Colliery band

A British brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around communities and local industry, with colliery bands being particularly notable. The Stalybridge Old Band (still in existence) was formed in 1809 and was perhaps the first civilian brass band in the world.

Bands using the British instrumentation are the most common form of brass band in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and are also widespread in continental Europe, Japan and North America. The tradition for brass bands in the UK is continuing, and local communities and schools have brass bands. British band contesting is highly competitive, with bands organized into five sections much like a football league. Competitions are held throughout the year at local, regional, and national levels, and at the end of each year there are promotions and relegations. The 2016 holder of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain is the Cory Band from Wales.

A selection of brass bands can be experienced at the annual Durham Miners' Gala. There are also highly contested annual events held on Whit Friday in the Saddleworth area of Greater Manchester in which hundreds of bands compete.

The term silver band is synonymous with brass band in this sense; the vast majority of bands termed either brass or silver incorporate musicians playing both lacquered and silver-plated instruments. In the days when brass instruments were not as costly as silver-plated ones, the term, silver band, implied a band that could afford the latter and thus were a more successful band. Now, however, the costs are similar and the distinction between brass and silver bands is generally not made. There are, however, some brass bands who carried the name, silver prize band, as a result of their successes in contests and competitions. As time went on, some kept the name, silver but not necessarily the instruments. Nowadays, the only real difference is that silver bands are located mainly in the south of England and brass bands in the north, although some silver bands do still exist in the North and many brass bands exist in the South.

British Brass Bands are limited to specific instruments, excluding, for instance trumpets or French horns, which are found in orchestras and concert bands.

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