Live Recordings – A Concert of Music from the Benjamin Grierson Collection

The following tracks were recorded live on February 27, 2010 at the annual Grierson Society Winter Ball, a fund-raising dinner for the Grierson Days reenactment and the restoration of the Grierson Monument at East Cemetary in Jacksonville, IL.

This special concert was made possible through the research and friendly cooperatoin of musicologist and Grierson scholar Dr. Laverne Wagner of Quincy, Illinois.

Note: These recordings are for private use only. Written permission from the Vintage Brass Band is required for any other purpose including commercial use or public broadcast.  Please use the Contact Us link to request permission.

Composed by A.J.R. Connert, Victoria Gallop was one of many popular dance tunes written to commemorate the 1838 coronation of Queen Victoria.  You may notice in the background of these recordings the sound of the Central Illinois Civil War Dance Society and others dancing!

It is no surprise that this popular dancing tune was included in Grierson’s books. During her tour of the United States in 1850 through 1851, Jenny Lind gave six performances in St. Louis, Missouri. Benjamin Grierson made an extraordinary effort and incurred great expense when he travelled down the River to attend all six performances.

Possibly arranged by Grierson himself, this medley contains three popular tunes, the second of which has not been identified. Please contact us if you are familiar with this melody!

This polka was found in Grierson’s books dating back to his youth in Youngstown Ohio. It is very typical of popular dance music of the time.

General Lafayette of France made an important contribution to the Revolutionay War. Arthur Clifton penned this work to celebrate Lafayette’s return visit to the United States in 1824.

The inclusion of works from Italian Opera composer Vincenzo Bellini is an indication that Grierson’s band was rather sophisticated for its time.

Photos and Sounds from A Vintage Brass Christmas

The Vintage Brass Band at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, IL - Photo by Liz Murphy Thomas

Vintage Brass Band’s first gala concert, A Vintage Brass Christmas, was a great success! We would like to thank to the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield for providing a beautiful location for this concert which was attended by over 100 people.

Sound Clips:

Of Welsh origin, this holiday classic, “Deck the Hall” has been performed for centuries as a winter and Christmas carol.  This contemporary brass quintet arrangement is by Keith Snell.

Transcribed by G.W. Anthony and published as “Antiphony No. 2,” this work is more commonly known as “O Magnum Mysterium.”  It is from a Christmas Motet by Venitian Composer Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612).  This arrangement, instead of featuring choirs of voices and brass instruments contrasts two choirs of brass, one cylindrical and one conical.

Modern audiences may not be aware that one of our favorite holiday carols, “Jingle Bells,” was composed by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) in 1857 under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh.”  Vintage Brass Band Artistic Director Todd Cranson collaborated with soloist Mona Kreitner to create this arrangement from an 1857 publication of “One Horse Open Sleigh” for piano and voices.

Recordings from the Humboldt Project

The following recordings were made Saturday, April 18, 2009 at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  The instruments and music featured in this recording are part of the Carl Busch Papers and Music Instrument Collection at the Archives.  The brass instruments date from the mid 1850’s to about 1864.  The Humboldt Band Books date from about 1867-1880.  The Vintage Brass Band presented performances throughout the day recreating the July 4, 1876 American Centennial Celebration which took place in Humboldt, Kansas.  Newspaper accounts of this celebration mention specific selections performed by the Humboldt Brass Band, and today’s Vintage Brass Band performed these arrangements on instruments similar to what were heard in 1876.

Hail Columbia excerpt:

In 1876, Hail Columbia was an unofficial anthem of the United States of America.  Today it is played to introduce the Vice-President of the United States.  Be sure to compare this excerpt to the next, identical, excerpt played on modern brass instruments!  This recording was made outside in front of the Harding Band Building.  Pay no attention to the drum line rehearsing in the distance and busses passing in front of us.

Hail Columbia excerpt played on modern instruments:

This recording was recorded on Sunday, March 29, 2009 at the first rehearsal of the Vintage Brass Band.  This excerpt is posted to compare the sound of the modern instruments to that of the period instruments.  Technology has come a long way in 150 years, and everything in our world seems to be bigger and louder these days.  Take a listen and compare for yourself.

Red, White and Blue:

The next two tunes are offered in their entirety as a sound sampler of this mid 19th century town band music.  Patriotic music was a staple of town bands in the 1870’s.  The popular military aires of the American Civil War still found a place in the repertoire of town bands, but some new music was growing in popularity and replacing the older “hits” of the 1860’s.

Bass Ball Quick Step:

The third selection mentioned in the newspaper account of the Humboldt US Centennial Celebration was “a grand march.”  The Humboldt Band Books contain only one grand march, and it is incomplete.  The Vintage Brass Band chose the “Bass [sic] Ball Quick Step” simply because it sounded fun!  Hope you enjoy.