Author Archives: Gavin Holman

A brass band contest was held at Chillicothe, Ohio on Thursday 4th August 1859. Seventeen bands competed (although only 13 were named in the newspaper report). Was this the first such contest in the USA?  Do you know of any … Continue reading →

A collection of information about brass bands in the island of Ireland over the last 200 years. Following the suggestion of a friend, whose great-grandfather had played in a brass band in Eire in the early 1900s, I have extracted … Continue reading →

Following my historical directory of the brass bands of the British Isles, the companion volume, covering the rest of the world is now available. Again, it is far from complete, even more so given the range and extent of possible … Continue reading →

A new book – The History of Earby Brass Band – has been written by Stephanie Carter. Copies are available from Earby & District Local History Society (£10 + £3.50 p&p) – email info@earbyhistory.co.uk for details. Earby Brass Band can … Continue reading →

Some further papers have been published – which completes my investigations into the distaff side of brass music (at least for the time being!). These are available at https://gavinholman.academia.edu/research Scoring for the ladies – the women composers of music for brass … Continue reading →

A new paper has been recently published and is available at: https://gavinholman.academia.edu/research Women and Brass: the female brass bands of the 19th and 20th centuries Brass bands have been a musical force across the world over the last 200 years. Mainly … Continue reading →

Four new papers have been recently published and are available at: https://gavinholman.academia.edu/research Brass drawings – a look at the depiction of brass bands and bandsmen through the eyes of the cartoonist and illustrator Brass bands, their players and instruments have … Continue reading →