Charlottesville Municipal Band

Charlottesville Municipal Band Trivia Quiz

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Test your knowledge of the history and traditions of the Charlottesville Municipal Band! The answer to each question appears below the question. If you prefer, you can also see an automated list of the questions and their answers here. The automated version requires that your computer be set to allow Javascript. To see the answer to each question in the automated version, simply pass your cursor over the word ANSWER. The answers to all trivia questions listed below are believed to be complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge and research ability. Please report any suspected errors, along with supporting documents or information, to the Municipal Band Webmaster. If there are other questions you think would be interesting to include here, please send them (along with the correct answer!) to the Webmaster as well, and we will consider them for inclusion in future versions of this quiz.

We'll start with an easy one. What year was the Municipal Band established?
1. 1920
2. 1922
3. 1925
4. 1932
ANSWER: The Municipal Band was founded in 1922 when civic leaders Sol Kaufman and E. A. Joachim realized the need for a town musical organization to help lead parades and celebrate community events. By the fall of that year the Band had been formed and its members began meeting regularly on Monday nights to learn music and how to play their instruments.
Learn music? Learn how to play their instruments? Didn't they know this before they joined the Band?

ANSWER: Actually, many of the first members of the Band had little or no previous musical experience, although others were already skilled in the basics of reading music and playing an instrument. The neophytes in the group first had to learn the rudiments of music and then also learn how to play whatever musical instrument they had chosen or been assigned. Both tasks together took almost a year to accomplish.
Who was the Band's first conductor?
1. Harold Hill
2. P. G. Lowry
3. Harry Lowe
4. James W. Simmons
ANSWER: Harry Lowe was the Band's first conductor and music director. A native of England, Mr. Lowe was a cornet player who had come to Charlottesville from New York City, where he had played in pit orchestras in Broadway theaters. It was he who taught the members of the Band who needed it how to read music and how to play their instruments. Mr. Lowe led the Municipal Band from its inception in 1922 until his retirement in 1940. He died in July of 1947.
What was Harry Lowe's "day job"?
1. Insurance Saleman
2. School Teacher
3. Grocer
4. City Employee
ANSWER: According to the Charlottesville City Directories of the time, Harry Lowe was employed by the City of Charlottesville in its Gas Plant. By 1938 he had risen to the position of Sales Manager in the City's Gas Appliances Department. Undoubtedly, he also continued playing his cornet in various dance bands and other groups as time and opportunity allowed.
Name all of the official conductors of the Band in order. Extra points for giving their years of service.

ANSWER:

Harry Lowe, 1922-1940
Ernest G. Carr, 1940-1941
Emil Rada, 1941-1950
Marlin Brown, 1950-1957
Sharon B. Hoose, 1957-1980
James W. Simmons, 1980-2007
Steve Layman, 2007-Present
What musical instrument(s) did the conductors play?

ANSWER: Harry Lowe played cornet. Ernest Carr, Emil Rada, Marlin Brown and James Simmons all played clarinet. Sharon Hoose played baritone and trumpet. Steve Layman plays tuba and trombone.
How many members were in the Band when it was first organized?
1. 25
2. 28
3. 36
4. 41
ANSWER: There were 36 charter members of the Band, i.e. those who joined the group during 1922. All of these individuals were men.
When were women first admitted to membership in the Band?
1. 1945
2. 1950
3. 1957
4. 1963
ANSWER: Women were first admitted to membership in the Band in 1957 shortly after Sharon Hoose took over as Music Director and upon his recommendation to the Board that membership be expanded to allow women members.
How many women joined the Band as Charter Female Members in 1957?
1. 16
2. 18
3. 20
4. 22
ANSWER: Eighteen women joined the Band during 1957. Three of those Charter Female Members continue playing with the group to this day over 50 years later!
Approximately how many women have played in the Municipal Band since women were first admitted as members in 1957?
1. 450
2. 500
3. 550
4. 600
ANSWER: In the half-century since women were first admitted to membership in the Band just over 500 women have participated. These women represent about one-third of all the players who have been in the Band since it was founded in 1922.
Who was the first African-American member of the Band, what year did he or she join the Band and what was his or her instrument?

ANSWER: Trombonist Elmer F. "Sonny" Sampson joined the Band on February 6, 1968 and was the Band's first African-American player. He was followed one week later by tenor saxophonist Calvin Cage. Since 1968 there have been many fine African-American musicians in the Municipal Band, notably including trumpet player and composer Paul T. Richards.
Has the Band had any members who were not from the United States?

