Historic Brass

Hi, It is time to feature a group that performs a variety of genres and styles, the Original Drachenfelser Musikanten. This group from Troisdorf, Germany  often has the instrumentation of flügelhorn, tenor horn , tuba (sometimes sousaphone) and accordion. They can also adapt to be two trumpets, trombone and tuba. The members of Original Drachenfelser Musikanten and their instruments: Christian Wassong - Flügelhorn Gunnar Fischer - Tenorhorn, Trombone, Voice Hagen A. Fritzsche - Accordion, Flügelhorn, Voice, Piano Erhard Schwartz - Tuba, Trumpet, Trombone They also create their own arrangements. You will note in the photograph, the flügelhorn has rotary valves rather than pistons. Antique Sound Workshop has quite a bit to say about rotary valves and their usage in A Player's Guide to Rotary Valve Trumpets . One general comment is that musicians in Germany and Austria use rotary valves much more musicians in America do. The Original Drachenfelser Musikanten...

Hello, Today's post is about a hybrid piece of music combining a masterwork from the Renaissance and a masterwork from the Twentieth Century: Brian Balmages's  Fanfare Canzonique. Brian Balmages Here is my brief biography of Mr. Balmages. Brian Balmages received a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree from the University of Miami. Balmages’s compositions have been performed worldwide and showcased at events such as the College Band Directors National Association’s regional and national conferences, the Midwest Clinic, the International Trombone Festival and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. His commissions range from elementary school band to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Balmages studied trumpet with Gilbert Johnson, James Klueser and Don Tison. He continues to perform as a freelance musician and has performed with the Florida Chamber Orchestra, the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, the Miami Symphony Orchestra an...

I was able to learn about the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets (and baroque trumpet in general) at the 2016 Vintage Brass Festival in Northfield, Minnesota. Members of the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets On their website ( http://kybaroquetrumpets.com/aboutus.html ), the KBTs state  Kentucky Baroque Trumpets recreate the sound and styles of the baroque trumpet including signal calls, cavalry music,  dance  music, duets, solo music, and trumpet with voice, which requires playing in different styles and tone colors. Our  concerts are designed to try and include all of these different styles of music. The ensemble tries to appeal to different  audiences. Some people want to hear music played completely authentic. This means a trumpet with no vent holes, or to  say it another way, with no finger holes. Corni They play on recreations of period instruments. I suggest looking at their page  about their instruments. In this video , they play a piece...

Today I would like to draw your attention to a specific genre: Finnish brass bands. I first became interested in this genre as a master's student at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The amount of Finnish heritage in Northern Minnesota is considerable. My own mix of nationalities contains Finnish ancestry and my last name is proof of that. A Finnish Brass Band from the Minnesotan communities of Ely-Winton c.1888 A common size for these brass ensembles was seven members which would usually contain the following instrumentation. E-flat cornet Cornet 1 Cornet 2 Alto horn Tenor horn Euphonium Tuba The euphonium was often the lead voice - somewhat similar to a barbershop quartet that the highest voice was not the lead. The music they performed was very diverse: in Minnesota, they were often the go-to for all occasions because they could read music; some members were trained in the Finnish military. Foxtrots, tangos, marches and the occasional funeral dirge appeared i...