The Chalk Farm Band is brass band of the Salvation Army located at the Salvation Army Centre in Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm, London, England. It is one of the best known brass bands of the Salvation Army in the UK.
Contents |
It was formed in 1883 under the leadership of Bandmaster Worbouys to provide music for Salvation Army church services. In 1894, Bandmaster AW Punchard was appointed, (an association which continued for over 50 years). He added instruments such as saxophones and tenor cors to the normal set of cornets and trombones.
Michael Clack led the band for over thirty years, commencing in 1963. During his leadership the band played to the Pope in Vatican City and toured through most of Europe and Australia, and even to Japan where it took part in the Midosuji Parade in Osaka in [2000].
The band's current bandmaster is Jonathan Evans, who is a Euphonium player with the International Staff Band
The Band’s primary function is to participate fully in the weekly religious services, both indoor and in the open-air. In addition it regularly presents concerts at other Salvation Army corps both in the UK and abroad. The Band has appeared annually on the BBC TV Show Blue Peter throughout most of its record 50-year run, and has also made a number of appearances on Songs of Praise at the Royal Albert Hall and on BBC Radio shows such as Gloria Hunniford and Owen Spencer-Thomas's Sounding Brass and Listen to the Band.
All of the bands members are amateur players, and members of the Salvation Army. Despite having earlier feature other instruments, the band now features the standard brass band instrumentation being:
The band has released 5 CDs (the most recent being Emblem of the Army), 6 records, and also appeared on a number of 78s. A video detailing its history is also available, which is entitled Blood & Fire & Brass - Blood & Fire being a feature of the Salvation Army flag the
The band's repertoire includes: