Concert band

Wind music in the broad sense includes all musical genres or styles in which exclusively or predominantly instruments are used.

This part of the brass bands and Alta musica and hunting horn ensemble, horn quartet or brass quintet, Weisenbläser, the classical quintet, the Harmony Music, Concert / Marching Band, the janissary band, brass band, Italian Banda, the Protestant church brass and jugglers and marching band.

In a narrower sense brass instruments today only related to that music that is played by brass bands, the differences here are very large both in the cast and played in the literature. Even the names of the band are very varied. Thus one speaks in German-speaking often of brass bands, in Switzerland by harmony orchestras, a term that some in France ( Orchestre d'Harmonie ) or the Netherlands ( Harmonieorkest ) place. In the English-speaking world, the orchestra call, among other things Wind Ensemble, Concert Band or Military Band.

In recent years, numerous orchestras also be called " Symphonic Band ", " Wind Symphony ", " Symphonic Wind ( s ) ( Orchestra )" or " Wind Project". This is often to military or professional orchestra but also of committed lay borne musics or city Auswahlorchester devoted to original compositions or arrangements of classical works of skilled or popular music. A feature of the " Symphonic Band " is that many votes each of the pieces are played in groups ( = repeatedly) busy (which is often not the case with bands ).

Development of modern brass band

Bovine horns, shells and other simple instruments were used by primitive peoples in religious rites, and the trumpets of Jericho or the fanfare of the Roman period are evidence of the use of wind instruments in ancient times. As the oldest extant musical instruments in Europe about 35,000 years old, Stone Age bone flutes that have been found in the Swabian Alb apply.

Precursor of brass music, as it has developed in the 19th century, wind ensemble are how the harmony music of the late 18th century, and the Janissary, which initially in military music after the Turkish wars, especially in Austria and southern Germany, but after this also in the civilian sector has emerged.

Today's occupation of the band evolves from the early 19th century in spurts caused several events, among other things, the regional differences impacted heavily and thus also led to different developments.

The first concert band emerged in the French Revolution and were characterized by choral composition of the woodwind and brass registers and a percussion group. As an open-air music they had the task of the great Revolution celebrations that support later "Peace Celebration " after the victories of Napoleon with music. Numerous Concert of the South German area trace their origins back to this period, in which they have been employed by their monarchs, who were vassals of Napoleon, for a tribute celebration.

During this time marches known composers such as Beethoven were created Military March of 1816. Later, among other things, Antonin Rejcha wrote his " music, the memory of great men and great events to celebrate " ( 1830 ) or the Hector Berlioz " Symphonie funebre et Grand triomphale " (Op. 15, 1840) for the occupation of the French Revolution orchestra.

With the development of valves for brass instruments ( Riedl Vienna in 1832 and Périnet in Paris 1839), the brass were full chromatic instruments. This means that the register of the trumpet and horn instruments were occupied chorus and instruments are used for melody. Moreover, the invention of valves meant that this not only incorporated into the hitherto conventional natural trumpets and horns, but that completely new instruments have been developed. Examples are the Saxhorns that developed Adolphe Sax in Paris. In Prussia and Austria, at the instigation of military Kapellmeisters new valve Wind Instruments - precursor of tenor horn and baritone and the tuba - developed.

Due to industrialization and economic growth in the first half of the 19th century cities were for example able to establish city music. In the British Isles there were industrialists who work chapels, the forerunner of the Brass Band zulegten to.

The development of civilian brass bands was determined essentially by the military music that drove the one hand, the optimization of the instruments and then tested the occupation of the orchestra with them. In addition, often former military musicians were hired as conductors on both the continent as in the British Isles, which usually also wrote the corresponding literature.

Dissemination

International Wind Music is used today almost worldwide and is especially cultivated in Central Europe and in North America by laymen.

In German-speaking countries it was mainly in southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria and South Tyrol. There it is mainly practiced by the clubs, but it can also be worn by municipalities. Although the brass bands in these regions still has a distribution area, there were band early on in North and West Germany (eg mine chapels ). One focus of the brass bands form the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and also the Netherlands and Belgium.

Wind music today

Today Concert are represented in virtually every major municipality or city and contribute significantly to the cultural life. Most organized as an association, in particular the youth work is taken very seriously. Either the instrumental training with teachers from their own ranks or else is carried out in collaboration with regional, public or private music schools or club's brass schools. One example is the youth orchestra Havixbeck called, which runs a club's private music school with 600 students now.

Increasing dissemination find since the mid- 1990s, so-called Bläserklassen. Here, the traditional school music lessons is often replaced by the common Klassenmusizieren the Bläserklasse participants. In addition to this, students get in small groups with instrumental teachers a basic training on their instrument.

In addition, so-called Auswahlorchester allow (eg county or country band) the refinement of the instrumental performance. This selection Orchestra, which frequently represented the Federal Republic of Germany and abroad on a cultural level, formed from musicians and musicians of various music clubs in a region that have a certain degree of skill in playing an instrument.

Periodically, auditions are being targeted by the individual provinces to which to log in every band and can compete with others. It is considered to present a compulsory piece and one or more arbitrary compositions. To meet the performance level of each orchestra justice, they are divided into different levels, which are also reflected in the literature. In Germany, this classification is as follows:

Entry level - lower level - Intermediate - Advanced - High School - Master or concert stage ( this, however, very rare)

Occupations

Since there are ( and many big band, brass band, brass choir ) a wide variety of ensembles within the band music, it is impossible to perform a general, uniform occupation.

Basically, one divides the instruments which occur in wind music, in:

  • Woodwind player
  • Brass
  • Drums / percussion

Partial then ends with yet more refined classification (see also Registrar ) in

  • High sheet ( for example, trumpet, cornet)
  • Deep plate ( such as tuba, trombone)

To summarize: (soprano, alto, tenor, bass keyword ) Thus, the different registers, which often instruments of the same pitch result.

Depending on the type of composition and music direction all voice types and instrument types ( registers) can now be added or not. As can be by the typical sound of the various brass bands reach directions. Thus arises in a brass band which has no woodwinds a very different sound than for example in a marching band, which is only about Hölzbläser ( Flutes with the voice soprano) and drums ( percussion ), or from a big band which instruments such as tuba, horn or flute omitted.

The most comprehensive line-up is the so-called symphonic wind. Here brass and woodwinds are equally represented and can such a similar sound and thus a possible musical repertoire as a classical orchestra ( consisting of strings and winds ) reach. This type of cast is also called harmony occupation.

Composers for brass bands

In a separate list of composers are summarized that have created works for brass band.

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