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Re: To BL or not to BL

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: To BL or not to BL
From: "David Lancaster" <d.lancaster@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 16:56:27 GMT
In-reply-to: <388045E7.DDF9C8C5@kisser.net.au>
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Monkey wrote:

> You could have a point there Alec. The following statement is not meant to be
> derogative at all but do we mostly agree that 'us' bandsmen are generally down
> to earth working class people?

So are many of the composers we've been discussing.  Elgar Howarth
started out as a cornet player in the band his father conducted in
Manchester.  Avant garde composer Harrison Birtwistle (from
Accrington) is as down to earth working class as you are ever going
to meet!  (He took me for a curry once!)  Just because a person is
creative, imaginative and forward-looking doesn't necessarily mean
that they attended a private school...

> That being the case, I would strongly suspect that not very many would venture
> into 'posher' mediums such as 20th Century concerts by string ensembles, wind
> ensembles, opera and so on. Bandspeople are involved in brass bands because they
> like brass bands, not because they are lovers of a wide range of mediums.

Certainly that is true for a large number, but equally there are many
with very diverse musical tastes.  At Harrogate Band for example
there are at least a couple of regular opera goers and a good
number of others who play/have played in wind bands, swing bands and
rock groups.  (And part of the good thing about bands is that we
play music from a wide range of musical media, in any case).

> As I said initially, this is not meant to be putting bandies down so don't be
> getting your flame throwers out, just trying to say that maybe we don't like
> these 'avant gard' things 'cos we don't understand them and don't want to for
> that matter!

Wow - it's very dangerous to generalise to this extent - I'm not
entirely happy about you making these claims on 'our' behalf!!!
Bands have been looked down upon by the broader musical establishment
for far too long - I feel very strongly that we should be
demonstrating the fallacy of the cloth cap image rather than
reinforcing it.

David
(from a comprehensive in Wigan)

PS thanks for the ongoing debate which has rekindled my interest in
the list.

--

Follow-Ups:
- Re: To BL or not to BL
  - From: Peter Younghusband

References:
- Re: To BL or not to BL
  - From: Peter Younghusband

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