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Keep it in the Family - the Family Brass Bands that entertained the USA and UK in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

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Gavin Holman at IBEW Research
Gavin Holman
  • IBEW Research
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Abstract

Family bands were not uncommon in the later 1800s and early 1900s. They were most prevalent in the USA but other countries had their fair share, including the UK and Germany. Some bands were amateur in their activities, and remained resident in their local area. Others adopted the professional mantle and travelled the country giving concerts, appearing at shows, circuses and on the stage. Although the various family bands had different line-ups and instrumentation, they were quite popular as entertainment troupes, sometimes singing, dancing and performing sketches in addition to their, often, multi-instrumental abilities. This paper gives details and pictures of more than 160 such named bands. [Updated December 2020]
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The trumpet in a woman's hand in contemporary Serbian traditional and popular music: The case of the "Danijela" trumpet orchestra from Arilje
Article
  • Jan 2019
Trumpet orchestra "Danijela" belongs to the type of mixed gender orchestra, in which the women is the leader in men surroundings. This orchestra today mainly plays musical arrangements of the popular music, from folk to pop and rock, jazz and Latin. Danijela and her orchestra do not try to copy already existing interpretation, but they are doing their best to give to their music their personal touch in different musical securements, whether formally or in arrangements. Danijela, herself says that there are not essential difference between male and female trumpet orchestra, all, actually, depends on the personal impact. This personal impact is due to the musical education which helped Danijela's orchestra to, especially in harmony and articulation add its style to already existing interpretation. Regarding the performing of tracks which belong, by its style, to the repertoire of southeast Serbia, it is notable, especially in the aspect of articulation and ornaments marching to the style definitions of the trumpet music in West Serbia, which is general equal for all trumpet orchestras in West Serbia, which play the repertoire of the other trumpet places especially southeast Serbia. This ensemble takes part in most different kind of media, which promotes, not only this orchestra, but also the idea of women's leadership, and the fact, also that the women (in this case a young girl) can play the instrument which up to recently, was considered to be only for men. At the very end, we may conclude that today in Serbia there is no more radical difference in gender regarding musical instruments, the epithet 'male' or 'female' is not explicit any more, as it was before when men had priority. Of course, the prejudices still exist, but they are not any more so important and they are easily overcome, especially if performers get good critics from the audience for their work, no matter what instrument is in question.
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Bedford Institute and the Public Room, Newport Pagnell (where Maude's "Daughter of the Regiment" brought forth rapturous applause
  • Jul 1854
  • Lecture Room
  • Leighton Aylesbury
  • Buzzard
Lecture Room, Aylesbury, and Leighton Buzzard, July 1854; temperance demonstration at Exeter Hall, London, August 1854; Bedford Institute and the Public Room, Newport Pagnell (where Maude's "Daughter of the Regiment" brought forth rapturous applause, December 1854; Lecture Hall Bazaar, Norwich, Town Hall, Harwich and Assembly Room, Halesworth, October 1855; Saxmundham and Leiston, November 1855; Assembly Rooms, Norwich, December 1855;
Queen's Royal Theatre New Town Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, including the " Grand Serenade " (cornets and trombones) composed for them by E. Melling Mechanics Institute, Hull featuring a cornet solo " Salut à l'Angleterre " by Ebenezer Morfey, and later the Victoria Rooms
  • Jan 1858
  • Holder 's Concert
  • Hall
Holder's Concert Hall, Birmingham, January 1858; Huntingdon Institute, April 1858; Queen's Royal Theatre, Dublin, for two months May-June 1858; New Town Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, including the " Grand Serenade " (cornets and trombones) composed for them by E. Melling, December 1858; Mechanics Institute, Hull featuring a cornet solo " Salut à l'Angleterre " by Ebenezer Morfey, and later the Victoria Rooms, Newcastle, January 1859; Upper Welsh Harp Hotel Pleasure Grounds, Edgware Road, London, June 1859; Royal Surrey Gardens, August 1859, Knightsbridge Music Hall, November 1863. Sophia Morfey died in 1869.
1862) and his seven sons formed the band
  • Fred Streit
Fred Streit (b. 1862) and his seven sons formed the band. His sons were Fred jnr. (b. 1883), George (b. 1886), Carl (b. 1888), John (b. 1890), Albert (b. 1891), Oscar (b. 1893) and Ernest (b. 1901)
Newport Pagnell (where Maude's "Daughter of the Regiment" brought forth rapturous applause
  • Dec 1854
Bedford Institute and the Public Room, Newport Pagnell (where Maude's "Daughter of the Regiment" brought forth rapturous applause, December 1854; Lecture Hall Bazaar, Norwich, Town Hall, Harwich and Assembly Room, Halesworth, October 1855;
Consisting of Thomas James West (b. 1821, cornet) and members of his family: sons John Richard West (b. 1846, tuba), Thomas Sterling West (b. 1848, horn), Julian West (b. 1850, euphonium), and Charles Lane West (b. 1851, drums)
  • Georgia West Family Band -Hancock
West Family Band -Hancock, Georgia. Active in the late 1870s. Consisting of Thomas James West (b. 1821, cornet) and members of his family: sons John Richard West (b. 1846, tuba), Thomas Sterling West (b. 1848, horn), Julian West (b. 1850, euphonium), and Charles Lane West (b. 1851, drums), with Oscar Cone (b. 1849, horn), Tom Daver Wright (euphonium),
The Tylers -Emminent Saxophonists of the Tyler's Silver Band fame" were seeking engagements. Victoria Wyatt (d. February 1943 at Burnham-on-Crouch) was the daughter of Joseph Tyler and a drummer and vocalist in the family band Westafer Family Band -Active in March 1882
  • Jul 1910
  • 12
  • Tyler's Family Brass
  • Band -England
Tyler's Family Brass Band -England. Active in 1869. Active through to October 1889. A professional family group of nine juvenile instrumentalists that styled itself "the Smallest Brass Band in the World". In the 1870s and 1880s the family toured Ireland and Britain with a "silver band" and hand-bell act. Advertised as James Tyler's Juvenile Brass Band in 1874. A concert in Aberystwyth in June 1874 was: March "The Guards", Overture "The Queen's Messenger", Chorus "Belle Brandon", Operatic selection "Sonnambula", Selection "Lowly we bend before Thee", Chorus "God bless our Sailor Prince", Valse "Soldaten Lieder", Finale "National Anthem". The toured in Devon and Cornwall in 1886, playing in Plymouth and Redruth in August 1886. In March 1890 H. Tyler (Tyler's Silver Band) was advertising for engagements for a trombone player (address 12 Marsden Street, West Derby Road, Liverpool). In July 1910 "The Tylers -Emminent Saxophonists of the Tyler's Silver Band fame" were seeking engagements. Victoria Wyatt (d. February 1943 at Burnham-on-Crouch) was the daughter of Joseph Tyler and a drummer and vocalist in the family band Westafer Family Band -Active in March 1882, performing in Baxter Springs, Kansas. Consisted of Mr Westafer and his four children (aged 13 to 7) who lived on a farm in Wichita County, Kansas. Still active in 1891, performing in Iola, Kansas -when the band consisted of the father with four children, from a daughter aged 7 to a boy aged 12 (or according to another report -five children, from a girl aged 6 to a boy aged