Posted by Volker on May 01, 2003 at 17:03:20:
In Reply to: Not Just tuba players posted by Hard Times on May 01, 2003 at 13:39:05:
To stay at the brass bands dilemma: In Germany we have seen a dramatic cut down on profi brass bands over the recent few years lately: Military and police bands have been reduced to about a quarter of what we had before. Approx. every 300th conservatory tubist can hope for a professional job only by now (including the modest salary jobs in "uniformed" bands that on the other hand require a conservatory education for a corporal or sergeant grade player).
The vast variety of former company own orchestras in the industry and public traffic
organizations had already disappeared in the 70s/80s. Brass is still flourishing just on the hobby community band field only - always struggling for juniors - and for quality. The south of Germany is still a bit more brass relevant because of their folklore associations, but there you have to fight against the oompah beer tent cliché.
The best brass culture medium to remain seems to be Austria and some parts of Switzerland, they are more conservative.
One typical mistake that might have led to an acceleration of the "sale off" of brass bands in Europe is, that beginning in the 70s band directors started to change the style and repertoire to pop music genres that are not suitable for a brass configuration - with the result of neither enjoying the real pop lovers nor the traditional brass music fans.
The latter often complain in public bands' guest books about too few traditional parts in a concert. It was by the time, when all old (but maybe good) equipment was thrown to the junkyard due to a new philosophy (later often re-purchased as an antique item for plenty of money). By that time the new generation of the 1968 students protest movement has taken over in the key positions of society. They broke with all traditions in all parts of the social and many parts of the cultural life. Although they later recognized, that for example a completely anti-authoritanian kids education cannot be useful for anybody, the understanding in case of wrong "brass bands politics" is not yet existing and most probably will come too late to keep the traditional high precision, spirited, "electrifying" brass bands concert music alive over the next decades.
Consider, the brass bands are the quantity domaines for our tubas, not the SOs and POs.
The leading Czech and German brass bands once might have been the best in the world (long time ago), but:
"THEY WILL NEVER COME BACK" - as many other abandoned society values.