Opera at the Bandstand: Then and Now

by George W. Martin

Overview

In Opera at the Bandstand: Then and Now, George W. Martin surveys the role of concert bands during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in making contemporary opera popular. He also chronicles how in part they lost their audience in the second half of the twentieth century by abandoning operatic repertory.

Martin begins with the Dodworth bands in New York City from the 1850s and moves to the American tour of French conductor and composer Louis Antoine Jullien, bandmaster Patrick S. Gilmore’s jubilee festivals, the era of John Philip Sousa from 1892 to 1932, performances of the Goldman Band of New York City from 1920 to 2005, and finally the wind ensembles sparked by Frederick Fennell. He illustrates the degree to which operatic material comprised these bands’ overall repertory and provides detailed programs in the appendixes.

Opera at the Bandstand describes how the technological advancements sweeping the country, such as radio, automobiles, recordings, television, and air conditioning, along with changes in demographics, affected the country’s musical life. It will appeal to bandmasters and their players, as well as those with an interest in American history, music, popular culture, and opera.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810888531
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/05/2013
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

George W. Martin is the author of twelve books, including Verdi in America: Oberto through Rigoletto (2011) and The Opera Companion (1961, paperback edition 2008).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xii

1 The Dodworth Bands and Jullien's Example 1

2 Patrick S. Gilmore, His Jubilees, and the "Anvil Chorus" 21

3 Mr. Gilmore and His 22nd Regiment Band 39

4 John Philip Sousa, the Marine Band, and Sousa's Band 57

5 John Philip Sousa: Summers in Coney Island and Winters in Rochester, New York 78

6 John Philip Sousa: Willow Grove Park, Pennsylvania 89

7 The Rise of Dance Bands: Herbert L. Clarke and the Long Beach Municipal Band 109

8 The U.S. Marine Band and Contemporary Civilian Bands 121

9 Edward Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band 134

10 The Decline of the Goldman Band, Frederick Fennell, and the Rise of the Wind Ensemble 151

Conclusion 167

Appendixes

1 Operatic Repertory of the Dodworth Band, July-August 1859 173

2 Advertisement for the First of Jullien's Farewell Concerts, June 1854 175

3 Operatic Repertory for the First Four Days of Gilmore's International Peace Jubilee, Boston, 1872 177

4 Gilmore's Repertory in San Francisco, 17-29 April 1876 180

5 Repertory of Twelve Summer Band Concerts in New York City's Central Park, 1892 182

6 Repertory of the U.S. Marine Band under Francis Scala, 1855-1871 184

7 Sousa's Repertory for Seven Summer Concerts, August 1882 186

8 U.S. Marine Band Catalogue, 1885-Compared to Scala's Library List, circa 1871 188

9 Sousa and the U.S. Marine Band: Six Concerts in Philadelphia, 1889-1891 191

10 Sousa's Programs for the Columbian Exposition, Boston, 4-7 May 1893 195

11 Sousa's Operatic Repertory in Rochester, New York, 1894-1901 200

12 Repertory of Sousa's Band, 1892-1932 203

13 Six Programs by Clarke and the Long Beach Municipal Band, 1923-1943 218

14 Repertory of the Staten Island Musicians Society Concert Band, 1972-1976 223

15 Answers to the Goldman Band's Memory Contest in Central Park, New York City, 3 August 1938 225

16 Excerpts from Verdi Played by the Goldman Band, 1936-1946 227

17 Possible Excerpts from Operas, 1940-1980 229

Bibliography 233

General Index 241

Works Index 249

About the Author 253

Editorial Reviews

[This] is an important book. It is well written, amply documented and illustrated, and provides an unusually good survey of band history from a refreshing, unexpected viewpoint.

Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association

Martin’s writing is clear and well structured, and he presents a good deal of compelling evidence for the prevalence and importance of operatic repertoire within the programming of nineteenth-century bands. Aside from what he discusses in the main body of the text, the book’s seventeen appendices provide a great deal of data in the form of concert programs or repertoire lists for specific bands.. . .The book includes both a general index and an index of musical works; both are well constructed. Opera at the Bandstand is an important addition to a too-small body of scholarly work related to American wind bands. While some individual ensembles or leaders (most notably Sousa) have received a good deal of attention, less work has been done in examining the genre as a whole. Martin’s work here suggests more avenues for investigation, both relating to the history of bands themselves and analysis of other segments of their repertoire.

ARSC Journal

Martin studies the concert bands that flourished in the US from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. During the 19th century, a major part of popular entertainment was band concerts, and a large percentage of the repertoire was opera. By the end of the century, there were nearly 10,000 bands, most of which were concert bands, not marching bands. Martin proceeds to examine the best known bands and conductors from 1850 to 1950, including the Dodsworth bands (bandmaster Mons. Jullien), the Jubilees and the 22nd Regiment Band (Patrick Gilmore), the Marine Band and Sousa's Band (John Philip Sousa), and the Goldman Band (Edward Franko Goldman). During the Depression, funds for the touring bands became scarce; the dance band became popular, and band repertoire accordingly shifted from opera arias to the waltz and the fox-trot. Martin observes that technology—the radio, the phonograph, television, the automobile—helped to bring about the decline of the touring civilian bands. Martin makes a plea for a revival of concert bands with operatic repertoire. The book concludes with 17 appendixes, which provide detailed programs from different bands of the period and numerous photographs of famous band conductors. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; professionals; general readers.

Choice Reviews

Martin studies the concert bands that flourished in the US from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. During the 19th century, a major part of popular entertainment was band concerts, and a large percentage of the repertoire was opera. By the end of the century, there were nearly 10,000 bands, most of which were concert bands, not marching bands. Martin proceeds to examine the best known bands and conductors from 1850 to 1950, including the Dodsworth bands (bandmaster Mons. Jullien), the Jubilees and the 22nd Regiment Band (Patrick Gilmore), the Marine Band and Sousa's Band (John Philip Sousa), and the Goldman Band (Edward Franko Goldman). During the Depression, funds for the touring bands became scarce; the dance band became popular, and band repertoire accordingly shifted from opera arias to the waltz and the fox-trot. Martin observes that technology—the radio, the phonograph, television, the automobile—helped to bring about the decline of the touring civilian bands. Martin makes a plea for a revival of concert bands with operatic repertoire. The book concludes with 17 appendixes, which provide detailed programs from different bands of the period and numerous photographs of famous band conductors. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; professionals; general readers.

Choice

Martin studies the concert bands that flourished in the US from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. During the 19th century, a major part of popular entertainment was band concerts, and a large percentage of the repertoire was opera. By the end of the century, there were nearly 10,000 bands, most of which were concert bands, not marching bands. Martin proceeds to examine the best known bands and conductors from 1850 to 1950, including the Dodsworth bands (bandmaster Mons. Jullien), the Jubilees and the 22nd Regiment Band (Patrick Gilmore), the Marine Band and Sousa's Band (John Philip Sousa), and the Goldman Band (Edward Franko Goldman). During the Depression, funds for the touring bands became scarce; the dance band became popular, and band repertoire accordingly shifted from opera arias to the waltz and the fox-trot. Martin observes that technology—the radio, the phonograph, television, the automobile—helped to bring about the decline of the touring civilian bands. Martin makes a plea for a revival of concert bands with operatic repertoire. The book concludes with 17 appendixes, which provide detailed programs from different bands of the period and numerous photographs of famous band conductors. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; professionals; general readers.

CHOICE