Opera at the Bandstand

Then and Now

George W. Martin

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9780810888548
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

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.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Dodworth Bands and Jullien’s Example
• Chapter 2: Patrick S. Gilmore, His Jubilees, and the “Anvil Chorus”
• Chapter 3: Mr. Gilmore and His 22nd Regiment Band
• Chapter 4: John Philip Sousa, the Marine Band, and Sousa’s Band
• Chapter 5: John Philip Sousa
• Chapter 6: John Philip Sousa
• Chapter 7: The Rise of Dance Bands
• Chapter 8: The U.S. Marine Band and Contemporary Civilian Bands
• Chapter 9: Edward Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band
• Chapter 10: The Decline of the Goldman Band, Frederick Fennell, and the Rise of the Wind Ensemble
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1: Operatic Repertory of the Dodworth Band, July–August 1859
• Appendix 2: Advertisement for the First of Jullien’s Farewell Concerts, June 1854
• Appendix 3: Operatic Repertory for the First Four Days of Gilmore’s International Peace Jubilee, Boston, 1872
• Appendix 4: Gilmore’s Repertory in San Francisco, 17–29 April 1876
• Appendix 5: Repertory of Twelve Summer Band Concerts in New York City’s Central Park, 1892
• Appendix 6: Repertory of the U.S. Marine Band under Francis Scala, 1855–1871
• Appendix 7: Sousa’s Repertory for Seven Summer Concerts, August 1882
• Appendix 8: U.S. Marine Band Catalogue, 1885—Compared to Scala’s Library List, circa 1871
• Appendix 9: Sousa and the U.S. Marine Band: Six Concerts in Philadelphia, 1889–1891
• Appendix 10: Sousa’s Programs for the Columbian Exposition, Boston, 4–7 May 1893
• Appendix 11: Sousa’s Operatic Repertory in Rochester, New York, 1894–1901
• Appendix 12: Repertory of Sousa’s Band, 1892–1932
• Appendix 13: Six Programs by Clarke and the Long Beach Municipal Band, 1923–1943
• Appendix 14: Repertory of the Staten Island Musicians Society Concert Band, 1972–1976
• Appendix 15: Answers to the Goldman Band’s Memory Contest in Central Park, New York City, 3 August 1938
• Appendix 16: Excerpts from Verdi Played by the Goldman Band, 1936–1946
• Appendix 17: Possible Excerpts from Operas, 1940–1980
• Bibliography
• About the Author