Tommy Winser Memorial Concert 23rd April 2023
What A Fabulous Afternoon!
Our memorial concert held on the 23rd April in New Buckenham Village Hall to celebrate the life of our former President, band master and band member of 78 years, Tommy Winser was an oustanding success and an excellent performance. Feedback received by band members from the audience was fulsome and extensive – and the common theme was that everyone was amazed at how well the band sounded – “this band has NEVER played as well as that” was a common comment.
We were delighted with the performance, delighted that we had to put out additonal seating on top of the 100 chairs we set out and absolutely delighted to have provided Tommy’s family with a fitting tribute to the great man.
Thank-you to all who supported the event – thank-you to those who ran the raffle and ran the refreshments – thank-you to those who set out the hall and stage for us, including the lighting – thank-you most especially to our guest players who bolstered our playing ranks – and thank-you to the members of the band for all your hard work under the excellent direction of Peter.
Brass Band or Silver Band
In 1887, to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, a small village band was formed and has continued ever since. New Buckenham ‘Imperial’ Band is now one of the oldest bands in East Anglia, and proudly celebrated its 130th Anniversary in 2017.
When New Buckenham Silver Band was first formed, brass instruments were a lot cheaper than those that were silver-plated. And so the implication was that silver bands were formed by members of a somewhat wealthier class.
Nowadays however, the cost of silver and brass are very similar but the term Brass Band, perhaps because of the illiteration, has become more popular. Neverless we are proud of our heritage. We were formed as a Silver Band and so New Buckenham Silver Band we shall remain.
New Members
One thing that we have done ever since New Buckenham Silver Band was first formed in 1887 is that of recruiting and welcoming new members. And that remains the case today. Right now we are looking for new musicians to join us, so why not give us a call and we will be delighted to make room for you.
We rehearse every Thursday night from 8 until 10pm in New Buckenham Village Hall, and Peter Ryan, our Musical Director, welcomes anyone playing a brass instrument or percussion to come along and join us.
And, just in case you don’t know where we are, New Buckenham is a small Norfolk village some 18 miles south of Norwich and 5 miles from Attleborough.
History of Brass Bands
It’s interesting to understand the history of brass bands and why they actually became popular. They originally date back to the early 19th century and although disputed somewhat as being the very first band to form, the Black Dyke Mills Brass Band is certainly very well known even today. The popularity of brass bands was actually driven by employers at the time who recognised that the workers, in their spare time, were becoming too politically driven and this was leading to unrest in the workplace. The answer was to find a leisure activity, sponsored by the employer which would keep the employees’ minds on something else and to that end the Brass Band was the answer. If you would like more information on this interesting subject then do look at A Brief History of Brass Bands. Not the most inspiring of sites aesthetically but the information is good.