The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-02
TVE BANDS OF NEW YORK,
-,sroBy or MARITAL MUSIC ON
mdNHATTAN ISLAND.

-c.,.,pial parAde In this city on the night OF
~. "a 10 be the bands of music. Great dini
..,,v has been expe renced in securing bands
.,,ush for the occasion, and band leaders say
,b.t this SUNNI or has furnished a better harvest
sor musicians than they have ever before en-
,oved On this account the history OF the banos
n New York. which include the largest ana
hest bands In this country, becomes interesting
Few persons listening to the mougrei sere-
e,des of the wandering street bands would I'M
,s,ne thatA little over half century AGO New
Workers seldom heard better band music than
that Since then this city has become famous
Tor Its great bands three or four Of which have
,n,tional reputation. while score OF others are
,sr,sle of producing better music than the
.srlier band masters dreamed Of. About the
arst band In order of time IN this city was one
attached TO the Eleventh Regiment New YORK
militia and which hourished under the leader
shtp OF Thomas Brown about 1910 or 1872. rhis
band followed Its regiment into the war OF lslZ'
and was stationed on Bedloe's ISLAND, ana its
martial music, floating across the bay on stu
evenings, was much admired by the strollers In
che Battery Park.
In igs3 the number Of bands In New York had
increased to ave. he four new ones were led
by Paul Hstton, John Gers,enicher, Bassford,
and Horning. and they we're attached to the
Second, Third, Ninth. and Fourteenth militia
reements. The regiments furnished the bands
with uniforms and In truments, but the musi-
clans, who we're mostly amateurs, received no
nay for their services, except the leaders. In
les the real musicians Of the city-those who
regarded music as profession and not
pastime-held n meeting to consi1er the organ
hation Of a profession 4 band. This was al
most unheard- tning. and good deal OF risk
hsd to be undertaken, out the result was the
foundation Of the " INDEPENDENT Band" under
the leadership OF Thomas Dix. The members,
eighteen In number. furnished themselves with
uniforms aud instruments, and advertised for
business. Their 10 ,truments were ciarinets,
flutes. trumpets, trombOnes, horns, and ser
penis. The Second REGIMENT, Governors
Guard, engaged THIS band for parades. and the
members OF It are said to have attracted much
sltention when paradlng in their white coats,
blue pantaloons, and Dig sou're hats.
WAR AMONG MUSICIANS.
About the same time there were in the city
several bands composed of negroes, whose nat
ursl genius for music made them successful
bus ness Of that time. Bitter tealouses seem TO
have been engendered between the white and
black bands, and finally an open rupture took
place. On Nov. 10. 1S,5, the white bands held a
KIND OF indignation meeting at Thoms rs Riley's
place in West broadway, then called Chapel
street, and formal resolution was passed that
no white band would parade In line with a col
ored hand. This failed to suppress the negroes,
and reacted on the whites whose bands were,
IN consequence OF their action, discharged from
the repimepts aud partially disbanded.
The Independent Band, however, remained
1876 It gave nightly concerts In midsummer In
Castle Garden, and these concerts were very
n shs ey c s.od
formed, but II did not exist long after lSie,
Norris Higgins became its leader.
pecially by the professional musicians, the
bands OF New York were W state OF confusion,
and their performances were seldom OF a hieh
order In 1873 an Enei,shman, Thomas bod
worth, and bis son Allen. oosh possessed of ex-
uaordinary musical talent, became members OF
shaI nAa liant Ran nd .af "A az . "a
elder Dodwortn, who perceived the want OF
oraanization and system, the real growth Of
Al that time there were military bands.
comprising both reed and brass instru
Dents brass bands, and martial CORPS, in
which brass instruments altsrnated In playing
With dies and drums.
The bands 10 which drums aud hfes alterna tsd
with small brass instruments Ia playing differ
out bars Of the same quicsstep were called
-mOnkey bands" bod worth and Ned Lothian
form ed the nrst GRASS bands in which the drums
and nfcs and brass Instruments alternated BY
playing different quicksteps. Through bod
sorth's influence, IN 1884. the Indepe ndent Band
tdopted brass instruments. substituting blcies
instead OF clarinets for tue leaders, and IL was
then known as the City Brass Band.
