In this Music Month talk, Lilburn Research Fellow, Dr Samantha Owens discusses her project on the early history of brass bands in Aotearoa (1840–1920). Using photos from the Alexander Turnbull Library, the talk highlights the key role brass bands played in Aotearoa’s music culture.
A central role in popular music culture
Memorably referred to as the working man’s symphony orchestra, brass bands existed in huge numbers across Aotearoa during the decades either side of 1900.
Playing a central role in the country’s popular music culture, they offered both performers and listeners the chance to be actively involved in music-making. In the era before radio, bands were especially valuable, particularly for those unable to afford music lessons, concert tickets, or a gramophone.
Making music accessible
From regimental, garrison and town bands, to ones founded by workers, societies, and religious congregations, brass bands were also significant markers of community identity. Some of these groups have been neglected by researchers, such as the numerous Māori brass bands that flourished from the 1880s onwards or ensembles that featured women, including the many Salvation Army Lassies’ Bands or the Wairarapa’s Stonestead Band, which in 1878 included five “young ladies of the Jackson family playing the brass instruments with great ability.”
Brass band photographs in the ATL collection
Photographs in the Alexander Turnbull Library’s rich collection demonstrate just how pervasive brass bands were in everyday life: performing at concerts (indoors and out), dances, hui, official receptions, parades, picnics, political rallies, race meetings, sports days, tangi, weddings, and many more occasions besides.
Register for a link to join this talk:
https://dia-nz.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Lp1PmugVRHyvzfSAaQFKiA
About the speaker
Musicologist Samantha Owens is this year’s Lilburn Research Fellow. An Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland, her books include The Well-Travelled Musician: John Sigismond Cousser and Musical Exchange in Baroque Europe (2017) and the co-edited collections Searches for Tradition: Essays on New Zealand Music, Past and Present (2017), J. S. Bach in Australia: Studies in Reception and Performance (2018) and Music at German Courts, 1715–1760: Changing Artistic Priorities (2011).
