Contributed By: Jack Kopstein
This year marks the 90th year of the passing of one of America’s greatest march writers Edwin Bagley of National Emblem fame. Without any question, the two best known American marches, throughout the world are Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever and Bagley’s National Emblem. Many bands have only these two in their libraries. Certainly National Emblem is second only to the Stars and Stripes Forever in the number of times recorded, both in the U.S. and abroad. Edwin Bagley was a baritone- trombone player who wrote marches. He was born in Craftsbury, Vermont in 1857 and died in Keene, New Hampshire in 1922. During his life, he played with many bands and orchestras in the New England area, and spent his last years directing New Hampshire school bands. The trio to the march National Emblem is often used for the advancement of the National Colors during ceremonies, as well as for the entrance of the National Colors for indoor events.
His older brother Ezra Bagley was a very famous cornetist who was born in 1853 in Albany, Vermont and died in 1886 in Liverpool, England. In 1880, he came to Boston as a solo cornet player at The Park Theater. For nine years, he traveled with the Bostonians, an opera company. While with this company, he changed from cornet to trombone. He also performed with the Germania Band of Boston and the Boston Symphony Orchestra..
It appears that there was only the one march of the quality of National Emblem among the works of the two brothers. Edwin however did write several other marches listed below.
l’Agresseur March (1915)
Ambassador March (1907)
America Victorious March (1908)
American Salute
Arbitrator March (1908)
Bagley’s Imperial March (1901)
Col. Estey March (1908)
Counselor March (1917)
Father of His Country March (1931)
Federation March
Front Section March (1909)
Holy Cross Commandery March (1902)
Knight Templar March (1911)
The Morning Light March (1900)
National Emblem (1906)
Our Republic March (1908)
Patriot March (1902)
Post 68 G.A.R. (1902)
Regent March
Royal March (1902)
Altissimo has for purchase 22 recordings which contain the march National Emblem . The march is a national treasure. Order a copy today performed by a GREAT SERVICE band of AMERICA.
Not Sousa Vol. 1
50 American Patriotic Military Songs
American Spirit
Contributed by: Jack Kopstein
Studies have concluded that WWII affected music. Before the war, swing and vocal groups were the most popular forms of American music. Thousands of dance bands performed in ballrooms and theaters around the country. The biggest names were Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and the most popular leader of all, Glenn Miller. People paid a small entrance fee – 50 cents or so – and could dance for hours to one of the bands. The music was generally very romantic or upbeat and “swingin’”. They also listened to groups such as the Andrews Sisters and the Mills Brothers, and solo vocalists such as Bing Crosby.
When the U.S. entered the war, there was an initial flurry of tunes written to fuel patriotic feelings, such as “Keep ‘em Flying” and “Any Bonds Today?” (Urging people to buy War Bonds). But as the war dragged on and more and more people entered the service, songs became more reflective, even sad. There were titles such as “I’ll Walk Alone” (about a woman whose boyfriend was sent overseas), “I’ll Be Home for Christmas (But Only in My Dreams)”.
War demands also had multiple effects on both the musicians and the public’s listening habits. Most of the performers were young men so they were prime draft material. Orchestras struggled to maintain quality while in some cases 30% to 50% of the musicians were drafted in the course of a few weeks. Some professional bands actually ended up hiring high school musicians because they couldn’t be drafted. It became more and more difficult to travel because of gasoline rationing and the diversion of train and bus service to carry soldiers. Civilians were often working extra hours to make up for manpower shortages and didn’t have as much leisure time to go out. Moreover it was pretty tough for a woman to go out alone, especially if her boyfriend or fiancé was fighting in the Pacific.
Also several of the major leaders such as Shaw, Miller, Larry Clinton, and others, decided to break up their orchestras and enlist in the Service themselves. That meant their bands no longer existed and the performances they did make were almost exclusively for soldiers.
In the middle of all this James Petrillo, the head of the Musicians’ Union, called a strike in order to try to get more money for his members. Almost all instrumental musicians stopped recording from July of 1942 to late 1944, further reducing the amount of new popular music available to the public. The only performers who were allowed to continue recording were the vocalists, so they began to have more and more listeners than the dance bands.
