JACK'S MUSINGS

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 1. SOUSA AND THE AMERICAN BANDMASTERS ASSOCIATION

During the early part of the twentieth century, the concert band performed more music of quality to the public than any other type of musical organization. Concert bands traveled throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe performing to thousands who otherwise would not have had an opportunity to experience formal concert hall performances. Although the concert band’s popularity was unquestionable, it generally was not considered to be on the same esoteric level as the orchestra; therefore, concert bands suffered a somewhat inferior status among musicians. Factors that contributed to this perception included the concert band’s concert venue, often out-of-doors, the difficulty of conductors to obtain a quality music education, a limited repertoire that with the exception of marches was largely borrowed from the libraries of the orchestra, and a lack of camaraderie among the leading bandmasters/conductors of the period.

Dr. Edwin Franko Goldman, composer, conductor, and founder of the Goldman Band, recognized these problems and challenges to the band movement. Believing that quality music for band could and should be offered to the public, Goldman arranged for a small group of outstanding bandmasters to meet in New York in order to discuss the problems of their profession. All agreed that through a combined effort, better bands and better repertoire could emerge. Goldman's idea for establishing The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) had its inception with this meeting.

Goldman continued to provide the momentum behind the ABA and was determined to improve not only the band profession, but also the collegiality among directors. With the oncoming impact of radio broadcasts and the decline in the popularity of the touring professional band, concert bands were forced to fiercely compete for performance venues. Goldman’s New York City band, however, experienced the opposite in that many of his concerts were broadcast on radio and became popular throughout the country. His New York audiences likewise increased through the influence of radio, and attendance at live concerts often exceeded 25,000. He became the second most famous bandmaster in the United States, behind only the immortal John Philip Sousa.

Goldman's rise in fame provided him the respect and contacts that he needed to gain interest and support for the ABA. During the summer of 1928, encouraged by favorable reactions in the profession, he met with Victor Grabel, conductor of the Chicago Concert Band, and Captain William Stannard, Leader of the U. S. Army Band, in Columbus, Ohio, to begin discussing what resulted in the first formal steps towards the foundation of ABA.

Capt. Stannard in August, 1928, recorded the original and lasting intent of ABA in a letter to Albert Austin Harding, Director of Bands at the University of Illinois: "We conceived the idea of creating an ABA for the purpose of furthering the interests of outstanding American Band Masters, and of interesting composers, arrangers, and music publishers in Wind Band music. . . . It would be the aim of the ABA to unite in a concerted effort to influence the best composers to write for the Wind Band." Stannard also wrote that John Philip Sousa had been interviewed in connection with the proposed idea and that he was quite enthusiastic, consenting to act as President of the association. Sousa’s support was of vital importance since he was recognized as America's foremost bandmaster. Sousa had the respect and personality necessary to motivate bandmasters to unite in Goldman's cause.

Grabel and Stannard immediately began groundwork toward the official founding of the ABA. Stannard sought input from acclaimed bandmasters and Grabel organized meetings in Chicago when Stannard, Harding, Sousa and other bandmasters could meet. Goldman remained the guiding force behind the movement, while Grabel acted as the primary executive force. The organization took true formation at a meeting in Chicago on October 25, 1928. Grabel, Harding, and Stannard discussed many issues including the importance of key bandmasters, possible locations and times for the first formal meeting, the beginnings of the constitution which would be written by Grabel, and the procedures and qualifications for membership.

New York was approved as the first meeting place and the charter members assembled there on July 5, 1929. These members included Edwin Franko Goldman; Charles Benter, Director of the United States Navy Band, Washington, D. C.; J. J. Gagnier, Director of His Majesty's Grenadier Guards Band, Montreal, Canada; Victor J. Grabel, Conductor of the Chicago Concert Band; Albert Austin Harding, Director of Bands at the University of Illinois; Richard B. Hayward, Director of the Toronto Concert Band, Toronto, Canada; Charles O'Neill, Director of the Royal 22nd Regiment Band, Quebec, Canada; Arthur Pryor, Director of Arthur Pryor's Band, New York, NY; and Frank Simon, Director of the ARMCO Band, Middletown, Ohio.

Although the proceedings of this important meeting do not exist, the events can be somewhat retraced from a brief New York Herald Tribune article. Grabel's draft of the ABA Constitution and by-laws were adopted and an official statement of the objectives of the ABA compiled. These initial objectives set forth the desire for a universal band instrumentation, a higher standard of artistic excellence, and the need to induce prominent composers of all countries to write for the band. At the end of the Constitution, Grabel listed John Philip Sousa as Honorary Life President and the following officers: Goldman, President; O'Neill, Vice President; Grabel, Secretary; and Harding, Treasurer. Simon, Clarke, and Hayward were elected Directors and Pryor was elected Chairman of the Membership Committee.

The first annual convention was held March 13-16, 1930, in Middletown, Ohio, the home-base of charter member Frank Simon and the ARMCO Band. By the second annual convention in 1931, the ABA had begun to move out of its organizational stages and into a decade of activism. World War II brought a redirection of focus for the entire country and caused the 1942 convention to be cancelled. During this difficult period, the ABA Newsletter was begun and served as the essential link that held the group together over the next six years. No conventions followed during the war and the original editor of the newsletter, Lynn Sams, is credited with keeping the interest in ABA alive.