ANSWER: Yes, the Band has had members who were natives of several foreign countries. Its first conductor, Harry Lowe, was a native of England, and there have been other players from England as well. There have also been natives of Holland and Australia who have played with the Band during their residency in Charlottesville.
When and where was the Band's first public appearance?
1. March 30, 1923 at the C&O Train Station
2. April 1, 1923 at the McGuffy School
3. April 10, 1923 at the Armory
4. April 30, 1923 at the Union Train Station
ANSWER: The Band's first public appearance was on April 10, 1923 in a parade west along Main Street (now the Downtown Mall) starting from the Armory. This event in part fulfilled Conductor Harry Lowe's promise that the Band would perform publicly within six months of receiving its instruments.
When and where was the Band formally turned over to the City of Charlottesville?
1. May 28, 1923 in Lee Park
2. June 1, 1923 in Lee Park
3. April 1, 1924 in McIntire Park
4. May 23, 1924 in Jackson Park
ANSWER: The Band gave a public concert on May 28, 1923 in Lee Park from an improvised bandstand. At this concert the Band played its entire repertoire of seven pieces! It was at this event that Sol Kaufman presented the Band to the City, saying to Mayor John R. Morris "Mr. Mayor, here is your band. We have tried to build well. We now turn over to the City of Charlottesville the responsibility to support it and see that it survives." From that day to the present the City has generously honored its responsibility.
Where did the Band present its first out-of-town concert?
1. Scottsville, Virginia
2. Gordonsville, Virginia
3. Ruckersville, Virginia
4. None of the above
ANSWER: This was something of a trick question. On April 13, 1923 the Band played a concert at Cabell Hall on the Grounds of the University of Virginia as part of the festivities connected with the Inauguration of the Monticello Foundation. What, you say, that's not "out of town"! Ah, but technically it is. Due to the nature of Virginia laws regarding cities and towns and, because it is a State agency, the University of Virginia, even though it is surrounded by the City of Charlottesville, is considered to be in the County of Albemarle, not in the City of Charlottesville. Thus — technically — when the Band played on the University Grounds, it was "out of town".
Very funny. So where was the Band's real first out-of-town concert?
1. Scottsville, Virginia
2. Gordonsville, Virginia
3. Ruckersville, Virginia
4. Crozet, Virginia
ANSWER: On June 21, 1923 the Band ventured some 10 miles west of Charlottesville to Crozet, Virginia, to play a concert at its Community Picnic.
What is the farthest from Charlottesville that the Band has ever traveled to perform?
1. Dallas, Texas
2. Tampa, Florida
3. Memphis, Tennessee
4. Cincinnati, Ohio
ANSWER: Between 1924 and 1928 the Band visited all of the cities listed above. The trip to Dallas marks the farthest away from home the Band has so far traveled in its entire history, a distance of some 1,200 miles from Charlottesville and one of only two occasions when the Band has been west of the Mississippi River, the other being to Little Rock, Arkansas. The trip to Cincinnati is one of the few times the Band has been north of the Mason-Dixon Line. During the first 25 years of its existence, the Municipal Band did an amazing amount of traveling and concertizing, although most of its travels were within the borders of Virginia.
What are the farthest points north, south, east and west from Charlottesville that the Band has ever performed?

ANSWER: Indianapolis, IN (north), Tampa, FL (south), Virginia Beach, VA (east) and Dallas, TX (west). The northernmost location was a close finish between winner Indianapolis and runners-up Cincinnati, OH and Bel Air, MD, which are all within a few tenths of a degree of each other.
Okay, then what's the highest and lowest the Band has ever played (meaning altitude, not musical pitch)?

ANSWER: The Band has on several occasions given concerts in the Evans Center at the Wintergreen Ski Resort located some 25 miles west-southwest of Charlottesville and around 3,850 feet above sea level. The Band has also performed on a number of occasions in locations on the eastern coast of Virginia just a few feet above sea level, notable examples being at the Hotel Chamberlain on Old Point Comfort, VA, and in Virginia Beach, VA. The Band has also performed in cities on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida.
Has the Band ever performed, literally, at sea?

