For almost 200 years, wind bands and wind band musicians were the pre-eminent form of large instrumental ensemble performance practice in Canada. From the earliest documented evidence of a "band of music" in 1770 Halifax to the post-World War II explosion of curricular school band programs across the country, bands were a genuine expression of popular musical culture. They attracted the best musicians in the villages, towns and cities they called home and ranged in ability from ensembles barely beyond the beginner stage to professional organizations, like the Anglo-Canadian Leather Company Band, that were internationally renowned.
More importantly, those that performed in and led these groups also served as our first music infrastructure. They became music teachers, instrument importers, sheet music distributors and concert promoters. It was through their efforts that the foundations were laid for our present-day symphony orchestras, operatic societies, conservatories and music schools. Some of these musical pioneers were also composers. They created a small body of wind-band literature, often written for their own ensembles, that reflected the highest compositional standards of their time.
The present volume, richly illustrated with historical photographs and musical examples, is a long-overdue attempt to document the story of Canada's wind bands and the Canadian music they played.