The Brass Bands Archive (BBA) was born out of the collection curated by an enthusiastic bandsman, Walter Ainscough, which was previously known as ‘The National Brass Band Archive’. He embraced his uncle’s passion for collecting programmes, and music from the Belle Vue contest. Walter and Alan Marsh curated a collection reflecting the history of brass banding in a flat above a funeral parlour in Wigan. In 2018, the Archive received notice on the building causing it to close with immediate effect which prompted the Archive’s Trustees to trigger a clause in the constitution passing custodianship of the National Brass Band Archive to Brass Bands England (BBE). Since then, archivists have catalogued the original material, continued to receive donations from bands and other individuals, and promoted the Archive through outreach funded by the National Heritage Lottery fund. You will now find the Archive, now known as The Brass Bands Archive, housed at Heritage Quay, the University of Huddersfield’s Archives. 

BBA shines a light on the History of Brass Banding, and on the individuals who contributed to the development of brass banding, including composers, arrangers, conductors, publishers, and of course brass bands. The collection also preserves lesser-known stories; from photographs of contemporary bands and players to contest and competition programmes from across the country. The archive reflects a broad range of experiences across the brass banding sector. The collection consists of well over 8,000 music sets, hundreds of vinyl recordings, trophies, photographs, contest programmes, publications, stand banners, uniforms, account and engagement books, historical artefacts and other memorabilia/ephemera. It is forever growing as more and more brass banders trust us with their history by donating to the Archive.  This exhibition will spotlight some of BBA’s collections and give you a taste of what is held within the Brass Bands Archive.  

^Music

Unsurprisingly there is a plethora of Brass Band music within the collection, over 8000 pieces of music; typescript music from Brass Band journals, and beautiful manuscript music from prominent composers and arrangers. This music was originally collected by Walter Ainscough and Alan Marsh for The National Brass Bands Archive Music Library, of which the collection is now closed.  

Subsequent donations of music to the Archive have included long forgotten manuscripts of music. An amazing example of this is the Meltham and Meltham Mills donation in 2022. During routine maintenance, a hidden collection of music from the band’s most successful period in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was discovered. This collection, which includes many original handwritten scores, provides a unique glimpse into the band’s storied past. You can read more about this donation in our blog! 

_{Aida and Jessonda from the Meltham and Meltham Mills donation of manuscript scores. [BBA/B/ME/M/1 and 13]} 

^Music

The Archive has four phonograph cylinders, first invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, which are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. We do not know what is recorded on these, we have not yet had them digitised but the labels on them give an indication. They include: 

• Ten Thousand Times March 

• A Woodland Serenade – E.A. Band 

• Ring out the Bells for Christmas (W.C.Williams) and Christmas Song, Edison Concert Band and Edison Mixed Quartet. 

• Softly awakes my heart – Sergant Leggett (Cornet) 

One day we hope to hear these amazing records…. 

^Photographs

The Archive has nearly 1,000 photographs of individual brass banders, brass band contests, brass bands and other brass banding events. The photographs range from the 19^th century to 21^st century, the earliest photograph we have is from 1865 of the 4th Lancashire Rifle Band [BBA/P/B/1]. We even have a photograph of Creswell Colliery band down a mine! The Archive has many more photos yet to be identified and dated but work is ongoing to catalogue the images with the assistance of volunteers and enthusiastic brass banders.  

^{Contest Material}  

Brass Band contests are interwoven into the fabric of Brass Band history, and its community The Archive holds material telling the stories of Brass Band contesting, from the prestigious National Championships to famous local contests including Whit Friday in Saddleworth. The Archive includes national and local contest material such as results lists, adjudicator notes, banners, contest programmes, correspondence, trophies, and awards. If contests are your thing and you want to know more, listen to the second instalment of the Brass Bands Podcast: Archive Edition! 

There are many contest programmes included in the collection including the Mineworkers contest programmes, local contests, National Brass Band Championships, Crystal Palace contest, and Whit Friday contest programmes.   There are many more programmes and contest ephemera in the collection which document the history of contesting.  

The Brass Band Archive holds approximately 127 trophies and awards! From the Band of the Year Trophy, The 1945 Daily Herald Silver Challenger Shield, to small pin badges from the National Brass Band Festival and even a commemorative tankard from John Smith’s Brewery Wigan Brass Band Championship. 

Trophies can tell stories both social histories and political. The New Party contest, of which the trophy above originates, promoted Sir Oswald Mosley’s New Party which adopted overtly fascist thinking in the 1930s and he even set up a party militia called the ‘Biff Boys’. 

^{Journals and Magazines} 

The collection preserves over 40 different brass band journals and magazines which tell the stories of the brass banding world throughout the 20^th century, an invaluable resource for those researching the history of brass bands, brass band competitions and prominent brass banders. The oldest journal is dated from 1884. 

The Archive is a rich collection which tell the stories of brass banding and its history, this is only a snapshot of the collection. There is other brass band ephemera which is preserved within the Archive; posters, brass band instrument and uniform catalogues, rule books, brass band account and engagement books, adjudicator notes, correspondence between brass bands, contest organisations and brass banders from all over the world throughout the 20^th century.  

^{Further Highlights from the Collection}