A history of brass bands in New South Wales 1788-1901

The brass band as a unique musical ensemble began to emerge in Britain during the early 19th centuries. The reed bands and later brass bands grew out of the pre-existing musical ensembles of the time. By the middle of the 19th century an all brass band tradition had developed that would go on to become one of Britains' most recognisable forms of amateur music making. The colony of New South Wales was initially established as a penal settlement. The early musical scene was dominated by British army bandsmen who were present as part of the forces sent to run the penal colony. Civilian brass and reed bands began to develop from the 1840's with the abandoning of convict transportation in favour of free settlement. Settlers from the socioeconomic groups and regions traditionally associated with banding provided the initial impetus for the formation of civilian bands. The growth of the band movement was also aided by the departure of the British military in 1870 and the formation of local military forces, complete with bands. Colonial expansion, ie. outside of Sydney, also saw many more bands formed in the newly founded country towns. The British model of the amateur all brass band began to become established in New South Wales, and Australia as a whole, around the turn of the 20th century. Prior to this time the preferred instrumental line up was mixed brass and reed. Amateurism, within the New South Wales band movement, is a 20th century phenomena.