ANSWER: Indeed, it has, having at least once given an impromptu concert aboard the ferry between Hampton, VA, and Norfolk, VA, in the days before the Hampton Roads tunnel opened. Those members who recall the event say that the Band's playing generated so much interest among the ferry's passengers that the ship exhibited a distinct list to one side when everyone crowded over to see and hear the Band. It was a rollicking crossing by all accounts! And although not an ocean voyage, the Band also once gave a performance aboard the steamer Idlewild cruising on the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN, as part of one of the Confederate Veterans conventions it attended in the 1920s.
When and where did the Band first play a concert broadcast over radio?
1. December 25, 1923 in Charlottesville, VA
2. June 5, 1924 in Memphis, TN
3. May 21, 1925 in Dallas, TX
4. September 23, 1926 in Richmond, VA
ANSWER: The Band's first radio broadcast occurred on June 5, 1924 when radio station WMC in Memphis, TN, broadcast a concert by the Band from the Scottish Rite Temple in that city in conjunction with the Grand Reunion of Confederate Veterans.
What is the farthest away anyone has ever heard the Band live via radio?
1. England
2. Spain
3. Canada
4. Mexico
ANSWER: The greatest confirmed distance from Charlottesville — or more specifically Richmond — that anyone has reported hearing the Band play over open-air radio was by a listener from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, who reported hearing (and hopefully enjoying) the Band's September 2, 1927 broadcast over radio station WRVA in Richmond, VA. Summerside is about 950 miles from Richmond. The Band performed a concert in 1956 for the Radio Free Europe network, which undoubtedly reached listeners many thousands of miles away, though there are no reports from listeners and the concert was prerecorded rather than performed live.
When did the Band first give a televised concert?
1. 1958
2. 1965
3. 1968
4. 1970
ANSWER: Although it is entirely possible that the Band briefly appeared on television in earlier newscasts or other programs, the first known televised concert by the Band occurred on March 8, 1970. On that date the Band gave a concert that was televised from the studios of the Jefferson Cable Company in Charlottesville as a part of the Apple Blossom Festival.
Has the Band ever been associated with any military organization?

ANSWER: Shortly after its founding the Band was asked to be the official band for the Virginia Division of the United Confederate Veterans Association. As you will have noticed from previous questions above, the Band attended a number of national meetings of the UCVA during the 1920s. In this capacity it could be said that the Band once had a "military" connection, but it otherwise has no previous or current official or unofficial connection with any branch of the armed forces.
Has the Band ever been associated with any other civic organizations of any kind?

ANSWER: As far back as 1923 the Band began to accompany the Charlottesville Fire Department to the meetings of the State Firemen's Convention as its official band. These meetings took place in many locations around Virginia and gave the Band good opportunities to display its skills at both marching and playing concerts. There often were competitions among the bands at the meetings and it was not unusual for the Charlottesville band to come home with first place honors and trophies. The association between the Band and the Fire Department lasted until 1983, at which time the Band gracefully retired from service.
Has the Band ever performed for any notable persons?

ANSWER: Yes. The Band has played for the inaugurations of several Virginia Governors and — so far — for seven United States Presidents (Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton as President-Elect and George W. Bush). In addition the group has performed in the presence of a number of notable speakers at the annual 4th of July Naturalization Ceremonies at Monticello and on other occasions, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Madeleine Albright, Carl Sagan, General Colin L. Powell, I. M. Pei and others.
Has the Band ever performed for royalty?

ANSWER: Yes. The Band performed during the July 10, 1976 Bicentennial visit to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia by Queen Elizabeth II of England and His Royal Highness Prince Philip. The event took place on the Lawn at the University with several thousand spectators in attendance. It was also the largest group of musicians ever assembled by the Municipal Band with many "retired" members coming out to join in the festivities and swelling the ranks of the Band to over 100 members.
Where did the Band hold its first rehearsals?
1. The Armory
2. The C&O Railway Station
3. City Hall
4. First Baptist Church
ANSWER: The Band's earliest rehearsals took place at the C&O Railway Station. It was reported that when the group's instruments first arrived and all the members were trying them out that the ruckus was enough to cause nearby residents to call the police department to see what was going on! The Band rehearsed in a number of locations around town over the years before moving to its current home in the Municipal Arts Center.
What other places has the Band rehearsed over the years?

