Golden Age of Brass

Stephen Allen debuts his English-style Princeton Brass Band at Rider University.

By: Susan Van Dongen

TIMEOFF/MARK CZAJKOWSKI

   Originally, Stephen Allen picked up the euphonium because his doctor thought the focused breathing would be great therapy for his childhood asthma.
   But then he fell in love with the warm, garrulous sound of the lower brass instrument and began to explore the tradition of brass bands in his native Britain. After a few years on the euphonium, Mr. Allen was a true believer.
   Now he’s on a mission to convert the American public. Indeed, he says hearing a brass band for the first time is a little like a religious experience.
   "One of the things that amazes people is this wonderful rich sound," he says. "It’s not the bright, brilliant sound they’d hear from a marching band or orchestral brass players, it’s got an organ-like quality to it. And that’s the seductive thing — once they hear it, they get hooked."
   He hopes folks in central New Jersey will feel the same way about the new Princeton Brass Band, which will make its formal public debut at Rider University’s Bart Luedeke Center April 3. A Ewing resident, Mr. Allen founded the band last year, rehearsing for the first time in early May. Since then, the group has grown to about 30 men and women, playing euphoniums, fleugelhorns, cornets and more — all of which Mr. Allen calls "saxhorns."
   "They’re instruments invented by Adolphe Sax, who also invented the saxophone," Mr. Allen says. "They’re known as ‘conical bore’ because they start thin at one end and they gradually taper, until they flare out into the bell. That’s not the same as a trumpet, for example, which stays cylindrical all the way until it fans out into the bell."
   In America, saxhorns were employed in Civil War-era bands, and have the mellow sounds associated with sentimental, mainstream tunes from that time. In England, however, whole brass bands became popular during the last half of the 19th century when these conical bore instruments were developed into a full-voiced family.
   The first brass bands were sponsored by companies such as mills, factories and mines to provide a social outlet for their employees. As more companies began to sponsor bands, friendly rivalries grew, leading to the institution of competitions between bands. The 1996 film Brassed Off gives a good look into this competitive tradition, as well as the modern social issue of what happens to the bands — and the workers in general — when the old industries become redundant.
   "The tradition is really strong in the northern part of England," Mr. Allen says. "Around Yorkshire, you have these legendary bands like Grimethorpe, which is probably best-known in the U.S. because of the movie ‘Brassed Off.’ Today, there’s a big, extended family of brass bands in Europe, the U.K., Scandinavia and even Japan. People just really relate to this music. There’s this distinctive, rich sound. It’s bottom-heavy, since you have several euphoniums, tubas and basses. Then there’s this certain type of uplift associated with the sound, something life enhancing. When people come to a concert they go away feeling really energized."
   Coming from Britain to the East Coast, Mr. Allen took a position as professor of music at Rider University a few years ago, and wondered if musicians in the region would be interested in an English-style brass band.
   "There isn’t a really strong brass band tradition here, but being based in Princeton, between Philadelphia and New York, I knew there would be a lot of talented brass players who might be interested, since the repertoire is challenging," he says. "A lot of Brits warned me that it would be an uphill battle, because Americans are so busy, for one thing. I was told ‘the Yanks won’t really get it.’ But that hasn’t been my experience."
   The group plays an array of music, from classical works to jazz numbers like Billy Strayhorn’s "Chelsea Bridge" and pop-rock like "McArthur Park" by Jimmy Webb. For the April 3 concert, they’ve been polishing specially arranged renditions of masterpieces such as Gustav Holst’s "Moorside Suite" and "The Corsair" by Hector Berlioz.
   In addition to doing concerts, the Princeton Brass Band hopes to get involved in spirited national and international competitions. Mr. Allen has definite plans to take the band to Chicago next year, to compete in the American Brass Band Championships.
   The musicians come from central New Jersey as well as Philadelphia and New York. In fact, one player works in international banking in Manhattan and rents a car to come to rehearsals. From all walks of life and a number of professions, the senior member is in his 70s and the younger ones are graduate students in the performing arts, looking for opportunities to "have a blow," as Mr. Allen puts it.
   The men and women of the Princeton Brass Band rehearse Sunday afternoons at the Princeton Church of Christ and Mr. Allen says it’s a very chummy group — some are even dating.
   "No one is paid," he says. "Everyone does it for the sheer love of music and the enjoyment of good company. The players come from every kind of background, bringing a wealth of diversity. We hope to build on the brass band tradition by commissioning American and international composers to write new music especially for us."
   Mr. Allen says the group also wants to do educational programs and outreach to schools and institutions in the area, keeping the momentum of the brass band movement humming along at a brisk tempo.
   He keeps in touch with his musician friends in Britain, who report on the blossoming of new brass bands there. Mr. Allen believes the popularity of the bands has crossed the Atlantic as well.
   "I heard a report on the BBC that orchestral music overall is in trouble — groups are financially strapped for one thing, and culturally people seem to be less and less interested," he says. "But brass bands seem to be really taking off. The report I heard suggested it was even a brass band ‘golden age.’"
   The musicians in the Princeton Brass Band certainly seem to have been converted and share Mr. Allen’s passion for playing.
   "It’s a physical thing that sort of massages you in the chest," he says. "There’s one moment every week where something comes out right and everyone knows it."
The Princeton Brass Band will perform at the Bart Luedeke Center, Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrence, April 3, 4 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (609) 895-5504. For information about the band, e-mail Stephen Allen: [email protected]. Group Web site coming soon: www.princetonbrassband.org