What to many music historians was the final blow came on the afternoon of Friday, December 15, 1944. Major Glenn Miller, still by most counts the most popular musician in the U.S., boarded a small plane that was to take him to Paris to prepare for a Christmas concert. The plane was never seen again. The best analogue for more contemporary listeners would be if the Beatles’ had been killed in an accident in say, 1966 or ’67.
When the war was over, musicians returned to find that tastes had changed and the vocal groups were now more popular. Petrillo’s strike succeeded in raising salaries but large dance bands were now so expensive that fewer ballrooms could host them and fewer people could pay to attend. Also, millions of people were occupied with trying to resume jobs and start families, trying to make up for four years of time given to the war effort. And without making too much of it, Glenn Miller’s disappearance removed the person who probably had the best chance of keeping some form of jazz or swing in prominence.
By 1947 most of the large bands had broken up, singers ruled the airwaves, and only small instrumental groups of three or four musicians continued to perform jazz. It only took a few more years for people like Bill Haley and Elvis Presley to take popular music to its next stage.
Despite many music educators resistance to change, schools began to develop what were initially called stage bands and then morphed into jazz groups. The Colleges and High Schools in North America became involved in jazz festivals and reintroduced to young people the spirit and memory of the jazz greats of the past.
Altissimo are pleased to present stirring albums of great music from WWII including:
Songs That Got Us Through World War II
Musing
By Jack Kopstein
The Culture of Concert Band music
Band music in the form of concert band repertoire and military band journals of band music were evident in the early eighteenth century. The first real breakthrough came in 1909 when Gustav Holst composed the British band classic First Suite in Eb which has become a staple in the band library. He added his Second Suite in F in 1911.
Original music for band was available in vast quantities from publishers as early as 1851(Groves), but unfortunately most of the material was boring and dull. The only real contribution was in the field of marches where there was an enormous proliferation. Some European band composers were responsible for tuneful overtures and waltzes such as Czech composer Julius Fücik. But by and large the concert band programs were filled with transcriptions for band of piano and symphonic music particularly overtures from opera.
In 1915 the well known composer Camille Saint-Saëns composed Hail Columbia for band, orchestra and organ for the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. However, the first pattern entry into the concert band publishing field began with the works of Australian-British composer Percy Grainger publishing his work in the United States in 1918. The next year, Richard Franko Goldman instituted the first American competition for serious concert band work. The judges were Percy Grainger and Victor Herbert.
In 1922 British classics are embraced by North American bands including Gordon Jacob’s William Byrd Suite and Ralph Vaughn Williams English Folk Song Suite. In 1930 Igor Stravinsky composed a major work for band with his Symphony of The Psalms for chorus and winds. Another world class composer Ottorino Respighi was commissioned by Goldman to write a new piece for band in 1932 which was titled Huntingtower Ballad. In the same year Gustav Holst composed the band classic Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo, and it was premiered by the United States Marine band at the American bandmasters Association convention.
One of the major works for band was completed in 1939 when William Schuman composed Newsreel in Five Shots and it is premiered by the Penn State University band. Band favourite Suite Francais is composed in 1944 by French composer Darius Milhaud who has taken up residence in San Francisco. Although there were a few major composers who are writing serious works for band the number remained a trickle and bands in North America and abroad still continued to play transcriptions and marches. In 1946 Edwin Franko Goldman makes a huge leap into the development of the concert band music by commissioning major composers such as Thomson, Piston, Mennin, Persichetti, Hanson, Creston, and Gould to write for the band repertoire and premiered by the Goldman band.
In 1949, composer Owen Reed composed La Fiesta Mexicana, a Mexican Folk Song Symphony, and his endeavour became the defining moment for concert band works. It heralded the new era of magnificent musical performance pieces for band. Subsequently a number of superior publications are released including in 1951 Darius Milhaud’s West Point Suite and Mennin’s Canzona for band. In Britain, composer Gordon Jacob wrote the amazing military band composition Music for a Festival and it is premiered by fanfare trumpets and bands of the Brigade of Guards
In 1954, composer Howard Hanson continued to advance the band repertoire with his classic creation “Chorale and Alleluia” based on a Swedish Hymn. The following year, two major works of enormous popularity for all bands in North America are written – Frank Erikson’s Toccata for Band and Joseph Wilcox Jenkins rousing and glorious piece American Overture for Band.
