Connecticut western news., 1888-12-05
CANAAN CONN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5. 1888
BRASS BANDS,

BRASS BANDS. The Life of Metropolitan Profess
 sional Musicians.
 Their Organizations, Haunts
 and Scale of Wages.
 A complete band requires at least 15 men. Commencing with the base in- struments, there are the tuba, the bari tone, tho tenor, three comets, two altos, two trombones, two clarion cts, the bass drum. the small drum and the cymbals. .... ..... There are 4500 professional musicians in New York City who make liveli- hood by playing in bands and orches- tras, and occasionally alone when re- quired for small entertainments. These men have eight organizations and are all known as union mon.
 About half of tho musicians are Ger mans. Americans and Italians are the next prominent nationalitios, and near ly all countries are represented.
 The union rate of pay for regular musicians is $5 per day. For marching in parades $6 is charged, on account of the extra labor. On special occasions, when there is an unusual demand, extra pay is obtained. Occasionally there is such corner iu music that almost any. price can be had by shrewd player Members of orchestras are paid scale of prices that varies according to the instrument played and the ability of the performer. Very few musi clans arc employed in theatres for less than $15 week. Tho general prices paid arc from SIS to $25, and exceptional players get as high as $40 week. Men who play in drum and fife corps get all prices-from $1 to $3 per day.
 The busy season in tho mu ical world is from November until May 1, with dull spell in Lont. Tho tho atres, balls, parties, receptions, concerts and holiday work keep the musicians busy, so that a good performer, espe cially a pianist, need not lose nj ght for sever al months. Nearly all good musicians are able to play two or three different insttume nts, and when a band is short handed they are capable of filing near y any place that. is vacant. In tho summer many of the players go to watering places and obtain as good pay as when empl oyed in town; but the large mum Der have a dull time of it. Occasionally excursions and employ. ment at the parks and concert gardens are about all that the musicians find tc do.
 Aside from the union musi clans tn ere are several hundred who get their liv. ing by travelling the streets in sidc- walk bands and picking up any few odd jobs of producing alleged music to ua cultivated gatherings. This class of players is composed almost entirely of recently landed Germans and youthful Italians. many musicians of all grad es of ability mako their headquarters in New York City, and accept engage. ments that take them to all parts of the country.
 The headquarters of the musicians are located in Fourth street, east of the Bowery. Several of the larger so- cieties occupy substantial buildings, while the others rent lodge rooms in which they meet evenings. The whole l block is almost entirely monopolizad by the musicians and dealers in music and band supplies. Employers in search of men to play in bands and orchestras an d for special entertainments go to Fourth street to secure musicians. The num- Der of men who gather in the stecet in front of the headquarters on pleasant days is so great that the street is blocked. A stranger would think that there was fire or some ua usual excite ment that attracted the crowd, but it is an everyday occurrence. The men arc making engagements and arranging fol work with leaders and agents who need them. On stormy lays the beer gardens do thriving business. as the German musicians, and other nation alities a: wel1 are great beer drinkers. Yet they are steady set of men and art seldom intoxicated.
 In the last few years women have taken to playing in bands, and thert arc several excellent female orchestras now performing in different parts of thu country. They are paid less than tht male performers, although they play with almost equal ability. Amateur bands have become quite popular, and one or two of the best ones in the city play as we'll as the average professional band. The regularly organized bands of New York City are the reglmsnta1 bands. They have leaders who arr good business men, and who manage the band as theatrical manager does his troup. -[ Mail and Express.
 What He Didn't Do.
 'tSo it was ou who broke my beauti