St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-21
BROOKS, BIG BAND
VIII Be at Como for n Season, Be-
ginning Tomorrow.

ginning Tomorrow.
The great musical attraction of the
season at Lake Como pavilion will
inaugurate an engagement there on
Monday afternoon and evening, July
p. This will be no less famous a
musical organization than Brooks
Second Regiment Band of Chicago.
comprising some forty famous instru-
mentalists. This great band on and
after that time, will be heard every
afternoon and evening for a brief per-
iod. The band is under the direction
of one of the most accomplished lead
ers in America, and today there is no
band master that gives greater prom
Use than Ellis Brooks. 1t is little over
a year since he was appointed band
master of the Second Regiment Hi
nois National Guards, previous to
which time Mr.. Brooks had his quar-
tiers in New York and was known
under the title of Brooks Band of
New York. Col. George NJ Moulton,
of the regiment mentioned, suggested
the appointment of Mr.. Brooks, and,
as events have proven, it was a wise
and judicial choice. Mr. Brooks enter
ed upon his new work soon after his
selection, and from that date to this.
the progress of the band has been I'D
ward.
A brief synopsis of the career of Mr..
Brooks will doubtless prove of in
terest to our readers. Mr. Brooks will
soon be forty-six, being born in 1S49.
at Dunstable, Middlesex county, Mass.
where he spent most of his boyhood.
While he was not what would be term
ed a prodigy, he showed unusual taste
and talent for the musical art at a
very early age, and, Notwithstanding
there were few opportunities for de-
veloping his natural inclinations, he
made the most of his time and pro-
crossed at an astonishingly rapid pace.
There were no instruments he could
not play by ear even when not out of
his teens, and he created much wonder
ment among the people by his marvel
Gus execution and memory. His par
ucular favoriteS among band instru-
ments were comets, horns, trombones,
euphoniums, and other kinds of
kindred nature, all of which he could
play with a great deal of skill before
he could read music Or knew any,
thing about the laws of harmony. I'm
like the average natural musician.
who thoughtlessly begets bad habits
by playing by ear" Mr.. Brooks did
not experience any trouble in learning
the notes and other technical points
connected with the study of music,
and fell right in to the correct meth
DDS Of learning. So acute was his
sense of sound and SO retentive his
memory, that he never forgot a tune
when once heard. and he could i'm
mediately detect when any wrong note
was struck.
Mr.. Brooks was first brought to
prominence when a. lad of sixteen, at
which time he was member of the
Naval Marine band, at Boston. 1t
was then that public attention was di-
rected toward him for his rare and
very excellent trombone playing In
1869 he Joined Halls Band, also of
Boston, with which Organization he
remained for number of years. In
1879 and 1880 he gained wide celebrity
as a leader in Great Britain, being en-
gagged during that season as musical
7 director OF Haverly's Minstrels, which
were then travelling through England.
On his return to Ans he made new
conQuests and new friends by his brill
liant solo work and dictatorship, and
everywhere the name of Brooks was
heard. Success only spurred him on
to do even better work, and he nevar
at any time lost his head" or be-
came conceited. 1t was in 1888 that
Mr.. Brooks organized his famous New
York Band, which has been enlarge
and strengthened and is now known as
the Brooks Famous Second Regiment
band. The entire organization num-
beers 100 fir-t-class professional mu-
sicians, including soloists of prouli-
hence, ard it has shed some of the
most prominent engagements IN Amer
lea, VIZ: Na2tasket Beach, Mass.
four summers; Hotel Ponce De Leon,
Alcazar and Cordova, at St. Augustine,
Fla, six winter see-en5, and at the
great exposition at Pirfsburs, Pa, the
only band that played twa. consecutive
engagements there. OtSer engage
merits are Minneapolis. Mimi, Expo
sit.on:- stat fair at Indianapolis, Ind;
Worlds Columbian exposition; Pure