Fairey Band
Encyclopedia
The Fairey Band is a brass band
based in Heaton Chapel
in Stockport
, Greater Manchester
.
Its name comes from Sir Richard Fairey
and the Fairey Aviation Company, famous in later years for the Fairey Delta 2
aircraft - the first aircraft in level flight to exceed 1,000mph, and had an important contribution to the shape of Concorde
and its droop nose
.
The band was formed in 1937 as the Fairey Aviation Works Band by workers at the aircraft factory. This was at a time when the company was producing aircraft that would see plenty of action in the first few weeks of World War II
, although sadly few of its aircraft would be of sufficient calibre to pose a real threat to German aircraft. Its aircraft mainly carried torpedo
es for the Fleet Air Arm
, especially the old-fashioned yet versatile and destructive Fairey Swordfish
. Fairey were taken over by Westland Aircraft
of Yeovil
, chiefly due to its innovative Fairey Rotodyne
.
fire safety
company in 2000, although the band retained the Williams Fairey name. The sponsorship by Kidde finished at the end of 2002. In 2003, they were sponsored by FP (Music), a subsidiary of Fosters Partners (Asia). At the beginning of 2010 the band acquired a new sponsorship in the shape of the British brass instrument maker Geneva Instruments of Saltburn-by-the-Sea
and is now known as the “Fairey (Geneva) Band”.
courtesy of their victory at the 2010 English National Brass Band Championship. Further success followed with runners up spots at the 2010 British Open and Brass in Concert Championships, and a 3rd place at the National Championship finals at Londons Albert Hall.
Brass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
based in Heaton Chapel
Heaton Chapel
Heaton Chapel is an area in the northern part of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It borders the Manchester districts of Levenshulme to the north, the Stockport districts of Heaton Moor to the west, Reddish and Heaton Norris to the east and Heaton Mersey to the west and south...
in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
Its name comes from Sir Richard Fairey
Charles Richard Fairey
Sir Charles Richard Fairey MBE, FRAeS was a British aircraft manufacturer.-Early life:Charles Fairey was born was born on 5 May 1887 in Hendon, Middlesex and educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood and later as an apprentice at the Finsbury Technical College where he studied City &...
and the Fairey Aviation Company, famous in later years for the Fairey Delta 2
Fairey Delta 2
The Fairey Delta 2 or FD2 was a British supersonic research aircraft produced by the Fairey Aviation Company in response to a specification from the Ministry of Supply for investigation into flight and control at transonic and supersonic speeds.The aircraft was the first to exceed 1000mph, and...
aircraft - the first aircraft in level flight to exceed 1,000mph, and had an important contribution to the shape of Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
and its droop nose
Droop-nose
The Droop Nose was a distinctive feature of both Concorde, the Moxon and the Tu-144. When these aircraft were in service, the pilot would lower the nose to improve visibility of the runway and taxiways. When in flight, the nose would be raised. Concorde also had a moving visor that would slide into...
.
Fairey Aviation
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, although sadly few of its aircraft would be of sufficient calibre to pose a real threat to German aircraft. Its aircraft mainly carried torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es for the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
, especially the old-fashioned yet versatile and destructive Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
. Fairey were taken over by Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915...
of Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
, chiefly due to its innovative Fairey Rotodyne
Fairey Rotodyne
The Fairey Rotodyne was a 1950s British compound gyroplane designed and built by Fairey Aviation and intended for commercial and military applications...
.
Sponsorship
It became known as the Williams Fairey Band when Fairey Engineering was taken over by Williams Holdings in 1986. This company was bought by the American KiddeKidde
Kidde, a brand and division of United Technologies Corporation, is a business, or group of businesses, that manufactures and distributes fire detection and extinguishing equipment.-History:The company was founded by Walter Kidde in 1917 in the United States...
fire safety
Fire safety
Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the...
company in 2000, although the band retained the Williams Fairey name. The sponsorship by Kidde finished at the end of 2002. In 2003, they were sponsored by FP (Music), a subsidiary of Fosters Partners (Asia). At the beginning of 2010 the band acquired a new sponsorship in the shape of the British brass instrument maker Geneva Instruments of Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...
and is now known as the “Fairey (Geneva) Band”.
Championships
After several lean contesting years 2010 has seen a remarkable resurgence in the bands fortunes, with overall victory in the Tameside Whit Friday march competitions and an invitation to the 2011 European Brass Band Championship in MontreuxMontreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
courtesy of their victory at the 2010 English National Brass Band Championship. Further success followed with runners up spots at the 2010 British Open and Brass in Concert Championships, and a 3rd place at the National Championship finals at Londons Albert Hall.
Conductors
- Kenneth Dennison
- Harry MortimerHarry MortimerHarry Mortimer OBE was an English composer and conductor who specialised in brass band music.Born in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, his father was conductor Fred Mortimer . Fred taught Harry and his brothers Rex and Alex to play the cornet, and also composition. Later he was taught by William Rimmer...
- Roy Newsome
- Major Peter Parkes
- Howard SnellHoward SnellHoward L. Snell is an American Ecologist and Professor at the University of New Mexico. His research and conservation efforts have improved the Galapagos Island's land iguanas' populations, which were in danger of extinction.-Biography:...
External links
Audio clips
- William Tell Overture - famous pieceWilliam Tell (opera)Guillaume Tell is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, based on Friedrich Schiller's play Wilhelm Tell. Based on the legend of William Tell, this opera was Rossini's last, even though the composer lived for nearly forty more years...
by Gioachino Rossini - Famous British Marches by Arthur SullivanArthur SullivanSir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
- Thunder and Lightning Polka (Unter Donner und Blitz) by Johann Strauss IIJohann Strauss IIJohann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
- The Liberty Bell - famous pieceLiberty Bell (march)"The Liberty Bell" is an American military march composed by John Philip Sousa.It is now most often associated with the British TV comedy program Monty Python's Flying Circus , which began and ended with the first few bars.-History:...
by John Philip SousaJohn Philip SousaJohn Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J.... - Londonderry Air - traditional tuneLondonderry AirLondonderry Air is an air that originated from County Londonderry in Ireland. It is popular among the Irish diaspora and is very well known throughout the world. The tune is played as the victory anthem of Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games. "Danny Boy" is a popular set of lyrics to the...
.
Video clips
- Collection of clips
- Festmusic der Stadt Wien with Fairey's history
- Festival at DelphDelphDelph is a village in the Saddleworth civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on the River Tame below the village of Denshaw, east-northeast of Oldham, and north-northwest of Uppermill.The centre of the village has barely...
in 1998. - Acid Brass at the Innocent DrinksInnocent DrinksInnocent Drinks is a UK-based company founded in 1999 whose primary business is producing smoothies and flavoured spring water, sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets nationally as well as in Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland...
Village Fete in 2007. - Innocent Village Fete in 2007 with the Blaydon RacesBlaydon RacesBlaydon Races is a famous Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by Geordie Ridley, in a style deriving from music hall. It is regarded by many as the unofficial anthem of Tyneside and is frequently sung by supporters of Newcastle United Football Club and Newcastle Falcons rugby club...
in Regents Park.