Gold Coast City Brass Band

History

The Gold Coast City Brass Band has made a significant contribution to the culture of the Gold Coast region across almost one hundred years. Many volunteers have given of their time and talents to ensure that the Gold Coast would have a civic Band to bring music to all manner of occasions.

Few Gold Coast organisations can claim such a long history of service to the community. From the early days when the Band rehearsed at Nestle Milk Factory at Nerang the band has provided a unique fellowship for the members. It wasn’t until the 1950s that a more permanent home was found, although that too is a testament to the dedication of a small band of volunteers. While the Band has changed its name several times the spirit of fellowship and dedication to musical excellence has remained as the foundation of the success and longevity of the Band.

To tell the story of the Band is also to tell much of the story of a number of people who gave leadership and love to the Band. Although many of these people have passed on, their work continues to inspire and their tireless dedication needs recognition.

Today, like in all the years past, the Gold Coast City Brass Band continues to prosper because of the contribution of members of the Band and the Management Committee.

The Brass Family

For those less familiar with brass bands, the tradition comes from British Civic Bands. Many of these bands are operated and sponsored by local businesses, such as the famous World Champion Band; Black-Dyke Mills (a textile mill).

A full Brass Band generally has about 27 blowers and about 5 percussionists and includes:

The trumpet is a brass instrument but is generally not considered part of a brass band. A cornet is played with the same fingering as trumpet and students who have played trumpet find that they adapt easily. For some pieces the arranger or conductor may specify a trumpet to provide fanfares, solos or jazz style variations to the brass band mellower cornet sound.

The French Horn is a brass instrument but not considered a part of a brass section. They often pretend they are in another section when the conductor is instructing the brass. The "HORN" sound in a brass band is usually sounded by the Flugel Horn, Tenor Horn & Baritone. Most French Horn players quickly pick up transposing from Eb to F pitch. Interestingly, the French Horn is actually English while the English Horn, or Cor Anglais, is German, and the correct derivation is; cor anglé or bent horn (from the curved mouthpiece pipe).

The Euphoniums, Tenor Trombones & Tubas all play in Treble Clef in Brass Bands and not Bass Clef as in a Concert Bands or Orchestras. This enables any blower to easily change from one instrument to another without having to worry about reading music in unfamiliar clefs.

The Bass trombone, for some unknown reason, persists in Bass Clef. The only other Bass Clef instrument in a brass band is the Timpani.

Saxophones, in spite of them being made of brass, are not used in Brass Bands in Australia, U.S. or the U.K. but they are very common in Brass Bands in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, these Brass Band with saxophones are called "Fanfare Bands".