consists of about 50 members, ranging from middle school students to retirees. Five members of the band are veterans, and three were military band musicians! The director, Natalie Stanton, began her musical training on the piano at an early age and participated in bands and choirs throughout high school and college. She received a music degree from Lebanon Valley College and worked as an elementary school band instructor in Baltimore before moving to Bellefonte. Natalie has been with the band since 2005. The director selects the musical pieces, but with input from the band members. The current favorites are marches, pieces based on popular films, such as “The Pirates of the Caribbean,” and a medley of theme songs from TV crime dramas. The band also enjoys playing more challenging classical pieces, like “Russian Christmas Music” and “Poet and Peasant Overture.”
Bellefonte Band performs at community events and festivals throughout the summer, and at several nursing homes during the summer and holiday seasons. The band provides funds each year for an award given to a local high school student that allows him or her to attend a summer camp at Penn State University. The scholarship covers the cost of attendance for the week-long camp.
The band has received the award of a citation from Kerry Benninghoff, their local member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, in honor of the band’s 25th Anniversary in 2008.
“Our band is a great combination of friendship and musicianship. It’s not uncommon for band members to socialize outside of rehearsals and we pride ourselves in having a welcoming environment for all musicians.” says Jenna Spinelle, member of the Bellefonte Community Band.
If you live in the central Pennsylvania area, check out this wonderful community band and see when they are playing next!
You can visit the band’s website here: http://bellefonteband.net/