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Re: Enjoying Contests (long)

David, you make some good points yet no-one has mentioned the clout of the
publishers. The publishers have more than a vested interest in all this and to
change the line-up would make s (with an S) of the stocks they currently
hold.

It's very difficult to change any culture, especially one that is so entrenched
in the psyche of a few. Bandies are very protective and defensive of their
ensembles. To suggest change is akin to blasphemy.  Brass bands are *elitist*
now 'cos they cater to the tastes of so few members of the general public.

Norm


David Read wrote:

> Cameron Mabon wrote:
> > However, I was referring to
> > the whole brass band movement when I was talking about it being
> > evolutionarily stable.
> ...
> > As long as more people like contests than don't, and as
> > long as more people like
> > what they hear at contests than don't, then contesting will survive.
>
> As a bird living in a tree (for example), to make the best music I want
> the best environment to enable me to do that. In the contest tree I will
> sing like all the other birds. In the bandstand tree I'll sing marches
> and Floral Dance the best. In the third tree I would find lots of
> different birds making wonderful music in fresh and individual ways.
>
> The contest tree has free chocolate ego bars so is popular. The
> bandstand tree is often used in the summer to raise a bit of money to
> buy extra chocolate. And unfortunately the third tree is mostly in the
> shade with no chocolate.
>
> > the varieties of band that included French Horns (or other
> > peculiarities) were found wanting compared to what is now considered to be
> > the standard brass band. Since no new brass instrument has been invented
> > recently (with the exception of silly things like flumpets), there is no
> > alternative variety to challenge the evolutionary supremacy of the
> > traditional brass band.
>
> Tools do jobs. The trad. band might have been good 100 years ago, but
> the jobs of today are different (see music changing in my last post) and
> so a different tool *might* do it better. The french horn might be the
> shuttle to bring us into the space age. If it is pants then fair enough.
> But should we not try it out?
>
> The fact is you can't try it out because banding is about contesting
> which doesn't allow french horns. So the only way it might get a foot in
> the door would be if a top band did some concerts with some. Unlikely
> perhaps for a number of reasons. But you have to admit, such variation
> is rather stultified in banding.
>
> I'm not questioning whether banding is about to die. Of course not, but
> I am a little worried about the huge emphasis that is put on contesting
> and where it leaves us musically. I want to see more of festivals,
> commissions, interesting interpretations, music not rated on how
> challenging it is technically or even pats on the backs of bands from
> the federations for playing great music. Any other ideas or thoughts?
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Dave
>
> --
> David Read			     Queens' College
> dtr20@xxxxxxxxx		      Cambridge CB3 9ET
>
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Music is my first love, after Jan and the billies.


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