Charles Trussell aka Carlile Vernon, (1860,

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

– 1946, Bauple, Queensland, Australia) was a prominent musician in brass bands (British style) both in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He served as band master of a number of bands in both countries and was a significant composer and arranger of brass band music. He also was an adjudicator at brass band contests. He is also believed to have written vocal music. He is not to be confused with American banjoist and composer H. C. Trussell (of Quincy, Ill.) who was also active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography

Early life

Trussell commenced his musical education in a school boys band in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

from the age of 11 playing

tenor horn The tenor horn (British English; alto horn in American English, Althorn in Germany; occasionally referred to as E horn) is a brass instrument in the saxhorn family and is usually pitched in E. It has a bore that is mostly conical, like the flug ...

. At 14 he enlisted in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

as a band boy and served with the 2nd Battalion of the

14th Regiment of Foot 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 and preceding 15. In relation to the word "four" ( 4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a stella octangula number. ...

and later the Prince of Wales Regiment in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. During this time he played

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

and studied

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

and

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

Australia

In 1887, after 13 years service in the army, Trussell followed relatives to Australia and settled in Maryborough, before moving to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. Shortly thereafter he was appointed conductor of the Latrobe Brass (later Federal) Band. He also became conductor of the Deloraine Band, conducted a church choir, and later on entertained as part of a group called the Federal Minstrels. In 1895 he was married to Minnie Ada Biggins (b.1863 in Tasmania)

New Zealand

In 1895, Trussell moved to New Zealand settling in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

where he was appointed band master of the

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

(later Auckland Battalion) Band. He also judged band contests, the first being the 1897 Goldfields Band Contest in

Te Aroha Te Aroha ( mi, Te Aroha-a-uta) is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,906 people in the 2013 census, an increase of 138 people since 2006. It is northeast of Hamilton and south of Thames. It sits at the f ...

. He was a prominent member of the North Island Brass Band Association. During this time, he played cricket for the St. Albans Cricket Club in Auckland. By 1900, he had moved to

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and was band master of the Nelson Garrison Band. It was about this time he had composed the ''Alexandra Dance''."Papers Past"
"Nelson Garrison Band"

Colonist A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

, Nelson, 15 December 1899 In 1901 he composed the march ''Joys of Life'' for the national band contest held that year in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

. In November 1903 Trussell moved back to the North Island, to

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...

. As band master of the Waihi Federal Band he improved the standard of the band to one of the best in the country. During this time his compositional output increased, with several marches written each year (including ''Rimutaka'' (1905), ''Mount Egmont'' (1905), ''N. I. B. B. A.'' (1907)), arrangements of operatic selections for contests (including ''L’ Ebreo'' (1904) and ''

La Traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

'' (1906)) and a fantasias ''Concordia'' (1903) and ''The Tournament'' (1906). He also competed in

lawn bowling Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

competitions in the region. In April 1907 Trussell hosted the prestigious

Besses o' th' Barn Band Besses o' th' Barn Band is an English brass band that has been in existence in the Besses o' th' Barn area of Whitefield, Greater Manchester since at least 1818. A junior section, Besses Boys' Band, was established in 1943. Origins Besses o' t ...

from England as part of their world tour. Shortly after this, in May 1907, he and his wife were farewelled from Waihi where the town presented him with a marble clock in recognition of the contribution made to the town. Silver hair brushes were presented to his wife. In the press and in band circles, Trussell had become known as "the New Zealand March King"."Papers Past"
Trussell described as New Zealand March King and N. I. B. B. A. as even better than Rimutaka and Mt Egmont

Otago Witness The ''Otago Witness'' was a prominent illustrated weekly newspaper in the early years of the European settlement of New Zealand, produced in Dunedin, the provincial capital of Otago. Published weekly it existed from 1851 to 1932. The introduction ...

, Dunedin, 11 December 1907 Confusion has arisen about a later band master of the Waihi Federal Band. Between 1910 and 1914, and again in 1925, the band master was a Mr. T. Russell. It has been assumed that Trussell and Russell were in fact the same person with Trussell's name being a contraction of T. Russell used for composing purposes. It seems this is a misunderstanding and that Charles Trussell and T. Russell appear to be two different people, as both apparently were conducting different bands in different places at the same time. Mr. T. Russell, like Trussell, appears to have originally come from England, but when he returned in 1925, he is recorded as having come back from England. He also apparently returned to England due to ill health. Charles Trussell would have been both coming from and returning to Australia rather than England at this time.