Musicians are said 70 be VIGOROUSLY Jealous Of
one another, and from this cause probably a
rupture took place IN 1886 In tue City Brass
Band which divided into two sections, one led
BY e. Mosher under ITS old title, anu the other
by Allen DDdworth and James Willis, under me
name OF the National Brass Band. The latter
Lterwird became known as Dodworth's Band
and the disbandment of It's rival soon left It the
70 ding oind OF tue city. Its leaders ana mem
bers Included at different times some OF the
best musicians In the country. 1t owed Its SUI
cess In a large degree to the energy and inven-
tive talent OF tue Dodworths, who originated
tuch well known Instruments as toe New York
horn the cornetino bel-back instrume nts, tue
scho' tue movable mouthpiece, and others.
OLD BANDS IN NEW YORK.
Harvey b. Dodworth bee 4me its leader In
Val Inc next year Instruments with the bells
" directed rearward were Introduced into IL,
M hom these instruments It was called a
totne band.
III 1850 tmong the principal bands in the CITY
eeIe DOdwortn's. Shelton's, and sam Dingle's.
Al lhat time they were nearly all brass bands,
and were very small compared with tue monster
BANDS of TIE present day. They seldom had
more Than hfteen 10 twenty members. The first
regular reed band IN toe CITY was organized
sbo Il 1853 by Knoll AMI R-itsel for the Seventh
Regiment. After seven years this band broke
ID nd then the old shelton b nd, at that time led
H G. :. Grafulla. combined with II and formed
Ne present q aiuIlas band in 1859, the organiza-
Vii being N de specially for the Seventh Regi-
HnI Graiullds band shared IA the disciplinary
thmphs Of the famous regiment To which II
W attached, and became the rival OF bod
trth's band, taking tue FIRST rank IN the pro-
seton Of what might be called society
lisic,' such as that used at weddings and
kademy balls.
n 1893 all important revolution occurred in
history Of band music In New York Prev
Is to that time there had been no regular
ires nxed and each baud was governed by
'cumstances, the state OF the musical market,
q The disposition OF Its uIetnb RS, In regard To
charges. Underbidding was resorted to when
market Was d. ll and Ia this way the prices
~ 70 MUSICIANS we're kept very low, Ranging
m 81 to 81 per man, ana 81 extra for the lead
eli all cases. 10 pay for the music and other
sensss a tax Of i've per cent. OF his income
lald on each member, or, In other words,
q percentage was withheld from each man
fexpeDses by the leader when pay day came
end. This tax became the source Of much
~r tisfactiUn. The men complained that IL
was unjust, because after many wears payment
Of Il they had no claim pro rata upon the
musical library Of the band which their money
had neiped To accumulate.
MUSICAL PROTECTIVE UNION.
This and other similar grievances gave rise to
hctNe Union b. the private members Of the
Various Lands In the city. BY the rules Of tns
Union minimum prices were liked for all classes
OF bsni music, and no band or member of "A
bend was allowed to charge less than the nXad
rate. The tax for music and expenses WAS Dis
continued aud the leaders were Obliged
70 bear such expenses, and for that
purpose were allowed 20 charge double rate
ihetc was some opposition 10 tue union by tie
kaler-. who old not want TO come into IL. aud
the nlouists were assisted almost at the outset
~ very curious circumstance.
~ hall ened that Russian fleet had arrived NJ
re" urk, and as AT tnat time the friendship
tet~e"n Russia and the United States was par
neuidily warm, reception was To be rendered
70 IN" hussi u officers, and all the important
pahI. IN the CITY had been engaged Tor the
Etani procession. The leaders could not break
lneiI engagements; they could not make tho
uhl"ul is YIELD aad they could not find other
uu'lrldns u MI out their bands. Accordingly,
peN were forced to go into ths Protective
..il'r, anu having Welded so much, any future