Earliest Bands in Canada
Earliest Bands in Canada
British Military bands were stationed in Upper and Lower Canada beginning in the 1790's at the major garrisons of Quebec, Kingston, and Newark (Niagara on the Lake.) These bands played in parades and outdoor events and performed regular concerts in the communities they served. Their popularity with the citizens was unparalleled and they became a key component of cultural life in garrison towns.
From about 1790 to the end of the 1930's, bands composed of brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments were the mainstay of regular musical performance in Canada. The European tradition of string orchestras and chamber groups did not come to the wilderness settlement of Canada until much later.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, wind instruments went through a period of rapid improvement. The development of valves for brass instruments and keypad systems for woodwinds made these instruments much easier to play and gave them the tone, articulation, and volume control to make them solo instruments in their own right. The invention of the saxophone added new voices to the wind band.
Military bands quickly adopted the new wind instruments, increasing the repertoire they could perform and the enjoyment of the concert audiences.
British band masters and musicians garrisoned in Canada found they could supplement their incomes by teaching others to play, and by repairing and selling wind instruments. The musicians they trained went on to establish town, country, and militia bands throughout the 19th century. Some British bandsmen remained in Canada after their military service, to train and lead new bands. By 1879 the last of the British Regimental Bands returned to England, but by then they had established a musical legacy that flourishes today.
The Great Canadian Town Band Festival
After attending large band-festivals in the U.S.A, David Climenhage -- a trombone-player and band-enthusiast -- was inspired to organize a town-band festival in Canada. With the help of friends, family, community support in his home-town of Orono, as well as public and private funding, the first Great Canadian Town Band Festival was held in 2000. The success of the festival has led to its becoming an annual event.
The first festival featured such renowned bands as Intrada Brass, the Hannaford Street Silver Band, the historical Dodsworth Saxhhorn Band with their antique instruments, and W.P. Cyclone's the Hannaford Street Silver Band, the historical Dodsworth Saxhhorn Band with their antique instruments, and W.P. Cyclone's Magnificent High Wheel Band, who perform while riding Penny Farthing bicycles. The crowd enjoyed the music and some took part in Victorian Ballroom dancing.
Prior to the 2001 festival, a new bandstand was built to accommodate more performances. It was made possible by a community fundraising effort which involved residents of Orono signing the cedar shingles of the bandstand's roof. It is a replica of the traditional Victorian style of bandstand.
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