The organization met again in 1947 in Elkhart, Indiana, with members eager to push the association forward in new directions. This convention marked the revival of ABA that has continued to meet annually. Conventions provide the ongoing process of growth and change necessary to adhere to the principles on which the organization was founded. The importance, however, of The American Bandmasters Association does not lie in its meetings, but in its membership. Some of the accomplishments of the collective and singular efforts of it members follow:

Jennifer Scott, 1995
Edited by Thomas V. Fraschillo, William J. Moody, 2006

References:

Davis, Alan L. (1987) A History of The American Bandmasters Association, doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University.

The Constitution and By-Laws of The American Bandmasters Association.

Revelli, W. D. (1986). Interview with Alan L. Davis, August 14.

Santelmann, W. F. (1953) What The American Bandmasters Association Means to Me.

Sams, L. L. (1986). Untitled History of Bands in the United States, Unpublished manuscript.

Stannard, W. J. (1928). Personal correspondence to Albert Austin Harding, August 3.

Other sources:

Victor Zajec, Retired Dean of the Graduate School at Vandercook College in Chicago.

ABA Public Relations and Publicity Committee, 1995-96: Dr. James Croft, James Curnow, Lt. Col. Frank Dubuy, Emery Fears, Dr. Edwin Kruth, and Frank Wickes.

2.TINKERING WITH PERFECTION

Jack Kopstein

I recently purchased a library of classical sheet music, mostly of the works by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. I have studied very carefully most of the so- called masters both the scores and the recordings and it is almost uncanny how religiously orchestras world wide retain the works just as they written by composers, centuries ago. There are however variances in the speed of the music.

  The eminent George Szell one of America’s greatest conductors asserted that the tempi of music had become much faster as the jet era developed worldwide. Szell’s artistry, as amply demonstrated by his recorded legacy, demonstrates his full insight into understanding of the great classic and romantic composers -- Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, and Dvorák. He completely understood the music and was able to interpret exactly what the composer intended.

In the view of most band music purists, the music of Sousa is flawless and therefore why would it be necessary to tinker with this perfection. There are actually new arrangements of Sousa marches that have been issued along with so called edited   and simplified versions. Once the copyright on the music ran out, many major publishing houses began to rewrite the music in a modern format even to the extent of changing the instrumentation. and the chords.

It is granted that nearly all the music itself was printed on March cards, so it could played on parade. However when the music was published for concert purposes, suddenly the structure and originality disappeared. Similarly the same kind of change for change sake filtered into the recorded field. In this vein the marches and music of John Philip Sousa has been with few exceptions become really flawed. Tradition it seems goes out the window, when the music is not clearly understood.

The recorded music of Sousa is extensive, there are literally hundreds of military and concert band records dating back to the turn of the last century, one of which features Sousa himself speaking and playing his marches. Orchestras from around the world have joined in with special orchestrations of his music. With the existence of all the recorded Sousa music it is quite easy to tell how the interpretation by the music directors differ and how often changes are introduced into the music.

The United States Marine band are however unique, the heritage of Sousa lives on, in their treatment of the Sousa march. We can hear the mood and the preservation of every nuance in their recordings. The music is exactly as he wrote it. The very essence of the man and his music is reproduced with total accuracy. Every note, every chord, every marking, and with the exception of the French Horns parts, the instrumentation is retained.

Altissimo Records sell and promote all of the American Service bands that also maintain the originality of the Sousa music. Don’t tinker with perfection get the best that money can buy.

This may not be news but it is reality.    My very best holiday wishes to all our friends worldwide. May all service people serving the cause of democracy have a peaceful and safe holiday season.

3. Sousa and the Music of War

 By Jack Kopstein

John Philip Sousa was born  before the American Civil war began but he was no doubt strongly motivated as a child by the music. His father was a member of the United States Marine band in Washington, a band which Sousa later served and eventually  became the director . Sousa incorporated many of the civil war  songs and marches into his early works . His compositions such as his marches The Honoured Dead(1876) and Solid Men to the Front (1918) were  original themes and songs from the diverse  periods of his life. Most of the music he composed over his lifetime  is generally of a patriotic nature.  He was an unbridled American with a strong sense of country, flag and loyalty. His music of war echoes the sense of his passion for giving America a spirit of freedom over tyranny. The titles of his music represented  a call to arms. Sousa’s march The Glory of the Yankee Navy(from his musical comedy Yankee Girl)(1909)  acted  a  stimulant for US Navy recruiting in  the First World War. He also had a talent for song writing and in 1918 he wrote the  tune We Are Coming which heralded the arrival of US troops in Eruope circa 1917.

In 1898, Sousa was preparing to take his band on a tour of Europe, but upon the beginning of the hostilities of the Spanish American War, he cancelled these plans.  With the war in mind, Sousa composed a patriotic pageant entitled “The Trooping of the Colors”.  He toured many cities in the United States with this pageant resulting in great public support and patriotism.  It was through his interpretation of the music of war and his overriding nationalist spirit that his reputation grew and defined his role as the  super star of the military music in America.