ANSWER: For most of its existence prior to the year 2000 the Band had no permanent home. Among other places the Band has rehearsed in the Charlottesville Armory, the band room at the old Lane High School (now the Albemarle County Office Building), the auditorium stage of the County Office Building, and the band room at Burley Middle School. It was with great pride and relief when the Band was finally able to raise sufficient funds to construct a permanent home, the Municipal Arts Center, on Fifth Street and move into the facility in the spring of 2000.
When did the Band begin using Edwin Franko Goldman's march On the Mall as the theme song for its summer concerts?
1. June 10, 1968
2. July 4, 1970
3. May 8, 1976
4. August 1, 1978
ANSWER: The Band first began using On the Mall as its theme song in a concert on May 8, 1976. It was in 1976 that Charlottesville completed the conversion of its downtown Main Street to a pedestrian mall and using Goldman's aptly titled march seemed a natural thing for the Band, which at the time performed most of its outdoor summer concerts on or near the Downtown Mall.
In what year did the Band begin playing for the Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) graduation ceremonies?
1. 1990
2. 1991
3. 1992
4. 1993
ANSWER: The Municipal Band became the "official" musical organization for PVCC graduation in 1991. The Band and PVCC enjoy a cordial relationship that includes performing some indoor concerts at the college's auditorium and providing a musical organization in which PVCC students can earn college credit for participating.
The Band is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors that includes a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and three at-large members, along with the Music Director serving as an ex officio non-voting member. Until the 1990s there were no term limits for Board members, so many persons elected to the Board in earlier years often served for many years. Which of the following former Presidents of the Band served the longest in that capacity?
1. Sol Kaufman
2. Guy F. Via
3. T. Dallas Bailey
4. James W. Simmons
ANSWER: Guy Via holds the honor of longest serving Band President, occupying that office for 17 years from 1931-1948. Sol Kaufman served as President for nine years, Dallas Bailey for eight years, and Jim Simmons for seven years.
Who was the first woman Band member elected to the Board of Directors? Extra credit: What year was she elected?
1. Eleanor F. Dickerman
2. Edith B. Firth
3. Evelyn Nichols
4. Emily Pippin
ANSWER: Flutist Eleanor Dickerman was in 1968 the first woman elected to the Board of Directors.
Who was the first woman Band member elected President of the Board of Directors? Extra credit: What year was she elected?
1. Connie L. Behrens
2. Charlotte Shideler
3. Carol Zuk
4. Clara L. Mincer
ANSWER: French horn player Clara Mincer was the Band's first woman President, being first elected to that position in 1984. She has served as President several times since then.
Who was the first African-American Band member elected to the Board of Directors? Extra credit: What year was he or she elected?
1. H. Wayne Clark
2. Janell A. Ellis
3. Calvin Cage
4. Dana N. Hackett
ANSWER: Tenor saxophone player Calvin Cage was in 1973 the first African-American Band member elected to the Board of Directors.
What is the most performed piece of music by the Municipal Band?

ANSWER: This is a difficult question to answer with absolute accuracy. In all likelihood the most performed piece by the Band is probably The Star Spangled Banner, since the Band plays the national anthem on nearly all of its concerts. After that would come any of several patriotic songs such as America the Beautiful and The Stars and Stripes Forever which are performed every year and often more than once during the year. Various popular marches such as Sousa's Washington Post and J. J. Richards's Westerner would probably come next, followed by various holiday tunes such as White Christmas and Sleigh Ride and certain popular show tune medleys like The Sound of Music. Allowing for all of the above, then, the list of 25 most-played pieces during the past 30 years or so for which accurate records exist includes the following with times played indicated to the left of each title:

43 Music for a Summer Night (Osser)
32 Star Spangled Spectacular (Cohan)
29 The Entertainer (Joplin)
29 I left My Heart in San Francisco (Cory)
27 American Patrol (Meacham)
27 Big Band Polka (Nowak, arr.)
26 Can You Read My Mind? (Williams)
25 Light Cavalry Overture (Suppe)
24 American Folk Rhapsody (Grundman)
24 Mancini Medley for Concert Band (Mancini, arr. Reed)
22 April in Paris (Duke)
22 Man of La Mancha - Selections (Leigh)
21 Camelot - Highlights (Loewe)
21 El Capitan March (Sousa)
21 Lady of Spain (Evans)
20 Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna - Overture (Suppe)
19 Beguine for Band (Osser)
19 Independentia (Hall)
19 Mr. Dixieland Fronts the Band (Warrington, arr.)
19 Scottish Rhapsody (Rhoads)
19 Waltzing Winds (Osterling)
18 Around the World (Young)
18 God Bless America (Berlin)
18 Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Sousa)
17 Americans We (Fillmore)

As an aside, of the 863 songs known to have been played in concert by the Band in the past 30 years only 100 (11.6%) have been played ten or more times. Some 366 songs (42.4%) have been played in concert only once.
What march has been most performed by the Municipal Band?

