Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band
Encyclopedia
The Chalk Farm Band is brass band
of the Salvation Army
located at the Salvation Army Centre in Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm
, London
, England
. It is one of the best known brass bands of the Salvation Army in the UK.
Worbouys to provide music for Salvation Army church services. In 1894, Bandmaster AW Punchard was appointed, (an association which continued for over 50 years). He added instruments such as saxophone
s and tenor cors to the normal set of cornet
s and trombone
s.
Michael Clack led the band for over thirty years, commencing in 1963. During his leadership the band played to the Pope
in Vatican City
and toured through most of Europe
and Australia
, and even to Japan
where it took part in the Midosuji Parade in Osaka
in [2000].
The band's current bandmaster is Jonathan Evans, who is a Euphonium
player with the International Staff Band
In addition it regularly presents concerts at other Salvation Army
corps
both in the UK and abroad.
The Band has appeared annually on the BBC TV Show Blue Peter
throughout most of its record 50-year run, and has also made a number of appearances on Songs of Praise
at the Royal Albert Hall
and on BBC Radio
shows such as Gloria Hunniford
and Owen Spencer-Thomas
's Sounding Brass
and Listen to the Band.
. Despite having earlier feature other instruments, the band now features the standard brass band instrumentation being:
(the most recent being Emblem of the Army), 6 records, and also appeared on a number of 78s. A video
detailing its history is also available, which is entitled Blood & Fire & Brass - Blood & Fire being a feature of the Salvation Army flag
the
The band's repertoire includes:
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
of the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
located at the Salvation Army Centre in Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm
Chalk Farm
Chalk Farm is an area of north London, England. It lies directly to the north of Camden Town and its underground station is the closest tube station to the nearby, upmarket neighbourhood of Primrose Hill....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is one of the best known brass bands of the Salvation Army in the UK.
Brief history
It was formed in 1883 under the leadership of BandmasterBandmaster
A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a military band, brass band or a marching band.-British Armed Forces:In the British Armed Forces, a Bandmaster is always a Warrant Officer Class 1 . A commissioned officer who leads a band is known as the Director of Music...
Worbouys to provide music for Salvation Army church services. In 1894, Bandmaster AW Punchard was appointed, (an association which continued for over 50 years). He added instruments such as saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s and tenor cors to the normal set of cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s.
Michael Clack led the band for over thirty years, commencing in 1963. During his leadership the band played to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
and toured through most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and even to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where it took part in the Midosuji Parade in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
in [2000].
The band's current bandmaster is Jonathan Evans, who is a Euphonium
Euphonium
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
player with the International Staff Band
International Staff Band
The International Staff Band is the premier brass band of The Salvation Army.-History:The Salvation Army history generally acknowledges 7 October 1891, the date on which Commissioner Bramwell Booth brought the 'International Headquarters Staff Band' into being, as the official starting point for...
Mission
The Band’s primary function is to participate fully in the weekly religious services, both indoor and in the open-air.In addition it regularly presents concerts at other Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
both in the UK and abroad.
The Band has appeared annually on the BBC TV Show Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
throughout most of its record 50-year run, and has also made a number of appearances on Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
shows such as Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford is a Northern Irish TV and radio presenter, and formerly a singer.-Biography:...
and Owen Spencer-Thomas
Owen Spencer-Thomas
Owen Robert Spencer-Thomas MBE is perhaps best known as a television and radio news journalist over three decades, but he has also undertaken a wide range of philanthropric work as volunteer charity fundraiser, pioneer and campaigner for people with autism and other disabilities...
's Sounding Brass
Sounding Brass
Sounding Brass was a pioneer phone-in programme presented by Gloria Hunniford on BBC Radio 2. Listeners were invited to choose a Christmas carol or hymn while a Salvation Army band, which included the famous Chalk Farm Band, stood by in the studio to play their requests live.The brass bands had a...
and Listen to the Band.
Make-Up
All of the bands members are amateur players, and members of the Salvation ArmySalvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
. Despite having earlier feature other instruments, the band now features the standard brass band instrumentation being:
-
- 4 cornetCornetThe cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s - 1 flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
- 2 tenor horns
- 1 baritone hornBaritone hornThe baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
- 2 tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s - 2 euphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
s - 2 tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
s - Drum KitDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
or TimpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
- 4 cornet
Recordings and Repertoire
The band has released 5 CDsCDS
-Computing and electronics:* Cadence Design Systems, American Electronic Design Automation software company* Chromatography data system, software to control chromatography instruments* Cockpit display system* Compact Discs...
(the most recent being Emblem of the Army), 6 records, and also appeared on a number of 78s. A video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
detailing its history is also available, which is entitled Blood & Fire & Brass - Blood & Fire being a feature of the Salvation Army flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
the
The band's repertoire includes:
- hymn tuneHymn tuneA hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
arrangements such as Light Of The World; - marches;
- solosSolo (music)In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
- normally featuring the principal cornet (Ken Loukes) the Bandmaster Jonathan Evans on euphonium, a pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
/organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
solo featuring Retired Bandmaster Michael Clack or even a light hearted xylophoneXylophoneThe xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
item from the percussionist; - classical musicClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
from composers such as HandelHANDELHANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
and Tchaikovsky; - major (symphonic) works by composers such as Edward GregsonEdward GregsonEdward Gregson is an English composer of international standing, whose music has been performed, broadcast, and recorded worldwide. He was born in Sunderland, England, in 1945. He studied composition and piano at the Royal Academy of Music from 1963-7, winning five prizes for composition...
, Eric BallEric Ball (composer)Eric Walter John Ball was an English composer and conductor of brass band music.-Selected compositions:*The Triumph of Peace*The Kingdom Triumphant*The Eternal Presence*Journey Into Freedom*The King of Kings...
, Dean GoffinDean GoffinSir Dean Goffin was one of New Zealand's first prolific Salvation Army composers who composed not only music for the Army but for non-Army bands as well....
, and Ray Steadman-AllenRay Steadman-AllenLieutenant Colonel Ray Steadman-Allen is a composer of choral and brass band music for the Salvation Army and for band competition....
(that have a hymn tune as their theme); - light numbers - such as Olympic Fanfare and Theme;
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
items, featuring the entire band singing unaccompanied to melodies such as FinlandiaFinlandiaFinlandia is a symphonic poem by Jean Sibelius.Finlandia may also refer to:* Finlandia Hymn, a section of the Sibelius symphonic poem Finlandia* Finlandia University, a private university located in Hancock, Michigan, USA...
.
See also
- International Staff BandInternational Staff BandThe International Staff Band is the premier brass band of The Salvation Army.-History:The Salvation Army history generally acknowledges 7 October 1891, the date on which Commissioner Bramwell Booth brought the 'International Headquarters Staff Band' into being, as the official starting point for...
- Maidenhead Citadel BandMaidenhead Citadel BandMaidenhead Citadel Band is a Salvation Army Band and part of the Maidenhead Corps of The Salvation Army. For over 120 years the band has consistently contributed to the worship and evangelical outreach promoted by the Maidenhead Corps in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.-Brief...
- Parramatta Citadel Band