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  bgcolor white
  name Brass band
  stylistic Origins European Classical Music
  cultural Origins 19th Century
  instruments Brass Instrument s
  fusiongenres Jazz


A brass band is a Musical Group generally consisting entirely of Brass Instruments , most often with a percussion section. Ensembles which include brass and Woodwind Instruments can in certain traditions also be termed '''brass bands''' (particularly in the context of New Orleans -style Brass Bands), but are usually more correctly termed military bands or Concert Bands , Wind Bands or wind ensembles.


HISTORY

While brass instruments had long been used together in various contexts, the first modern bands were developed early in the 19th century in Prussia , when all military and government bands were issued the new technology of rotary valve instruments and instructed to use standard tuning. This allowed musicians to much more easily play with other bands and for smaller bands to be combined into large bands. A Separate Tradition also emerged in the United Kingdom, mainly due to the importing of the new Belgian instruments, the Saxhorn s, invented by Adolphe Sax .


DERIVATIONS


British-style

''Main article: Brass Band (British Style) ''

A brass band in the British tradition with a full complement of players generally comprises 8-10 Cornets (usually including a soprano and repiano cornet), 1 Flugelhorn , 3 Tenor Horns , 2 Baritones , 2 Euphoniums , 3 trombones (2 Tenors and 1 Bass ), 4 Tubas (2 E and 2 B) and Percussion . There is a long tradition of competition between brass bands, often based around local industry and communities. This form of brass band is widespread throughout Great Britain , Australia and New Zealand and is also commonly found in North America and Continental Europe .

The Salvation Army , part of the Christian church, has deployed brass bands since 1878 and they continue to be an integral part of that organisation.
The most well-known Salvation Army brass band is The International Staff Band which is based in London.


New Orleans

The tradition of brass bands in New Orleans, Louisiana dates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Traditionally, New Orleans brass bands could feature various instrumentations, often including Trumpet s, Trombone s, Saxophone s, Sousaphone s and Percussion . The music played by these groups was often a fusion between European-styled Military Band music and African Folk Music brought to the Americas by west African slaves and the idiom played a significant role in the development of traditional Jazz .

A well-known use of these bands is for the New Orleans Jazz Funeral .

In the 1970s and 1980s, the New Orleans brass band tradition experienced a renaissance, with bands breaking away from traditional stylings and adding elements of with the Hot Tamale Brass Band and Madison, Wisconsin with Mama Digdown's Brass Band and Youngblood Brass Band .


Polynesia

Founded in 1836 by King Kamahameha III, the Royal Hawaiian Band is the second oldest and only full-time municipal band in the United States. In recent generations, unique brass band traditions have also developed in Tonga , Samoa , and other parts of Polynesia, as well as among the Māori of New Zealand. Some recordings are now available and these styles are beginning to be researched and promoted abroad through band tours.


SEE ALSO