In a belated nod to the recent Burns’ Night, for which I had to postpone my own haggis, tatties and neeps supper (instead having a Burns’ Sunday lunch yesterday), the history of brass bands tends to overlook the bands north of the border and concentrate on those in England. Granted the latter are more numerous, but the Scottish bands have an equally long history and canon of achievements.
So, if you are interested in the past lives of the brass bands of Scotland, here are my works shedding some light on these vintage musicians.
The following documents can all be downloaded from my Academia site (https://gavinholman.academia.edu) or from the IBEW (http://www.ibew.co.uk/misc102.html).
Brass Bands of Scotland – a Historical Directory – A collection of information about brass bands in Scotland over the last 200 years. Over 1,360 bands are recorded here (95 currently active), with some 731 additional cross references for alternative or previous names. This volume is an extracted subset of my earlier “Brass Bands of the British Isles”
Bands of the Broch – the civilian and military brass band musicians of Fraserburgh – Various incarnations of the Fraserburgh Brass Band, together with various military bands, provided entertainment to the inhabitants of this north – east Scotland fishing town from the 1850s to WW1.
Methil Brass Band – a tenancy missive and some poetry – Methil Brass Band was active from 1870 through to WW1. Not much is known about its activities prior to the 1890s, but the discovery of a tenancy letter from North British Railways, and some poetry written about the band, give a brief insight into its activities during that period.
Music and Musicians for the People: Scottish International Exhibitions, 1886 & 1888 – The brass bands and their contests – The musical contributions at the two international exhibitions in Scotland, at Edinburgh and Glasgow in 1886 and 1888 were detailed in two books written by Robert Marr. I have extracted the details of the visiting and competing brass bands, using his notes, and have included roughly contemporary pictures of those that are available.
Rothesay Brass Band – entertaining the excursionists fresh off the paddle – steamers on the Isle of Bute – Rothesay, the main town on the Isle of Bute, became a popular tourist destination in the Victorian era. Tourists wanted entertainment and the town council initially provided professional bands for the summer season from the mainland. A local brass band was established in 1875, which took on some of the musical duties required, and a successor band was formed in the 1920s.
Shotts Foundry Brass Band – 1829 to c.1960 – The Shotts Foundry Brass Band was founded in June 1829 and survived through to around 1960. A typical industrial “works” band, it provided entertainment for the workers at the iron works, and at one time was one of three brass bands in the small town.
The Bands of Forres – seventy years of music in a Scottish town – An outline of the known bands in the town of Forres over the seventy years from 1844 until the outbreak of WW1.
The following are blog posts here, and can be accessed via the links in the titles:
A Scottish catholic band from 1881 – A photograph of a band that raises many questions about its name and location.
Deanston Brass Band – Two photographs of this band associated with a Scottish linen mill.
Glasgow Royal Blind Asylum Band – a colourised image of this band.
Inverness – a look at its brass bands from the 1840s to 1936 From the early Inverness Amateur Brass Band to the end of the Inverness Silver Band in 1936.
The basses of Coalburn Silver Band – a photo of this quartet.
The Douglas Colliery Prize Silver Band North Tour – July 1929 A week’s tour undertaken by this Lanarkshire band around the north – east of Scotland.
IBEW - the History of Brass Bands 