By 1962, the number and quality of the music especially written for concert band had reached epic proportions and included Norman Dello Joio’s Variants On A Medieval Tune and the magical Incantation and Dance by John Barnes Chance. Barnes repeated this successful piece in 1965 with Variations on a Korean Folk Song.
To illustrate some of the dramatic changes that were undertaken in the field of concert band music below is a portion of a program from March 16, 1948 by the University of Illinois Concert band under Dr A.A. Harding:
Overture to the Wasps of Aristophanes Ralph-Vaughan Williams
(Orchestral Transcription for band)
Excerpts from Symphonic poems “A Heroes Life” Richard Strauss
(Transcription for band)
Symphony in Eb 3rd Movement opus 4 Tikhon Khreniko
(Unknown work)
Danse (Tarantella styrienne)
(Orchestral transcription for band) Debussy-Ravel
Psyche and Eros from Symphonic Tone Poem Cesar Frank
(Orchestral transcription for band)
Three dances from ballet suite Gayne Avram Khactaturian
Orchestral transcription for band
The program sample below is by the Belle Isle Concert band (later the Detroit Concert band) on Sunday June 12, 1960 under Leonard B Smith.
The Overture Ill Guarany A Carlos Gomez
(Original band music)
On the Trail from Grand Canyon Suite Ferde Grofe
(Orchestral Transcription)
Blue Tail Fly Clare Grundman
(Original band composition)
Original Cornet Solo Fantasie in Eb Edward Barat
(Band work)
Edwin Franko Goldman continued to champion original band music and his son Richard Franko Goldman repeated earlier concerts which featured a complete program of band compositions in 1962 as depicted below is the same as the Silver Jubilee Concert of 1942:
Christmas March E F Goldman
Spring Overture Leo Sowerby
Canto Yoruba Pedro Sanjuan
Rhapsody Jericho Morton Gould
A Legend Paul Creston
Newsreel William Schuman
Fist Suite in Eb Gustav Holst
Festive Occasion Henry Cowell
A Curtain raiser and Country Dance RF Goldman
Lost lady Found Percy Grainger
English Folk Song Suite R Vaughn Williams
By 1971, original band music publications had increased ten fold, and much of the music became classics of the band repertoire including Tull’s Sketches on a Tudor Psalm (1971) and John Barnes Chance Blue Lake Overture. In 1972, it was stated that American and Canadian wind bands had become part of the largest commissioning program in the history of music.
Concert band music through the 1970’s took on a renaissance of the celebration of America.
In 1975 William Schuman composed the final movement of his Trypitch Be Glad America called New England, and Karl Husa wrote An American Te Deum.
During the 1980’s, composer Gunther Schuller contributed some wonderful compositions to the band repertoire with his symphony In Praise of Winds. In 1984 Warren Benson composed his elaborate piece “Wings.” In 1986, David Holsinger won the American Bandmasters award with his challenging piece for concert band In the Spring, at the Time When Kings Go Off to War.
In 1987, Warren Benson contributes a valiant composition called Dawn’s early Light, and in 1989, Gunther Schuller is commissioned by the United States Air Force band to compose On Winged Flight A Divertimento for band.
Through the 1990’s vast numbers of concert band music sprung from the pens of America’s composers. However, the impact of English composition on the literature of the wind band has been most significant and cannot be overlooked. There has been an effort in recent years to encourage British composers of some note to write with the military or wind band in mind. Included in this newer group are Timothy Reynish, Thea Musgrave, Alun Hoddinott, Edward Gregson, David Bedford, Derek Bourgeois, Stephen Dodgson, Philip Sparke and Adam Gorb, to name several. The result was a new body of creative writing making its mark on the band movement worldwide for years to come. In particular Philip Sparke and Thea Musgrave compositions have found their way into the repertoire of North American bands.
