Bloomingdale Cornet Band
Encyclopedia
The Bloomingdale Cornet Band, from Bloomingdale, New Jersey, is the oldest continually active band in the Garden State. It is categorized as a Community band
.
The band, which is composed of amateur and volunteer members, remains active today, marching in parades and performing in concerts primarily in the area of northern New Jersey
. The instrument make up consists of brass, woodwind and percussive instruments.
. The band was organized some time before its first performance. However, the first documented records that are known to exist are news accounts of this first performance. A "cornet band" was a common designation for wind bands organized during the Gilded Age
. No defined instrumental make up (i.e. only brass instruments) exists at its inception, however, twelve people were listed as the original founding members. The first director was Alfred Bedson. A series of directors followed until 1889, when Samuel R. Donald became director and served in that capacity until 1939. Other directors have followed and at the present time, the band is directed by Roger Vreeland.
About 4 months after its first performance, for reasons not documented, the band was split and a band based in the adjacent town of Butler, New Jersey
was organized under the auspicies of the largest employer, the Butler Hard Rubber Company. The company was led by Richard Butler, Secretary for the American Pedestal Association, which handled the fundraising for the building of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty
. This rival band, the Butler Silver Cornet Band, was considered a company band of the rubber company. A noted Massachusetts musician named Jeremiah J. O'Sullivan was hired by the company, shortly after the band was organized, to be the leader of the Butler band. This rivalry led to some members of the Bloomingdale Cornet Band, who worked for the rubber company, to be fired at the request of members of the Silver Cornet Band. The rivalry diminished over time. By 1889, both bands united in some performances and hosting fundraising events.
The band has retained the "Cornet" in its name, as has a handful of other similar bands in the United States, such as the Franklin Silver Cornet Band
.
Community band
A community band is a concert band ensemble, generally sponsored by the town or city in which it is located and consisting primarily of amateur performers...
.
The band, which is composed of amateur and volunteer members, remains active today, marching in parades and performing in concerts primarily in the area of northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The instrument make up consists of brass, woodwind and percussive instruments.
History
On May 30, 1884, the band played its first parade on the what is now known as Memorial DayMemorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
. The band was organized some time before its first performance. However, the first documented records that are known to exist are news accounts of this first performance. A "cornet band" was a common designation for wind bands organized during the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
. No defined instrumental make up (i.e. only brass instruments) exists at its inception, however, twelve people were listed as the original founding members. The first director was Alfred Bedson. A series of directors followed until 1889, when Samuel R. Donald became director and served in that capacity until 1939. Other directors have followed and at the present time, the band is directed by Roger Vreeland.
About 4 months after its first performance, for reasons not documented, the band was split and a band based in the adjacent town of Butler, New Jersey
Butler, New Jersey
Butler is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,539.Butler was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1901, from portions of Pequannock Township.-Geography:Butler is located at...
was organized under the auspicies of the largest employer, the Butler Hard Rubber Company. The company was led by Richard Butler, Secretary for the American Pedestal Association, which handled the fundraising for the building of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
. This rival band, the Butler Silver Cornet Band, was considered a company band of the rubber company. A noted Massachusetts musician named Jeremiah J. O'Sullivan was hired by the company, shortly after the band was organized, to be the leader of the Butler band. This rivalry led to some members of the Bloomingdale Cornet Band, who worked for the rubber company, to be fired at the request of members of the Silver Cornet Band. The rivalry diminished over time. By 1889, both bands united in some performances and hosting fundraising events.
The band has retained the "Cornet" in its name, as has a handful of other similar bands in the United States, such as the Franklin Silver Cornet Band
Franklin Silver Cornet Band
The Franklin Silver Cornet Band, formed in 1856, is one of the oldest volunteer community bands in the United States. The band plays concerts throughout the summer months in Franklin, Pennsylvania as well as an indoor concert in Franklin's Barrow-Civic Theatre the day after Thanksgiving.The...
.