District boasts a wealth of musical talent
Music-making has been part of the cultural history of Brighouse for well over a century.
We have had brass bands and brass instrumentalists since the second half of the 19th century.
We have had other musical combinations as well. They might not have had the same high profile publicity as Brighouse and Rastrick, but they too have played an important role in the social life of the town and its surrounding communities.
As well as the traditional brass bands we have also had the marching bands of St John's Ambulance Brigade Band, the British Legion Band and the Lightcliffe Scout Band – each in their own way providing a local competitive edge in that area of music-making.
I well remember watching the annual marching band contest at Eastfield School at Lightcliffe over 30 years ago, when hundreds of young people would descend on the area – not a behaviour problem in sight – and having changed into their uniforms they were some of the smartest youngsters around.
I recall one of fancied bands for the title coming from Warrington and its leader telling me that youngsters were queueing to join the band. They were not allowed to have hairstyles that would lose points on a deportment prize. "There was never any argument on that score and everyone looked great," he said. Deportment of the highest level – and yes the band won that year with a clean sweep of the prizes, including the deportment prizes.
Along with the brass band musicians we have also had the orchestral players. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries we had a number of orchestras – these included the Arcadian Orchestral Society, J. R. Booth's Orchestra, the Permanent Orchestra just to name three. It is apparent from a number of concert programmes I have featuring these three orchestras that there were not enough players to go round. On all the programmes players from all three bolstered and filled the empty chairs to help each other out.
The two featured photographs this week show the Arcadian Orchestral Society and the Permanent Orchestra. The Arcadians include: (Back row) Mr Payne; Mr H. Walton; unknown; unknown; Mr Wood of Hangram Street who was a cornet player with Clifton Prize Band, which became the Clifton and Lightcliffe Band in 1932; unknown and unknown; (front row), unknown; Mr Arthur Thwaite Hodgson, who was also a member of the Permanent Orchestra; unknown; unknown; unknown; James Rushworth, who was also the pianist and organist at the Lane Head Church; unknown; unknown; unknown and unknown.
The Permanent Orchestra rehearsed in what is now Blakeborough's Club in Bradford Road, but in those days it was the Liberal Club, the same club where in 1882 the town's business leaders met to discuss the town centre disorder following the assassination of local MP Lord Frederick Cavendish in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
The long-time conductor of this orchestra was Mr H. Haley and Mr Clement Blackburn, of Toothill Hall, was its president.
Looking closely at the second photograph of the Permanent Orchestra members there are a number brass players who also played with some of the town's brass bands. Sitting on the front row, third from the left, holding the trumpet is the late James (Jim) Nuttall who was a member of Brighouse and Rastrick Band of the 1930s. This was the band that went on to win the Belle Vue September contest (now known as British Open Brass Band Championship) three years running, 1932, 1933, and 1934 and that was after the band had already won it in 1929.
Under the rules of the competition the band was then barred from the event in 1935, but bounced back in celebration by winning it again in 1936. Each member was presented with a gold medal to celebrate the rare feat of a hat-trick of wins. The band would then have to wait for just over 40 years before they won it again.
Music-making has been something that is in the blood in this community – I again recall in the early 1960s at St Martin's School I was the only brass musician until a few years later that number grew to five. In the 1990s Rastrick High School had well over 150 musicians under the direction and guidance of Peter Lynch.
The sad part these days is how many of the youngsters are still involved in music as players once they have left school? And what opportunities are there for them if they wanted to carry it on (other than a brass band). Sadly, I suspect a only a fraction of that number will have retained their musical participation interest.
But, playing a musical instrument has other benefits. Music teaches you discipline, dedication to rehearsal, preparation for concerts, the time and effort and sometimes heartache in taking musical examinations, working as a team, deportment and of course music is numbers, so it all helps in the difficult world of the job market. When a potential employer asks: "What do you do in your spare time?... I play a musical instrument" say it and be proud of it.
Parents, encourage them as much as you can, it's not just somewhere to take them for an after-school activity.
Those hours of practice and endless effort to get the scale or particular part right can of course be very frustrating and I suppose annoying to the neighbours. But stick with it, music can quite often open up opportunities you never imagined.
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Weather for Halifax
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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