The new millennium has been an age of discovery as good band music from the past has often been reprieved. A few of the programs over the past few years will demonstrate that the field of concert band writing has reached epic proportions. We welcome readers to search out band concerts from community, High School, College, University and Service bands. You will never be disappointed.
Recent Programs
April 24, 2009
March 3, 2009
November 19, 2008
October 18, 2008
April 25, 2008
February 22, 2008
December 7, 2007
October 28, 2007
October 16, 2007
End Notes:
The Wind bands-EF Goldman1961 Ayllin and Bacon-Boston, Program notes re the Goldman band Concerts, The American Wind band –Richard K Hansen, published GIA Publications 2005
Jack’s Musings / Contributed by Jack Kopstein
Jazz was still in its embryonic stage in the first decade of the 20th century. Some of the first jazz icons, trumpeter Louis Armstrong and cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, were born in 1901 and 1903, respectively. Both began their careers in marching bands .
They were most likely exposed to ragtime music, a blending of blues, John Phillip Sousa-like marches, and a complex centuries-old dance called the quadrille. Pianist Jelly Roll Morton helped bring the style into the limelight by performing virtuosic and partly improvised rags in brothels in New Orleans.
Soon ragtime music by Morton, Scott Joplin, and others was circulated across the country by sheet music publishers such as W.C. Handy, who was also a composer and bandleader. However, around this period, sheet music began to lose its superiority in the spread of musical culture with the development of piano rolls and the phonograph record.
The C Melody Sax also was an instrument which was useful.
Trumpeter Buddy Bolden began arranging blues and ragtime music for brass instruments, paving the way for early jazz. Arrangements helped shift the music away from a hit and miss style to a definite progression of both chords and melody/harmony. He was one of the first prominent improvisers, although there are no surviving recordings of his playing. In 1907, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and he spent the rest of his life off of the stage, and in a mental institution.
In a matter of years, jazz began to capture the nation’s attention. Improvisation became a featured element of the music, and dance halls began to fill with audiences eager to hear the hot new music.
The early use of the clarinet by New Orleans musicians introduced a unique sound to the early jazz band. The tonality of the instrument lent itself to early jazz because of its ability to play in three distinctive registers. Clarinet players soon learned as well that they could easily double on the saxophone and this added a new dimension to the jazz band. The trombone, which certainly was a welcome addition, could play in a variety of styles and was especially useful in harmony especially in combination of threes which came later. Another instrument that was employed very often in the early combos was the tuba which added depth to the arrangements. Percussion was very much a part of the very early bands. The development of the drum set revolutionized jazz percussion and gave the bands increased flexibility and a diversity which made them great vehicles for not only performance but dancing.
During the decade between 1910 and 1920, the seeds of jazz began to take root. New Orleans, the vibrant and chromatic port city in which ragtime was based, was home to a number of budding musicians and a new style.
In 1913, Louis Armstrong was sent to live in a juvenile delinquency home, and there he learned to play the cornet. Just five years later, band leader Kid Ory lost his star cornet player, Joe “King” Oliver, to more lucrative pursuits in Chicago. Ory hired Armstrong, and helped give rise to a talent that would change the course of music.
Thanks to the large population of former slaves in New Orleans at the time, the blues was on the minds of many of the city’s musicians. Composers such as W.C. Handy helped make the sound famous, but not before restructuring and refining it. It was around this time that the blues adopted its regular 12-bar form, and when brass bands played the blues to reviling dancers. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues” became a popular hit, and Louis Armstrong later performed one of its best-known renditions. The St. Louis march became a staple of both the jazz band and the military bands of the period.
Along with a standardized blues form, this decade saw the prominence of stride piano. Its rhythmic concept began with ragtime, and soon spread around the country. Most famously, thanks to Scott Joplin and James P. Johnson, the stride style had taken a firm hold in New York City, where during the Harlem Renaissance of the following decade it led to further developments in jazz.
The first jazz recording ever was made in 1917. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, led by cornetist Nick LaRocca, recorded “Livery Stable Blues.” The music is not thought to be the most authentic or the best executed jazz of the time, but it became a hit and helped light the fuse that led to the jazz craze.
