Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1923-12-27
THE TOWN BAND

been the prerequisite to success in
life to the majority of Americans of
the present genration, according to
Lieut.. Com. John Philip Sousa, the
famous bandmaster. Wherever Sousa
goes he meets the preeminent and
men of the day, and
surprisingly large proportion of them
confess that as young men they were
musicians in brass bands, generally
in bands located in the smaller cities
and towns.
"a few months ago, the late Pres
ident Harding and myself were at
Chester, Pa, together to receive hon
orary degrees from the Pennsylvania
Military College," says Sousa. "In
the course Of the conversation the
president remarked that he had been
l. n
ed upon the numbers of men whom
have met in my 81 years at the
head of my own band who have been
members of brass bands and we both
agreed that a generation ago the
brass band was an important feature
in the social life of the small city.
"A generation ago the brass band
was a matter of intense town pride
in the smaller communities and mem
bership was eagerly sought. That
condition has not entirely passed and
/ find many communities where the
town band is rightly considered the
community's best advertising asset.
In several states, among them Kan
lied to levy a tax for the support of
a municipal band. Membership in the
band brought a uniform, and I do
not pretend to be original when
remark that nothing catches the
feminine eye quite as quickly as a
uniform. 1t also brought certain con-
cessions from employers and occa-
sional opportunities to see the world
through trips to Fourth of July cele-
brations at the county seats or upon
great occasions to the great fairs. So
the ambitious, aggressive youth of the
community was to be found in the
brass band and | must confess that it
was native ambition and aggressive
ness as much as brass band training
which made them great or successful.
When I am on tour there is scar
cely a city in which l visit where
do not meet some man who has been
more than ordinarily successful in
life in profession, in business, or in
politics, who does not break down
and confess that he had been a mem
Der of a band in a small city or
town. Most of them seem to have
been players of alto horns, tenor
horns, E flat comets and E fiat clar-
inets; instruments which have all
most disappeared in modern brass
band instrum entation. So many of
them were perform ers upon fast dis
appearing species of instruments that
I have often wondered what has be-
come of the cornetists, the trombone
players and the drummers. Were all
cornet players doomed to mediocrity?
Did trombone players, like the good
died young? Or does every felon's
cell hold an ex-bass drummer?
Seriously, however for the good
of music, am g gratifed that COM
munity pride in brass bands has en-
joyed a tremendous growth over the
|country in the past few years, par
ticularly since the war. I get many
letters asking for advice upon band
Organization and Instrumentation, for
suggestions upon the construction of
band shells, and for directions upon
repertory Many Industrial concerts
over the country are organizing com
pany bands, and I hope may be
pardoned if I boast that great
number of young men who were in
a1xoc Exo~,o4