History of band

1. The who, how, what, whys and
woo-hoos!

2.  1597-Sacrae Symphoniae is released by Gabrieli (1557-1612),
Maestro di Capella at St.Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, Italy. The work
contains 63 pieces, 16 are purely instrumental. Sacrae included
antiphonal works, and strict instrumentation lists. This was a
departure from the tradition of consorts, which played whichever part
best suited the instruments at the moment.

3. 1738-1794-Josiah Flagg recorded as the
earliest known bandmaster, released the
Collection of the Best Psalm Tunes (1764)
which had been engraved by Paul Revere.
1756-First mention of French Horn
playing in the United States, by Benjamin
Franklin

5. 1789-1799- French Revolution sparks a
desire amongst the lower and middle class
to access to culture and the arts. The
modern day Paris Conservatory is founded
in the midst of the Revolution to train
bandsmen, now reputed as one of the
foremost prestigious Conservatories in
Europe.

7.  1813-1883-Richard Wagner (pronounced “ReeKard VahgNer”)
Operatic composer and philosopher of great influence. Noted for his
use of chromaticism, creation of the leitmotif (pronounced “light mo-
teef”) and of the “Gesamtkunstwerk” (Pronounced
“GezahmtKoonstVehrk”). To make it simple…you know the song you
sing when you think of Darth Vader…that’s this guy’s fault!

8.  1828-Oldest civilian concert band in the US (still performing)
formed in Allentown, Pennsylvania

9.  1832-Boehm releases the conical-bore flute and ring-key.
 1832-Lowell Mason, father of American music education,
establishes the Boston Academy of Music, aims to incorporate music
into school curriculum.
 1851-University of the Pacific is founded (Ms. Stephens’ Alma
Mater, but she doesn’t graduate until much later)
 1861-1865-American Civil War utilizes bandsmen to pump up the
troops before battle. Soldiers travel the country and experience new
types of music. Veterans return and continue to pursue music.

10.  1869-National Peace Jubilee is organized and promoted by Patrick
Sarsfield Gilmore. The total orchestra comprised of 500 members,
the band of 1000, and a chorus of 10,000. In 1872 Gilmore
organized a World Peace Jubilee that doubled the aforementioned
numbers and included ensembles from all over Europe.

11.  1870- Phonograph or gramophone was the most common device
for playing recorded sound.
 1878-1956-Edwin Franko Goldman, soloist with the Metropolitan
Opera House by the age of 17, played under the direction of Mahler,
Mancinelli and Toscanini. Founded the Goldman Band in 1911, and
receives financial support from the Guggenheim family. Goldman
band met wild success, and performed outstanding repertory ranging
from transcriptions, J.P. Sousa pieces, and works by Percy Grainger.
Goldman composed over 150 works, and was the first guest director
to the Allentown band in 1927.

12.  1882-1961-Percy Grainger, Australian composer, celebrated for his
contributions to modern-day band literature, and preservation of folk
song through extensive traveling and recording.
 1903-Sigma Alpha Iota, National Fraternity for Women in Music, is
formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan
 1906-Music Educators National Conference (MENC) gathers in
Keokuk, Iowa to reform, strengthen and standardize Music
Education throughout the United States.

13.  1909-Gustav Holst (1874-1934) releases the First Suite for Band in
E flat.
 1914 –1918- World War I encourages “cross-pollination” of musical
sounds, as regiments are exposed to the music of other cultures and
military ensembles. Military members who served as music-makers
return to the United States and become music educators.
 1920’s- The Radio becomes a standard feature in American homes,
allowing citizens the freedom to enjoy concerts and programming in
the household.

14.  1923-First National contest for High School bands organized in
Chicago, Illinois.
 1925-William (Bill) D. Revelli accepts a High School teaching job in
Hobart, Indiana and serves as director of bands for ten years; his
program is invited to play at the World’s Fair in 1934. In 1935 he is
hired as the director of Bands at the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor. Revelli served as director of bands for 36 years and professor
emeritus until his death in 1994.

15.  1930’s-Television becomes commercially available

16.  1940-Fantasia is released by Walt Disney, where the public is first
exposed to surround sound. Originally intended to be a rotating
concert series, and attended by audiences with the same formality of
an Opera; the film was not considered a success until decades later.
Disney worked closely with Stravinsky and was even given the rights
to “Firebird” and “Rite of Spring.”

17.  1952-Frederick Fennell establishes the first Wind Ensemble at the
Eastman School of Music
 1955-Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California. The pavement is still
wet on opening day, and women’s shoes sunk into the concrete.

18.  1957- Sputnik, the Russian satellite, is successfully launched. This creates a
nationalistic move in Education to promote science and math concentrations in
schools across America.
 1960-Harper Stephens and Bill Moffit team together to create the first instructional
marching band film, “Patterns of Motion.” The film was created by my grandfather
Harper Stephens who met Bill Moffit at a convention held at Oberlin College. Harper
believed he had a way to help Dr. Moffit teach “Patterns” to others. (Photo of
shadowbox containing the last few remnants of the original equipment, donated by
Mark Stephens to the University of Houston marching band)

19.  1972-Drum Corps International (DCI) is founded; pushing
the advancement of field shows. Members are between the
ages of 13-21, originally formed in order to keep kids off the
streets after WWII.
 1979- The Sony “Walkman” hits shelves in Japan. This
ancestor of the “ipod” allowed people to travel by foot while
listening to their favorite tapes, which typically held about one
album/CD’s worth of music.

20.  1982-CDs (Compact Discs) become commercially available to the public.
 1987-Julie Marie Stephens is born
 1989- Leonard Bernstein gives a concert in Berlin, Germany celebrating
the end of the Berlin Wall (which separated the city into two distinct zones,
one enslaved under communism), including Beethoven’s IXth Symphony
(Ode to Joy) with the word "Joy" (Freude) changed to "Freedom" (Freiheit).
The orchestra and choir were drawn from both East and West Germany, as
well as the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, and the United
States.

21.  1997-National Television station, VH1 begins the “Save the Music”
campaign, providing instruments to schools in need.
 2001-Apple’s “ipod” is launched
 2008-Ms. Stephens spends a year studying in Vienna, Austria.

22.  2012-No child left behind regulations are eased and money is
restored to public schools, allowing a re-allocation of money to music
programs
 2018-Red Horse High School raises enough money to make their
first band trip to Venice, Italy…where it all began!