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Period: to
Colonial Era
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First known appearance of American military band in Colonies
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New Bands arrive every year during French and Indian War
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First concert account by American military band
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Most British regiments in America have a band
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Bands welcome President Washington in most every village he visits on Grand Tour of US
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Period: to
Federal Era
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Milita Act standardizes instrumentation of military bands
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The United States Marine Band is founded
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Instrumentation Expands
Includes trumpets, horns, clarinets, bassoons.
Up until this point, most bands were either fife and drum or bugle and drum. -
Bands grow as result of American-British strife
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Further instrumentation expansion
Including chromatic trumpet, keyed woodwinds, serpents, bass horns, opheclides, double reeds. -
Even more instruments
Including piccolos, bass clarinets, trombones -
Period: to
Romantic Era
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The Independent Band of New York
First professional, non-military wind band -
First College Bands at Yale and Harvard
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US Army infantry regiments cut band numbers forcing them to cut most woodwings and stick to brass
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Frank Johnson's Band first American one to tour Europe, including concert for Queen Victoria
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American Army Bands back to 16 musicians
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~3000 Brass Bands exist in America
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7th New York Regimental Band re-formed as 42 piece mixed woodwind and brass band
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John Philip Sousa born
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Union Army has 500 bands, 9000 musicians
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Civil War begins
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Bands play for tropps and local towns to raise morale
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Bands flourish following end of Civil War
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Sousa begins conducting US Marines Band
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Estimated 10000 Bands in US
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Many bands are playing ragtime arrangements
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Period: to
Golden Age of Bands
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Following death of Patrick Gilmore, Sousa forms His Band with members of his own previous band and Gilmore's
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Recorded music takes hold on public- bands in high demand to make records
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Sousa composes Stars and Stripes Forever
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Sousa conducts over 800 recordings between 1897 and 1920
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Sousaphone is developed, named after Sousa
It's an important part of history, okay! -
Famous trombonist Arthur Pryor leaves Sousa's band to form his own, and goes on to become the most recorded conductor of the era
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Harry L. Alford arranges and composes over 34000 pieces for many bandmasters, including Sousa, Pryor, Harding and Conway
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Albert Harding transcribes over 150 orchestral works for band
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Sousa testifies that phonograph discourages Americans from singing and playing themselves
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President Roosevelt allows African-American regiment bands to have African-American conductors
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Holst composes First Suite in Eb
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After many American and European tours, Sousa takes his band on a world tour
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World War I breaks out
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Percy Grainger emigrates to US
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US Regimental Bands increase membership from 20 to 48
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US Joins WW1
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Period: to
US in WW1
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Sousa volunteers for service with US Navy Band
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Edwind F. Goldman starts his famous "Goldman Band"
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Grainger becomes US citizen and composes 30 pieces for band
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Public schools begin to teach band and orchestra classes
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Professional and amateur bands see decrease in popularity following WW1
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US Marine Band starts weekly radio show broadcasts
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First National Band Concert happens in Chicago
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Period: to
Great Depression
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Stravinsky composes Symphony of Psalms for chorus and winds
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Sousa passes away unexpectedly
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Percy Grainger writes and premier Lincholnshire Posy
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World War II Begins
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US joins WW2
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Period: to
US in WW2
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Goldman Band presents first concert of all original wind band compositions
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Divisional US Mil Bands reach peak number of 56
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Vast majority of works performed by bands is still transcriptions and marches
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Frederick Fennell founds Eastman Wind Ensemble
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Goldman Band celebrate Golden Jubilee and 2000th Performance with Copland, Gould, Persichetti and Grainger conducting their own compositions
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National Band Association founded
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There are more than 67000 instrumental organizations in US, and more than 50000 wind bands
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More than 200 wind band compositions have been commissioned between 1942 and 1972.
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Symphonic bands and wind ensembles flourish in schools, colleges and universities. There are 50000 secondary school bands and 2000 college/university bands in the US