ANSWER: This, too, is a difficult question to answer with absolute accuracy. In all likelihood the march that has been most performed by the Band over the years is probably The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa, since the Band usually plays it several times each year. In recent years Edwin Franko Goldman's march On the Mall would also be a contender, as the Band uses it for its summer concert theme song. After that would come any of several other Sousa marches such as Washington Post, The Thunderer and Fairest of the Fair which are performed nearly every year and often more than once during the year. Various popular marches by Henry Fillmore, Karl King, J. J. Richards and others would certainly be contenders as well. Allowing for all of the above, then, the list of 25 most-played marches during the past 30 years or so for which accurate records exist includes the following with times played indicated to the left of each title:

27 American Patrol (Meacham)
21 El Capitan (Sousa)
19 Independentia (Hall)
18 Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Sousa)
17 Americans We (Fillmore)
17 King Cotton (Sousa)
16 Aida - Grand March (Verdi)
16 Barnum and Bailey's Favorite (King)
16 George Washington Bicentennial March (Sousa)
16 Proud Heritage (Latham)
15 Marching Up Broadway (Lowden, arr.)
15 The Southerner (Alexander)
14 Hall of Fame (Olivadoti)
13 St. Julien (Hughes)
12 Days of Glory (Cacavas)
12 The Gallant Seventh (Sousa)
12 March and Procession of Bacchus from "Sylvia" (Delibes)
12 National Emblem (Bagley)
12 La Reine de Saba (Gounod)
12 Saber and Spurs (Sousa)
12 Semper Fidelis (Sousa)
12 Under the Double Eagle (Wagner, J.)
11 Corcoran Cadets (Sousa)
11 Florentiner - Grande Marcia Italiana (Fucik)
10 The Billboard March (Klohr)
What is the average cost of a piece of music acquired by the Band for its library?
1. $50
2. $80
3. $110
4. $150
ANSWER: A conductor's score and full set of parts for all the instruments of the Band for one piece of music currently averages about $80.
How many pieces are there in the Band's music library?

ANSWER: The Band has been accumulating music since its beginnings in 1922. It currently owns about 1,100 concert pieces, 600 or so marches, and several dozen other kinds of pieces. The Band adds about a dozen new pieces to its library each year. And from time to time the Band will temporarily borrow pieces from other local bands in the area to perform on specific concerts.
Are there any composers in the Band? If so, how many?

ANSWER: In the last twenty years or so at least six members of the Band have composed and/or arranged pieces for the Band. A number of these pieces received their world premier performances at Municipal Band concerts, and many of them have been commercially published.
Are recordings of Municipal Band performances available to the public?

ANSWER: Unfortunately, at this time recordings by the Band are not generally available for sale to the public due to copyright and licensing restrictions. Occasionally, the Band will arrange to make a recording of certain non-copyrighted or properly licensed pieces available for fund-raising purposes. You may also listen to excerpts of the Band performing various pieces by clicking on the "Sound Files" link at the top of this page.
On what night of the week does the Band typically rehearse and/or perform?

ANSWER: The Band normally rehearses and performs concerts on Tuesday evenings. In the earliest days of the organization rehearsals were on Mondays.
How many weeks of the year does the Band rehearse?

ANSWER: The Band typically rehearses or presents concerts 48 weeks of the year, taking off two weeks at the end of every summer and another two weeks between its December holiday concert and New Year's Day. Rehearsals are normally two hours in length, and the Band usually presents a total of nine or ten public concerts annually—sometimes more.
Since the founding of the Band, which of the following musical instruments has been played by more members than any other?
1. Alto Saxophone
2. Bb Clarinet
3. Flute
4. Trumpet
ANSWER: There have been 297 clarinet players in the Band over the years, making this instrument the most-played of any instrument in the Band. There have been 190 trumpet players, 171 flutists, and only 62 alto saxophonists.
Which musical instrument has been least played by members of the Municipal Band over the years?
1. Baritone Saxophone
2. Contrabass Clarinet
3. Eb Clarinet
4. Piccolo
ANSWER: There have been only 10 Eb Clarinet players in the Band since its founding, making this the least-played instrument. The contrabass clarinet comes in a close second with 12 players, the piccolo third at 14 players, and the baritone saxophone fourth at 15 players. There have also been only 12 string bass players in the Band as well.
How many people have been members of the Municipal Band since it was established in 1922?