Return to Australia

In 1907 Trussell moved back to Australia, this time settling in

Ipswich, Queensland Ipswich () is a city in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River, it is approximately west of the Brisbane central business district. The city is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage. Ipswich pre ...

. He was appointed conductor of the Ipswich Vice-Regal Band, a position he held until his retirement in 1923. His wife died aged 58 in 1925 after an illness. He then moved to live near Bauple, Queensland. He continued playing with bands and was active composing and arranging (mostly contest pieces for brass bands) during this time receiving high praise for the quality of his music, especially his various selections from Verdi operas Charles Trussell died on 23 December 1946 aged 85. He is buried in

Maryborough Cemetery Maryborough Cemetery is a cemetery in Walker Street, Maryborough West, Maryborough, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The cemetery and its heritage-listed Mortuary Chapel have importance to the local community as the principal place o ...

Known works

This list is most likely incomplete. All works listed are composed or arranged for brass band unless otherwise stated. Included are works by the pseudonymous ''Carlile Vernon''. These works are indicated and are believed to be composed by Charles Trussell, but it has also been suggested they are works by Welsh composer William Carlile Bawden (b.1857, d.1925). *Alexandra (Dance) c. 1899"Papers Past"
"Nelson Garrison Band"

, Nelson, 15 December 1899. *Annexation (March) c. 1903 *Aviator (March) c. 1922Copy held in Kerepehi Brass Band library *Bridal Rose (Waltz) c. 1916 *Capiscolus (March) c. 1896"Papers Past"
"Newton Brass Band"

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

, Auckland, 4 July 1896 This is probably not an original composition by Trussell as reported. It is most likely Trussell conducting a performance the piece ''Capiscolus (Quickstep)'' by American William E. M. Petee, 1883. A copy of this piece with Trussell's name stamped on it is held in the Kerepehi Brass Band Library. *Concordia (Fantasia) c. 1903"Papers Past"
"Garrison Band Concert"

Wanganui Chronicle ''The Whanganui Chronicle'' is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Whanganui, it celebrated 160 years of publishing in September 2016. It is the main daily paper for the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei regions, including the towns of Patea, ...

, Whanganui, 2 May 1903. *Endymion (Waltz) *Exhibition (Overture?) (March?) c. 1899 *The Garrison (March) c. 1899 *Gems of Italian Opera (arr. Trussell) c. 1900 *Grand Junction (March) 1905 Dedicated to the Grand Junction Mine in

*Golden Grain (Waltz) c. 1927 *The Golden North (March) *

Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educated ...

(March) c. 1900 *

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

City (March) *

I Lombardi ''I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata'' (''The Lombards on the First Crusade'') is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an epic poem by Tommaso Grossi, which was "very much a ...

(Selection) (by

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

, arr. Trussell) c. 1906, Used as Test piece (A Grade) at

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

Contest 1907p95, Challenging Brass, 100 Years of Brass Band Contests in New Zealand, by S. P. Newcomb, 1980 Powerbrass Music Co. Ltd, Takapuna. *

I Masnadieri ''I masnadieri'' (''The Bandits'' or ''The Robbers'') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, based on the play ''Die Räuber'' by Friedrich von Schiller. As Verdi became more successful in Italy, he beg ...

(Selection) c. 1937 (by

arr. C. Trussell) *Il Bravo (Selection) (by Mercadante, arr. Trussell) c. 1910 *Ingomar (March) c. 1910 *Joys of Life (March), Composed as the A Grade Test March (quickstep) for the

Contest, 1902p68, Challenging Brass, 100 Years of Brass Band Contests in New Zealand, by S. P. Newcomb, 1980 Powerbrass Music Co. Ltd, Takapuna. *Knight Errant (Fantasia) c. 1922"Papers Past"
"Artillery Band" Evening Post, Wellington, 9 April 1923 *L’Ebreo (Selection) ( Apolloni arr. Trussell) 1902, Arranged specially as test piece for the

Contest 1902"Papers Past"
"Garrison Band Concert"

, Whanganui, 2 May 1903 *La Mia Speranza (Fantasia) c. 1901 arr. Trussell) (Some publications spell Speranizo rather than Speranza)"Papers Past"
"Nelson Garrison Band"

, Nelson, 14 May 1902 *

(Selection) (

arr. Trussell) 1906, Test Piece

Band Contest., Re-arranged to suit Lismore Contest Test piece (sometime between 1907 and 1914) *

Luisa Miller ''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller. Verdi's initial idea for ...

