Royal Spa Brass is a
brass band in the town of
Royal Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...
,
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Early history
The original Royal Spa Brass (newspapers give the name as Royal Spa Band) was founded by Alfred Titcomb on 15 January 1901 and, by the end of the year, had 26 players. In January 1912 it became the band of the Warwickshire Yeomanry but continued to appear as Royal Spa Band for another two years. It was dissolved during the First World War and reformed in 1920 and continued until 1939 when it ceased again.
Fifteen years later it re-formed by an amalgamation of Kenilworth Town and Bishops Itchington brass bands using the name "The Royal Leamington Spa Silver Band". The band was wound up again in 1970 but soon restarted in 1973. According to the band's official history, it reverted to its original name of Royal Spa Brass in 1992, and has since concentrated on Concert rather than Contest performance.
["Royal Spa Brass' story started in 1902"]
(official history of band). Accessed 11 August 2012.
The band had considerable success during its Contest days, winning the
Third section and then Second section of the Midland Area Championships, and reaching the National Finals.
New millennium
The Band's headquarters is called The Band Factory.
[ It has played in conjunction with annual ]caroling
A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling).
T ...
events at Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a meander of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-an ...
. In December 2011, for example, the band played at Warwick Castle alongside the choirs of the Collegiate Church of St Mary
The Collegiate Church of St Mary is a Church of England parish church in Warwick, Warwickshire, England. It is in the centre of the town just east of the market place. It is grade I listed, and a member of the Major Churches Network.
The church ...
.
In 2006, two musicians marked fifty years in the band. Conductor Paul Russell and baritone player Ken Owen both joined the group in 1956, and were still playing a half century later.
According to its official history, Royal Spa Band continues to be a non-auditioning band that welcomes players of all abilities. In 2008, Buddin' Brass was officially set up for young and adult beginners. Since the inception of Buddin' Brass, many of its members have made the move into the main band.[Brass concert]
, ''Coventry Evening Telegraph
The ''Coventry Telegraph'' is a local English tabloid newspaper. It was founded as ''The Midland Daily Telegraph'' in 1891 by William Isaac Iliffe, and was Coventry's first daily newspaper. Sold for half a penny, it was a four-page broadsheet ne ...
'' (9 December 2011).
The band accepts musicians of any age, and practice once a week."Brass band to play music from movies"
''Leamington Spa Courier'' (1 February 2008).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Spa Brass
British brass bands
Leamington Spa
Music in Warwickshire