ANSWER: As of the end of 2007 a total of 1,478 persons were known to have participated in the Band. About one-third of these have been women.
In what year did the Band admit its 250th member? Its 500th member? Its 750th member? And its 1,000th member?

ANSWER: It took the Band until 1957 (35 years) to reach its 250th member. It then only took another seven years until 1964 to reach 500 members, and another nine years until 1973 to attain its 750th member. Ten years later in 1983 it reached the 1,000 member threshold. Obviously, not all of these persons remain in the Band today!
How big is the Band, then?

ANSWER: As of 2008 there are some 90 persons on the official roster of Band members. For various reasons not all of these persons are usually in attendance at any given rehearsal or concert, the average number being between 70 and 75 persons.
How many current members of the Band have participated for at least 50 years?

ANSWER: There are currently nine Band members with at least 50 years of service in the organization.
Who is the longest-serving member of the Municipal Band and how long has this person served?

ANSWER: The longest-serving member of the Band is saxophonist Joseph C. "Jack" Laramore, Jr., who has been performing with the Band for 65 years as of 2008. Longevity in the Band runs in the Laramore family—Jack's father, J. Cornish Laramore, Sr., entered the Band in 1927 and played for 37 years.
Who designed the Band's official seal?

ANSWER: Oboist and local artist Bronislaw A. Makielski designed the Band's seal, which every member wears at concerts on his or her summer uniform shirt and which appears on other Band-related publications and articles. Mr. Makielski was a Life Member of the Band, playing with the group for 40 years from 1946 until 1986.
For most of its history the Band has played many of its concerts outdoors "under the stars" or in various kinds of challenging weather conditions. What was the worst year ever for adverse weather affecting Band concerts?

ANSWER: The year 2003 probably holds the record for worst weather conditions in terms of effect on the Band and its concerts. That year was the wettest on record for Charlottesville and of the 13 scheduled concerts during the year, five were moved indoors due to rain. Another was cancelled altogether, two concerts were snowed on, and one was conducted outdoors in sub-freezing conditions. As an aside, although 2003 was not a particularly hot year, heat has often been a problem for the Band as well. Summer concerts have sometimes been moved indoors in recent years due to high heat and humidity, but in earlier times the Band soldiered on with concerts despite the heat. A few players and even one conductor, Sharon Hoose, have succumbed to the heat during a program in previous years. Perhaps this isn't so surprising in light of the fact that even in the summer the Band used to perform in long-sleeved shirts and/or heavy woolen uniforms.
The Band concludes nearly all of its concerts with a John Philip Sousa march. Is there any connection between the Municipal Band and the great March King?

ANSWER: John Philip Sousa was born in 1854 and died in 1932, ten years after the founding of the Municipal Band. He and his famous band began touring in 1892 and roamed all over the world during the next forty years. There is no known direct connection between Sousa and his band and the Municipal Band. Sousa's band did stop in Charlottesville on several of its many tours, including in 1895, 1897, 1898, 1900 and a performance in Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia on January 15, 1908. The last time Sousa and his band appeared in Charlottesville was on October 8, 1925, three years after the Municipal Band was founded. On that day Sousa and his band played both a matinee and an evening concert in Memorial Gymnasium at the University of Virginia. Although no one knows for sure, it is entirely likely that during the early Sousa appearances persons who would become future members of the Municipal Band may've attended one or more of Sousa's concerts and were thereby inspired and motivated to become bandsmen themselves. It's very likely that many members of the Municipal Band attended one or both of Sousa's 1925 concerts and may have spoken to the great man himself or members of his band. However, other than the mystical kinship almost all wind band players feel with the spirit of the March King and his legendary band, there is no known official connection between the Municipal Band and Sousa's band. The Municipal Band plays a Sousa march on most of its concerts to honor Sousa's memory and for the pleasure of playing and performing his fine music.

You can find computer-generated renditions (and some original early sound recordings) of most of Sousa's marches and some of his other works at the John Philip Sousa - American Conductor, Composer and Patriot web site.

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The Municipal Band of Charlottesville, Inc.
1119 Fifth Street SW - Suite B
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-6480
Telephone 434-295-9850
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Page last modified March 23, 2010