University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A history of the University of Illinois British Brass Band, 1981 to the present

Reagan, Maureen V.

Content Files
REAGAN-DISSERTATION-2019.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/104743

Description

Title
A history of the University of Illinois British Brass Band, 1981 to the present
Author(s)
Reagan, Maureen V.
Issue Date
2019-02-14
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Bashford, Christina
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Moore, Mark
Committee Member(s)
  • Lund, Erik
  • Magee, Jeffrey
Department of Study
Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2019-08-23T19:51:26Z
Keyword(s)
  • brass band
  • British brass band
  • James Curnow
  • Peter J. Griffin
  • John Cody Birdwell
  • James Hile
  • University of Illinois
  • North American Brass Band Association
  • J. Perry Watson
  • University of Illinois Bands
  • University of Illinois School of Music
  • Harry Begian
  • euphonium
  • Paul Droste
  • David Bilger
  • Kevin Stees
  • American brass band
Abstract
On November 15, 1981, the University of Illinois British Brass Band performed its first concert, conducted by University of Illinois Assistant Director of Bands James Curnow. The ensemble’s antecedents lay in the brass bands established in Victorian England that were populated by members of the working classes, while its 1980s founding occurred in the national context of an increase in British-style brass band activity in the United States that included the formation of the North American Brass Band Association, dedicated to fostering the British-style brass band movement in the US and Canada. Several key factors contributed to the success and longevity of the University of Illinois British Brass Band, including certain characteristics of the University of Illinois Bands program and the institutional support given to the ensemble. Through analysis and synthesis of personal interviews and archival research, this dissertation reveals the identity of the ensemble as modeled on the traditional British brass band and its typical sound and repertoire, modified by the University of Illinois British Brass Band’s own solutions for particular musical and logistical demands. Providing a significant educational experience for its players (as well as its conductors) and filling an important role in the ensemble offerings of the University of Illinois Bands program, the University of Illinois British Brass Band also represented the University of Illinois statewide by way of its periodic tours and propagated the British-style brass band performance idiom through its more than 90 known performances before its hiatus began in 2011.
Graduation Semester
2019-05
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/104743
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2019 Maureen Reagan

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses [Graduate College] - Music