05 The origin of bands in the Province of Brescia
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The creation of wind and string instruments, starting from handcrafts shops of Brescia (the legend says that the violin was invented by Gasparo from Salò), and the increasing activity of the diffusion of church organs, gave Brescia a European importance since 1500. in 1350 the City Council would pay a group of trumpeters called “Trombetta”, who had the task to accompany a councilman around the city to spread the “shouts” (announcements) of the authorities. The trumpeters would also take part in ceremonies, celebrations, tournaments and fairs.In the XVI century, Brescia was also famous for the number and the BRAVURA of its musicians, called to various Italian and European courts (Mantua, Florence, Ferrara, Milan and Venice, the royal court of Sassoon and Dresda). They were “expert players of trumpets, trombones, hornets, flutes, bagpipes, German flutes and violas”.At the beginning of the XII century, the term “band” defined wandering groups of musicians; in the XVIII century the word defined a musical group raised from the evolution of the fanfares by adding wood instruments and percussions. The band rises to the status of a real entity, made by wind instruments and percussions, at the end of the XVIII century, with the descent of Napoleon to Italy, who arrives in Brescia on May, 27th, 1796. As a matter of fact, it is thanks to France that more ceremonies and fairs are organised, giving more impulses to the bands.The first piece of news we find of a band is on the newspaper “Giornale Democratico” on October, 13th, 1798: it was a military band.During the Austrian occupation we see more and more musical events, like the organisation of free music schools, particularly aimed at the young. These associations, called Philharmonics, had no easy life, because none of these could be set up without the authorisation of the Austrian police. Their main target was to educate the young into the art of music, by a personal constant commitment which would occupy their spare time, avoid laziness, keeping them away from the pubs, which were often the set for moral and physical degradation.The Board of the Philharmonic was formed by a Political Delegate, a director and a deputy, a bookkeeper and a cashier, named by the Austrian police.The Political Delegate had the task of “special surveillance” on the political feelings and directions of the members of the band. In 1835 the Austrian authorities began pressing in order to have the national Austrian anthem played by the bands of Brescia. Consequently some bands suspended their activity not to obey this order.In the valleys the bands developed all the same, in spite of all the limitations imposed.It seems that the oldest band of the Province was the band of Salò, founded in 1818 as City band and which later received the official Approval from the Royal Empire Government of Milan on February, 24th, 1823. By the middle of the XIX century more bands followed this path, like the filarmonica of Palazzolo (1846), Breno (1850), Toscolano Maderno (1853), Pisogne (1857), Orzinuovi (1860), Iseo (1861), Desenzano (1874), Rovato (1874), Gardone Val Trompia (1874), Leno (1879), Calvisano (1880), Sarezzo (1886).
News from “La Provincia” tell us about the birth of more bands in 1887, in Lovere, Marone, Pisogne and Alzano.A patriotic strengthening of the bands took place with the unification of Italy, when towns founded fanfares and bands to celebrate national events; since then, the bands have been used also for religious celebrations and funerals.The contrast between the Church and the State took place also on band level, where there were several arguments, to the point that in some towns there were two bands (one Liberal – red – and one Catholic – white).Another source for musical education was the school of music, under the name of Istituto Filarmonico Venturi, where there were courses to learn to sing and play several instruments. This school was founded in 1862 by the Council of Brescia with the heredity of Carlo Antonio Venturi, according to his last will.The importance of this institution is in the possibility it gave to the poorest classes to enter the world of music; this social opening will be a leading target of the school for over a century; later, the institution became a State Conservatory in 1971. Among the teachers of the school there were band conductors like Gaetano Tosi and Gentile Vasini, pioneers of the spreading of the bands in the Province of Brescia.
News from “La Provincia” tell us about the birth of more bands in 1887, in Lovere, Marone, Pisogne and Alzano.A patriotic strengthening of the bands took place with the unification of Italy, when towns founded fanfares and bands to celebrate national events; since then, the bands have been used also for religious celebrations and funerals.The contrast between the Church and the State took place also on band level, where there were several arguments, to the point that in some towns there were two bands (one Liberal – red – and one Catholic – white).Another source for musical education was the school of music, under the name of Istituto Filarmonico Venturi, where there were courses to learn to sing and play several instruments. This school was founded in 1862 by the Council of Brescia with the heredity of Carlo Antonio Venturi, according to his last will.The importance of this institution is in the possibility it gave to the poorest classes to enter the world of music; this social opening will be a leading target of the school for over a century; later, the institution became a State Conservatory in 1971. Among the teachers of the school there were band conductors like Gaetano Tosi and Gentile Vasini, pioneers of the spreading of the bands in the Province of Brescia.
