If you’re of a certain age, brass band music may feature quite prominently in your memories. Perhaps you recall the Salvation Army playing Christmas carols in the snow, summer concerts at seaside towns with the audience in deck chairs, marching bands at local processions and fetes. If you’re from certain parts of the country, their association with mining communities and trades unions is strong. And perhaps, like me, a lot of those memories surfaced as you struggled to hold back a few tears during the film Brassed Off.
There’s something special about brass bands in Britain. They are perhaps one of the last strongholds of real community music-making. Across the country, serious musicians and enthusiasts gather to continue historic bands and to support their passion through their own endeavours. It’s quite amazing to think that they are more or less self-funded and that many use whatever income they earn to pay for instruments for younger learners in training bands. And in an era when traditional activities and sports seem to be increasingly monetised and free access to culture is made more complex, brass bands play on, and all you have to do to show your support for them is to go and listen.
This summer, Friends of Pittville were delighted, in conjunction with CBC and with the help of The Cheltenham Trust, to bring back the sound of quality brass band music to Pittville Park. And even though our bandstand is too small for most bands, the setting at the top of the new steps in front of the Pump Room turned out to be perfect.
So we’d like to thank the Metz Big Band, the Wotton Silver Band, the Gloucester Excelsior Band and the Gloucestershire Police Band for providing such wonderful music for us during July and August and we hope we’ll see them again. And although some people have found the constant sunshine a bit wearing this year, the predictably dry weather helped make those music-filled Sundays a joy.
Author: Andy Hopkins
Photos by Terry Langhorn.