Henry James Metcalfe
Encyclopedia
Henry James Metcalfe was a bandmaster
, composer
and publisher of music for Brass band (British style)
. He served in Ireland in a Depot Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of Foot, 'The Buffs', becoming bandmaster of its Bugle
, Fife
and Drum
band. Leaving the army in 1857 due to ill-health , he moved to Walsall
, Staffs., founded a brass band and began writing music for it. Shortly after, he relocated permanently to Wolverhampton
, Staffs., and continued as a bandmaster, composer and publisher of music for such ensembles. By 1878 he was publishing a house journal - eventually called 'Metcalfe's Musical Express' - which not only promoted his own compositions and arrangements, but also carried reports of contests between brass bands from around the country, technical articles, plus other anecdotal material not all of which was necessarily related to music. He claimed to have been the first composer of dance music
for brass bands: e.g. quadrilles, valses: (i.e. waltzes), schottische
, polka
, galop
&c., from circa 1860. At that time, dance music was usually played on the violin
- and hence not convenient for the cornet
and other brass band
instruments. An examination of approximately 45 surviving copies of his journal revealed over 250 titles published by him, though these were not all his own compositions. He was a delegate to the International Musical Congress in Antwerp in August 1885, reading a paper in the class ‘Musical Education’. His journal was still being published in 1896.
Bandmaster
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...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and publisher of music for Brass band (British style)
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...
. He served in Ireland in a Depot Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of Foot, 'The Buffs', becoming bandmaster of its Bugle
Bugle
Bugle is a brass musical instrument.Bugle may also refer to:* Contrabass bugle, lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline* Bugle , common names of flowering plant genus Ajuga...
, Fife
Fife (musical instrument)
A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer...
and Drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
band. Leaving the army in 1857 due to ill-health , he moved to Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Staffs., founded a brass band and began writing music for it. Shortly after, he relocated permanently to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, Staffs., and continued as a bandmaster, composer and publisher of music for such ensembles. By 1878 he was publishing a house journal - eventually called 'Metcalfe's Musical Express' - which not only promoted his own compositions and arrangements, but also carried reports of contests between brass bands from around the country, technical articles, plus other anecdotal material not all of which was necessarily related to music. He claimed to have been the first composer of dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
for brass bands: e.g. quadrilles, valses: (i.e. waltzes), schottische
Schottische
The schottische is a partnered country dance, that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina , Finland , France, Italy, Norway , Portugal and Brazil , Spain ...
, polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, galop
Galop
In dance, the galop, named after the fastest running gait of a horse , a shortened version of the original term galoppade, is a lively country dance, introduced in the late 1820s to Parisian society by the Duchesse de Berry and popular in Vienna, Berlin and London...
&c., from circa 1860. At that time, dance music was usually played on the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- and hence not convenient for the 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...
and other brass band
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...
instruments. An examination of approximately 45 surviving copies of his journal revealed over 250 titles published by him, though these were not all his own compositions. He was a delegate to the International Musical Congress in Antwerp in August 1885, reading a paper in the class ‘Musical Education’. His journal was still being published in 1896.