SKU: GI.G-10368
A Document History
(1835-1935). Composed
by Bryan J. Proksch.
Music Education. 346
pages. GIA Publications
#10368. Published by GIA
Publications
(GI.G-10368).
ISBN
9781622776276.
This
is a fascinating and
important book for
everybody even remotely
interested in the history
of American bands. Bryan
Proksch has done some
painstakingly thorough
research in putting
together an amazing
assemblage of
documents… This is
a must-have book!
—Jon Ceander
Mitchell   The
Wind Music Research
Quarterly:
Mitteilungsblatt der IGEB
  (March 2022),
14–15 For the
scholar, each entry
presents an opportunity
for expansion. For the
teacher, this work
provides source readings
for courses on wind band
history or for
complementing Strunk or
Weiss-Taruskin in
university music history
courses. That said, these
documents stand as an
enriching and
entertaining read in
their own right for
anyone interested in the
subject. —Michael
O’Connor  Â
Historic Brass Today 1/2
(Spring 2022), 32 The
Golden Age of American
Bands is ideally suited
for courses on the
history and literature of
bands in America. Indeed,
this volume could suffice
as a textbook for
adventuresome teachers in
that it touches on the
major musicians,
instruments, ensembles,
and functions expected of
such a course. . . . Both
private and classroom
band instructors will
find compelling glimpses
into the history of their
craft. [It is] bursting
with opportunities to
inspire curiosity in
their students while
effectively supporting
their own curricular
goals. —Benjamin
D. Lawson and James A.
Davis   The
Journal of Music History
Pedagogy Proksch’s
new collection of
documents is a most
welcome step in the
direction of getting [the
story of bands] under
control. The
juxtaposition of
documents from so many
levels and types of
ensembles proves to have
a cumulative effect: one
begins to see the subtle
and long-lasting
connections among them
despite the big
differences. It is easy
to envision it as a
supplemental text in a
course on band history
and literature, but the
book is also just an
absorbing read. There is
much to learn here, and
much to enjoy.
—Ken Kreitner Â
 Notes 79/2 (December
2022): 217-218 This is
the story of the American
wind band, told
chronologically by those
who experienced it in
real time from 1835 to
1935. How did bands
become bands? How did
they rise in popularity?
Which figures had
insights and specific
impacts on the
development of the genre?
Through source documents
and articles, Bryan
Proksch takes us on an
extraordinary journey
from the time of the
first brass bands in the
1830s, through the Civil
War and the golden ages
of Gilmore and Sousa, to
the cusp of the wind
ensemble just before
World War II. Hear from a
young Frederick Fennell
about his efforts to
create the first band at
Eastman. Read the outline
of Allessandro
Liberati’s
unpublished trumpet
method book. Eavesdrop on
Karl L. King as he muses
on the fate of bands
after the death of Sousa.
See Patrick
Conway’s first
undergraduate music
education curriculum.
Gawk as trombonist
Fredrick Neil Innes
embarrasses
“world’s
greatest cornetistâ€
Jules Levy at Coney
Island. Explore as Alan
Dodworth revolutionizes
bands. Retreat with a
military band in the
middle of a Civil War
battle. Find out what it
felt like to sit in a
Sousa Band rehearsal. Ask
Herbert L. Clarke why he
thinks you should be
playing a cornet instead
of a trumpet. Find out
how P. S. Gilmore managed
to pull off the biggest
concert events in
American history. The
book includes numerous
rare and unknown
illustrations to show you
the places where band
history happened. The
documents include rare
periodical excerpts,
handwritten letters, and
other writings taken from
archives throughout the
United States. These
first-person accounts are
certain to further refine
and deepen our
understanding and
appreciation of American
band history on a grand
scale. Contents:
Beginnings
(1835–1859) The
Civil War
(1860–1865) The
Jubilees
(1866–1879) The
Gilded Age
(1880–1896) The
Band Age
(1897–1914) World
War I (1915–1919)
Transition and Decline
(1920–1935) Â
Click here to download a
FREE addenda. Bryan
Proksch is a
distinguished faculty
lecturer and associate
professor of music
history and literature at
Lamar University in
Beaumont, Texas. This is
his third book. His A
Sousa Reader: Essays,
Interviews, and Clippings
(GIA Publications, 2016)
explores the documents
relating to the life and
career of John Philip
Sousa.
Jules Levy
