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About The Providence Brigade Band
Town brass bands proliferated in the
1840's and 50's due to the prosperity of the period and
availability of brass instruments with valves such as the
"Saxhorns" of Adolph Sax. These types of brass instruments
initiated a movement that at one point in last third of the
nineteenth century resulted in an estimated 10,000 brass bands in
America. The original Providence Brigade Band was chartered in
1847, and was made up of tradesmen and professional people who
were musicians by avocation. Numbered among them were a music
professor, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a jeweler. Their
activities were typical of hundreds of similar bands throughout
the country. They performed in concerts and parades, dedicated
monuments to fallen heroes and in general fostered civic pride
throughout the region.
Today the band carries on that
tradition performing in the style of early American brass bands.
Band members dress in military uniforms of the period and play
original music of the time. Programs with special emphasis on
music of the American Civil War are presented, bringing to life
this critical chapter of our country through its music. Facts,
anecdotes, and the legends of the songs and composers are used to
enhance the unique qualities of this musical genre and time
period.
They
are a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible non-profit organization.
Their
mission is to educate the public
about American culture during the 19th century as reflected in its
music. They
bring for display a number of musical artifacts from the mid-19th
century consisting of instruments, music and
accessories and a complete set of handwritten part books for brass
band dating from 1864 and a partial set from 1858. Some of the
other artifacts are cymbals,
bass drum mallets, two Civil War Musician's swords,
numerous pieces of sheet music from the period and many other
artifacts.
Since its resurgence, the Providence
Brigade Band has quickly attained a distinguished reputation in
the Southeastern New England area. These are just a few of the
events or organizations the band has performed for:
-
Gettysburg Museum
Foundation Groundbreaking Festivities
-
Lincoln Forum –
Gettysburg, PA
-
Gettysburg National
Military Park
-
Springfield Armory
National Site
-
Civil War Music
Heritage Gathering, Windham, NY
-
Hingham, MA Annual
Lincoln Day Observance
-
Providence City Hall
125th Anniversary Observance
-
Military Order of
the Loyal Legion of the United States
-
RI Department of the
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
-
Bristol, RI's July
4th Celebration
-
Rhode Island
Historical Society
-
Sutton Annual Civil
War History Weekend
-
Hammonassett, CT –
Civil War Reenactment
-
Chase Farm, Lincoln,
RI – Civil War Reenactment
-
Linden Place of
Bristol
-
Rhode Island State
Council on the Arts Library Series
-
Rhode Island Council
for the Humanities Library Series
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