Freddy Keppard, a trumpet player who was regarded as one of the best musicians of his day, was given the opportunity to record in 1915. He declined the offer because he was afraid that if a recording of his playing circulated, musicians might steal his style.
As can be determined from this brief survey of early jazz players and instrumentalists, the military band had a impact on jazz because of the similarity of the instrumentation. In this case we can draw a very simple parallel with the following chart of military or concert bands. The chart was drawn from photographs of the era from various sources.
| Military band | Usual Numerical numbers | Jazz band | Usual Numerical performers |
| Flutes/Oboes | 1-3 Flutes
2 Oboes |
Employed much later by Paul Whiteman | 1 flute
oboe as required |
| Clarinets | 6-12 (includes bass clarinet) | Clarinet | 1
See saxophone |
| Alto Sax | 2 | 1 | Double clarinet |
| Tenor sax | 1 | 1 | Double clarinet |
| Baritone Sax | 1 | 1 | Double bass clarinet |
| French Horns(altos | 2-4 | N/A | N/A |
| Trumpets/Cornets | 3-6 | 3 early bands 1 | 3 Divided parts |
| Trombones | 3 | 2-3
early bands 1 |
3 When divided parts |
| Baritone Horn | 1-2 | N/A | N/A |
| Tuba | 1-3 | 1 | Used often in small groups |
| Percussion | 1-4 | 1 | Drum set made 1 player only required |
| Piano | Not usual | 1 | Essential |
| String Bass | 1 often employed | 1 | Essential |
Bibliography and For More Information, Please Visit:
http://jazz.about.com/od/historyjazztimeline/a/JazzByDecade1900.htm
http://jazz.about.com/od/historyjazztimeline/a/jazzByDecade1910.htm
Musings: Famous Marches
By Jack Kopstein
The following is a list of popular marches from around the world that are frequently performed. They are in alphabetical order for easy reading. No doubt there are other marches which are featured in concert or on parade. This list contains some well known and lesser known marches which are seen on various concert programs from the last several years. Many great marches have disappeared from the program schedules of bands and orchestras in North America. The Vienna concerts usually held on January 1st each year features the marvelous hand clapping march Radetsky. The popularity of the march Old Comrades (Alte Kameroden) has never wavered. Two very exciting marches which are rarely performed are VIMY by Bidgood and ARROMANCHES by Kelly. A recent march that has been very popular is GLORIOUS VICTORY by Kendal.
The list of well known and preferred marches is endless. In going through the massive lists of marches, one aspect of march writing which surfaced was the dedicatory march. Very often the music was marked at the top ‘Dedicated to’ a person, a place, or an event. Merle Evans of Circus fame dedicated a march called “Symphonia” to Charles Ringling of the Ringling Barnum and Bailey Circus. Victor Grabel devoted a march to the US Marines called Glory of the Marines which had an intro and trio with the US Marine song (From the shores of Tripoli etc). Well known march writer RB Hall called “The Tenth Regiment March” for that unit of Albany New York. Karl L King saluted Charlie Troops, bandmaster and trombonist of Wilmington Ohio with the march Trombone King.
John Philip Sousa dedicated numerous compositions to towns and cities and musicians and events. T.B. Boyer returned the favour by dedicating his march Sousa’s Triumphal in 1930. Many British marches have as their dedication names like Alford’s Vanished Army, Leo Stanley’s The Contemptables and Vivian Dunn’s Lord Mountbatten.