(Selection) (by

arr. Trussell) c. 1906, Used in 1920 for

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

contest *Lyonia (March) c. 1914 *

Maritana ''Maritana'' is a three-act opera including both spoken dialogue and some recitatives, composed by William Vincent Wallace, with a libretto by Edward Fitzball (1792–1873). The opera is based on the 1844 French play ''Don César de Bazan'' by ...

(Selection) (by

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

arr. Trussell) c. 1927 *Martha Hill (March) 1905, Dedicated to the Martha Hill Mine,

Mount Egmont Mount Taranaki (), also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second highest point in the North Island, after Mount Ruapehu. The mountain has a secon ...

(March) 1905, Composed as the A Grade Test March (quickstep) for the

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established i ...

Contest, 1906 *N G B (

Garrison Band) (March) c. 1900 *N I B B A (

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

Brass Band Association) (March) c. 1907, Composed as the A Grade Test March (quickstep) for the

Contest, 1908 *Our Journal (Trio –

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

) *

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

(Selection) (

arr. Trussell) c. 1920, written for the

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

Contest 1920 *The Patagonian (March) 1923, composed as the A Grade Test March (quickstep) for the

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

Contest, 1923 *The Pateena Valse (Waltz) (

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

), The title referring to the

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

''Pateena'' *The President (March) (composed as Carlile Vernon) *Pride of the North (March) c. 1914 *Princess Royal (Gavotte) (March?) c. 1899 *Queen of the Earth (Waltz) (March?) c. 1917, Possibly the same piece as ''Queen of the South''. *Queen of the South (Waltz) c. 1917, Possibly the same piece as ''Queen of the Earth''. *Reminisences of the Opera (Selection) (arr. Trussell) c. 1900 *Rifle Volunteers (March) c. 1903 *

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

(Selection) (by

, arr. Trussell) c. 1919, Test piece for

Contest 1919 *

Rimutaka The Remutaka Range (spelled Rimutaka Range before 2017) is the southernmost range of a mountain chain in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The chain continues north into the Tararua, then Ruahine Ranges, running parallel with the east c ...

(March) 1903, Composed as the A Grade Test March (quickstep) for the

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

Contest, 1903, Wanganui wins quickstep at Masterton Contest Rimutaka March listed as being specially composed for the event) *Rouge et Noir (Overture) c. 1918 *Scotch Melodies (Traditional, arr. Trussell) c. 1902, Possibly same piece as ''Scotland's Pride''. *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

’s Pride (Selection) (Traditional, arr. Trussell) c. 1901, Possibly same piece as ''Scotch Melodies'' * St. Kilda (March) c. 1923 *

Takapuna Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is situated at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. While very small in terms of population, it ...

(March) c. 1905 *Tiberius (March) (composed as Carlile Vernon) *The Tournament (Fantasia) c. 1906 *

Trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

Tutor (Method Book, published by John E. Dallas and Sons.) (written as Carlile Vernon) *Van Diemen (March) *

(Grand Selection) (arr. Trussell), Quite likely another of his selections composed by Verdi. *Victorine (Intermezzo?) (March?) c. 1903. A March entitled Victorine composed by

William Rimmer (music) William Rimmer (1862–1936) was a Lancashire composer and conductor of brass band music who was particularly well known for his marches. Rimmer was born in Southport in 1862 into a musical family. His father was bandmaster of the Lancashire ...

exists stamped with C. Trussell. So this is likely to have been mistaken as a composition by Trussell. *Volunteers Parade (Quick March) c. 1903 *

(March) c. 1903/05, Possibly same piece as Annexation March *

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

(March) c. 1926, Composed as the A Grade Test March (quickstep) for the

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

Contest, 1927 *Weel May the Boatie Row (March) c. 1901 *With All My Heart (

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

Solo) c. 1925"Papers Past"
"Bandsman Hill (Stan Hill? or Alan Hill?) soloist with Ponsonby Boys"

The Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...

, Christchurch, 28 December 1925

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trussell, Charles 1860 births 1946 deaths Australian musicians Brass band composers New Zealand musicians New Zealand military musicians

Biography

Early life

Australia

New Zealand

Return to Australia

Known works

References

Further reading

External links