On the Breath of Angels is the second release from Bruce Dickey, Hana Blažiková, and the Breathtaking Collective dedicated to exploring the natural and much sought-after affinity between the cornett and the human voice. To read Helen Roberts's full review, click here: The Breathtaking Collective: On the Breath of Angels.
Dr Peter Downey was a dedicated music educator, scholar, researcher and composer. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 14 February 1956, the son of Gerard and Elizabeth (O’Neill) Downey. He began his musical career in the Belfast City Youth orchestra playing the trumpet moving to become a brass instrument teacher in the Belfast School of music from 1976–1981. He gained his Diploma in Trumpet Performance in 1976, a BSc Hons in Physics in 1977 from Queens University Belfast – a slight detour in his musical career – followed by his Diploma in Music Education from the University of Ulster in 1978 and finally his PhD in Music Research from Queens University Belfast in 1983 during which he was a recipient of a research scholarship from the Danish Government in 1978. He spent 6 enjoyable months in Copenhagen, researching the musical repertoire of the Danish royal trumpet establishment in the second half of the 16th century; returning to visit there following his retirement for a fantastic visit to share his love of the city with his children.
In case you are looking for something to add to your summer reading list, the University of Illinois Press has just published long-time HBS contributor Doug Yeo's new book, co-authored with Kevin Mungons, Homer Rodeheaver and the Rise of the Gospel Music Industry. Students of gospel songs may remember Rodeheaver’s name for the many hymnals and songbooks he published in the first half of the twentieth century, and some may have read that he was Billy Sunday’s trombone-playing songleader. But for most people, Homer Rodeheaver is the most famous person they never heard of.
Christopher Michael Larkin was born on 1st September 1947 in Wigan, Lancashire. His father was a schoolmaster and an amateur pianist, whilst his mother, a nurse, was busy bringing up their two daughters and three sons. Chris attended Thornleigh Salasian College in Bolton aged 11 and sang in the school choir. He started playing a cornet in 1959 and was given free lessons from a Mr. Murphy. Many years later Chris wrote this memory of going to a concert at The Royal Albert Hall as a twelve-year-old. “In 1959 my father took me to my first Prom concert during what was also my first visit to London. All that I remember now about the holiday was that I divided my time between a long-established interest in the doings of steam locomotives and a new love – music”.
Alan Frederick Lumsden passed away peacefully on the 30 September 2020. An exceptionally versatile musician on a large number of early brass and woodwind instruments, he was a founding member of the London Trombone Quartet, the London Cornett and Sackbut ensemble, and the London Serpent Trio. Alan held the positions of Professor of the Sackbut at the Royal College of Music, Professor of the Recorder and Early Music studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and Head of Brass at Malvern College.
Members are reminded that nominations for the 2021 Monk Award must be received by 30 January. Nominations must comply with the procedures outlined on this site under 'Awards'.
UPDATED 5/24/2021: Click here for the full conference program
UPDATED 5/18/2021: Click here for the full and final conference schedule
The Historic Brass Society Virtual Symposium Pond Life: Crosscurrents over the Atlantic is being held online May 24-26, 2021. The conference will focus on the exchange and cross-pollination of ideas between Britain, Europe and the Americas, with 18 presentations on topics including instruments, trade and manufacturing; the development of the brass quintet; British and American dance bands; repertoire, composers, performers; and performance practices. Events include a Roundtable discussion on Brass Chamber Music moderated by John Miller with Allan Dean, Ray Mase, John Wallace, Simon Hogg and others; a session on British and American Dance Bands including a play along session led by Richard Michael (jazz educator); John Webb and His Collection of Brass Instruments with Arnold Myers, presentation of the Monk Awards (both 2020 and 2021 recipients), memorial tributes, and a livestream concert performance by The Wallace Collection of original 19th-century small brass ensemble music played on period instruments from the Webb Collection at the RCS.
Registration is free and online at https://forms.gle/q9HutqkQvWKyjUZW7
It is required in advance in order to receive the codes for the online sessions.
POND LIFE: Crosscurrents over the Atlantic is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and with additional support from St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh UK.
