New Britain herald., 1925-07-06
STRIKE UP THE BAND, WE'RE LISTENING

The band concert season has opened in New Britain and already we have had taste of the music which comes from comets, clarinets, trombones and the lusty big bass horn, the Philharmonic having been heard in the park Saturday.
 As an outdoor music dispenser in the good old summer time, nothing can surpass brass band. In the first place, it can be heard a long distance. A piano In room sounds satisfactorily loud; place the finest l grand" at the crest of Walnut Hill and let the best pounder in town wallop it, and this most important of genteel instruments could scarce ly be heard distinctly at the bottom of the incline. But put brass ! band in the same spot and let it start and nobody at the bottom of the hill would mistake it for a mouth organ or a zither. The air would be enveloped by the blasts and all other sound would be swamp cd by the resonance of brassy harmony. In this point rests the | oT the air 10 vibrate with the canopy of heaven as roof and the four points of the compass as walls and still make itself master under con-. ditions which would spell dscom- fiture and embarrassment 10 the players of any of the milder and more ladylike type of instruments,
 There appear 10 he five brass bands in the city--Which ought to be enough to meet any emergency But we are not going 10 judge which of the five is the best; some day just before we are due to take d long trip, we may do so hoping that the storm will be over by the time we return. At this point we will content ourselves with saying each and every one is doing it's best with the material on hand.
 Bands perform an important com munity function and provide deal of satisfaction during time of the years when there cannot be too much diversion to make one forget atmospheric enervation. A first class bandsman is distinctly hot weather animal; no matter how the sweat may accompany the blowing, he continues blowing and torgets the sweat, He only needs 10 hear the applause 10 he willing to sweat some more. After "bloWiug his head off" for spell, as the bands men term it, and perspiring like an athlete thercat, he will call it the end Of a perfect day if the applause has been generous. The leader who swings baton like the pendulum Of q ninc-day clock, feels about the same under similar circumstances, only hls mind usually is hurdcncd with worries over thn trombone player who happened to blow d sour note al a critical Iunrturc, or the l. flat clarinet tootor who mlstook n Hyspcck for note, or the drummer who counted wrong and adminiat'r- ad fortssmo crash W hile his hud- dirs were not y,t through with a pianlsslmo passage.
 There are towns which have "crack bands m which there IS a deal of local pride, Sometimes such bands are situated in comparati> ely small communities. How good d band is depends largely upon per sonul enthusiasm. prrsoN'rancc and luad,rslll. These can hr s' cured in small towns as well as large New Britain has bands that can stand up with tur best in the state,
 Playing instruments tna, go t" make up brass bands seems io ar- peal strongly to youths and mon who would nclrr br caught playing anything elsr. nit were not for the possibility of hrug a member ot l land great many men would .ru' h, tn'erested in learning lo play a musical instrument They like tt. and Et as much plcasure out oi it as a golf player does from chasing a rubber sphere on the links, or as sandIo' haseball player does in mahng flies or striking out, To play