Musings
Henry Fillmore
By Jack Kopstein
As an American musical icon, Henry Fillmore’s musical career spanned over fifty years. He continuously flooded the band music market under several names. For easy band music, Mr. Fillmore used the name Harold Bennett. He used the names Will Huff and Al Hayes for band music of medium difficulty. For the more difficult repertoire, Henry Fillmore used several names: Gus Beans, Ray Hall, Harry Hartley, and Henrietta Hall! He probably wrote and arranged more band music than anyone in the history of the art. Fillmore’s biographer, Paul Bierley, figures that Fillmore wrote 250 original compositions for band and arranged 750 other pieces. Fillmore wrote or arranged over one thousand pieces of music in his musical career with his work amounting to at least 20 compositions per year, almost 2 compositions per month. How prolific; it remains an incredible feat, particularly since he no doubt wrote, arranged, and copied his own compositions for publication. Fillmore had a wide range of interests in composing and arranging. He wrote hymns, fox-trots, waltzes, marches, and overtures. Fillmore arranged several classic compositions as well as classic reductions. Henry Fillmore was the name most associated with band music in the golden age of concert/parade and military band music in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s.
Henry Fillmore was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1881. He was the eldest of 5 children. His father was a partner in the Fillmore Religious music publishing house. Henry Fillmore had a well-trained singing voice, and he sang in church choir. He dabbled with the piano and mastered the flute, violin, and guitar. He also became fascinated with the slide trombone, an instrument his father believed to be too evil for any righteous person to play. The instrument was often associated with street corner musicians whom were known to imbibe “the demon rum”. But Fillmore’s mother prevailed, and he earnestly began to study the trombone. He was educated in Cincinnati public schools. In 1901, Fillmore graduated from a junior college with a “Bachelor of Arts” degree. The succeeding Fall he attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, studying trombone with Charles Kohlman and composition with John Broekhoven. He worked for a time in his Father’s publishing firm but left in 1905 after an argument over his love affair with exotic dancer Mabel May Jones. Love prevailed and Henry proposed to Miss Jones by mail. They were married in St Louis.
Fillmore then began a career in circus music, gaining employment with the Lemon Brothers Circus. Both he and his wife were hired. Thus began an association with American circus life, which continued for several years. By 1910, Fillmore resolved his differences with his father and returned to music publishing. Since his salary was very low and his royalties were not yet large enough to sustain himself, Fillmore began to teach trombone and perform in private groups. At some point he gained sufficient skill in conducting, that he led the Syrian Temple Shrine Band from from 1921 to 1926. In 1927, Fillmore organized his own professional band, which was the last in a long line of great professional bands of its type in America. The great Gilmore and Sousa bands had passed into history when Fillmore began his band in Cincinnati. Fillmore’s band became immensely popular. Fillmore’s band did more than play music. It entertained the audience. He often turned directly around to the audience and conducted the band, finishing numbers with long fermata (holds or pauses), and demonstrating how much he enjoyed the audience’s presence. Henry Fillmore was called “Showman Supreme.”
Fillmore was well ahead of his musical time, in regards to what he considered the entertainment value of a conductor. Many of his conducting characteristics were adopted by American bandmasters years later, including the eminent Major Mark Azzolino who conducted the NORAD band of Colorado Springs during the 1960’s and 70’s.
Fillmore developed cardiac problems and moved to Miami, Florida in 1938, for his health. He had made a decision to retire, but soon he was employed with the University of Miami band. Fillmore ended up traveling extensively in the United States, adjudicating musical competitions and guest conducting. In addition, between 1939 and 1942, he assisted in the development of 32 high school band programs in Florida. Henry Fillmore willed the bulk of his estate to the University of Miami. At the age of 75, he died in 1956.
Henry Fillmore began composing at age 18. His first known publication is the march Higham, named after a line of brass instruments. His last composition was dedicated to the President of Miami University at the time, Jay F.W. Pearson. It was titled the Presidents March. Altogether, Fillmore composed 113 marches. His most well-known marches include “Americans We,” “Men Of Ohio” (excerpted for the Blue Dragon Fight Song), “His Honor,” “The Footlifter,” and “Military Escort.” “Military Escort” has been called the best easy march ever composed. John Philip Sousa told Henry Fillmore that he wished Sousa’s name was on this march. Men Of Ohio was dedicated to President Warren G. Harding, who had played the Alto horn in his Marion, Ohio, high school band.
www.MilitaryMusic.com features several albums containing Fillmore’s work. Such albums include: The Golden Age of the Concert Band, Ceremonial Music (2 Disc Collection), Footlifters!, and also the all-Fillmore album Military Escort, available at iTunes!