The HBS Symposium Pond Life: Crosscurrents over the Atlantic was held online May 24-26, 2021, with over 210 participants representing every continent. The symposium focused on the exchange and cross-pollination of ideas between Britain, Europe and the Americas, with 18 presentations on topics including instruments, trade and manufacturing; repertoire, composers, performers; and performance practices. It kicked off on Monday with the Keynote Address by Clifford Bevan, followed by a day filled with outstanding presentations. Tuesday featured memorial tributes, presentations, including John Webb and His Collection of Brass Instruments with Arnold Myers, and John Wallace chairing a session on British and American Dance Bands that included a play-along session led by Richard Michael (jazz educator) for both HBS members and students from New York public schools followed by a roundtable discussion with Cliff Bevan, Dan Block, Hilary Michael, and Richard Michael. Wednesday began with the final four presentations and the virtual presentation of the Monk Awards to Peter Holmes (2020) and Friedemann Immer (2021). John Miller led a Roundtable discussion on the Development of the Brass Quintet with Allan Dean, Tony George, Simon Hogg, Ray Mase, John Rojak and John Wallace, and the Symposium ended with a livestream concert from St Cecilia's in Edinburgh with The Wallace Collection performing 19th-century small ensemble music using period instruments from the Webb Collection and other private collections.
The full Symposium Program, with the schedule, abstracts and biographies is available here.
The presentations, roundtables, award ceremonies, memorials, and other documentation will be uploaded to playlists as part of the HBS YouTube Channel very soon, watch this space for more details!
POND LIFE: Crosscurrents over the Atlantic was made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and with additional support from The University of Edinburgh, St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh UK.
The Executive Committee and the Board of Directors are pleased to announce our first global virtual annual meetings. We have scheduled two meetings to better accommodate people's schedules and time zones. We invite you to attend one -- or both if you wish!
The meetings are to be held:
January 16, 2021 9:00 AM EST (UTC -05:00 or 14:00 UTC)
January 17, 2021 1:00 PM EST (UTC -05:00 or 18:00 UTC)
Gavin Holman has posted a preliminary version of his extensive catalog/inventory of American bands entitled Brass Bands and Cornet Bands of the USA: A Historical Directory. The document references 8,700 bands by name, and is intended as an aide for future research. He notes that he has only done extensive work up to about 1872 in the current version! To view it, click here: https://www.academia.edu/44797004/Brass_Bands_and_Cornet_Bands_of_the_U_S_A_a_historical_directory
The Wallace Collection, led by John Wallace, has recently released three new recordings: The Origin of the Species Revisited, 4 of the quintets by the 19C composer Jean-Francois Bellon played on period instruments; The Golden Age of the 19th Century Brass Virtuoso with John Wallace (on an 1862 Bayley Acoustic cornet) and Anthony George (playing a Gautrot ophicleide, ca. 1845) demonstrating the flair of 19th century instrumental showcase pieces; and The Wallace Collection On Song, with recording debuts for a collection of new contemporary works for brass ensemble and brass with voice. Additionally, new editions of three pieces from The Golden Age. have also been published: John Hartmann's "The Watch on the Rhine", Alexander Owens' "Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye", and Handel's "O Ruddier Than the Cherry". These editions and CDs are available for purchase through the ensemble's website (https://thewallacecollection.world); the CDs are also available from Amazon.co.uk, and other leading CD retailers. Streaming and digital purchases will be forthcoming in the new year.
It is with great sadness that we announce the death by natural causes of founding member Martha Bixler at the age of 93. Martha has been a key figure in the growth of the American recorder and early music movement since the 1950s.
She held Bachelor degrees from Smith College and the Yale University School of Music and a Master's degree from Brooklyn College. She has long been active with the American Recorder Society (ARS). She was a member of the Board of Directors, twice President of the organization, editor of the Members' Library Editions and active on various committees. Her personal story of the first fifty years of the American Recorder Society, The American Recorder Society and Me; a Memoir, is available on the ARS web site.
She taught recorder, harpsichord and early dance at various colleges including Wagner College and Sarah Lawrence College, as well as at innumerable recorder and early music workshops around the United States, Canada, England and Ireland. As a performer, she played with a number of prominent early music ensembles including the New York Pro Musica, Musica Sacra, the Bach Aria Group and the Berkshire Bach Society.
She was the editor of a number of arrangements for recorders and recorded for Columbia Records and Decca Gold Label.
She also enjoyed playing viol and sackbut and was a regular participant at our Historic Brass Festivals. She, along with her good friends Susan Wilcox and Charlotte Leonard, were known at the annual Historic Brass Festivals as the "Sackbut Sisters".
Click on the title of this article to read the full version including some memories of Martha by the two remaining "Sackbut Sisters".
