Bandon recorder., December 19, 1907, Image 3

»
I
Anniversary
Section Two
Number.
Pages 8-16
VOLUME XXIV
Bandon, Coos County, Oregon, December 19,
would tender his resignation; suffice
to say that it was Marell the 1st,
1906, near^ two years from that
date, when Prof. Harris tendered his
1 he Band, however, was again resignation and retired from the
lucky, and secured another able musical business entirely and en­
Director in the person of W. Frank gaged in the abstract business with
Harris, a native o< Santa Ana, Cali­ his brother in Santa Ana, California,
fornia, who reached Bandon about with the announcement that had he
April 1st, 1904, from St. Joe, Texas. intended to follow band directing,
Prof Harris took hold of the Band he would not have resigned. Ban­
with the zest and spirit of his pred­ don will al ways hold pleasant re­
ecessors, and being a man of clever /membranee of \V. Frank Harris and
During this
musical ability, besides having ten his estimable wife.
years’ experience as a Director, and time the Band changed its name
being of a genial disposition, a good from the “Bandon Fire Department
» »
judge of human nature, and clever Band’’ to “Bandon Concert Band,
Musical Organization of Southwest Oregon
Filled with the same fire that
prompted the creation of the old
Bandon Cornet Band, about the
22nd day of February, 1902, C. S.
McCulloch and a few of his faithful
followers conceived the idea of or­
ganizing another band, consequently
mustered together as many of the
old confederates as could be per­
suaded to take any interest in the
affair, and together with a number
of the young and more enthusiastic
bloods of the town, raised funds
enough to buy a bristling bunch of
tin cans of the famous Jean Marbeau
style; this, however, could not have
been accomplished but for the char­
ity of Clarence Lowe, who had
dealers’ prices on musical instruments
and gave the boys a very liberal
discount. Well, to make a long
story short, the instruments came
and the boys cast lots to see who
should get which, and if the writer
remembers correctly, Joe McCord
won first pick and went off home
smiling behind the Bb Bass, which,
by the way, was the most expensive
and most attractive of the instru­
ments; Earnie Boak got the next
draw and picked up a Bb Cornet,
with the remark that he would take
one nearer his size as an experiment
and see what he could do with a lit­
tle one first; other draws followed as
interesting as the first two, but we
don’t remember just who or what
they were, only that Lawrence Stitt
fell heir to the Tuba, and George
Manciett got snared on the Tenor
Drum; all other instruments being
divided up, except one Eb Comet
which Herb Manciett was bribed
into taking, and the Bass Drum
which went begging, principally for
the reason that it could not be blown
or was not made of polished brass;
nevertheless, the organization went
to work- learning the scale with a
vengeance, and the first real work
was accomplished when our well-
remembered French friend, Louis
Garnaud, was imported from Che­
halis, Washington, with his Cornet,
Violin, Guitar, Mandolin and Whis­
tle, Jto tea h the new Band how to
“Um ta la.’1-
After six months if thorough
drilling, very much to the credit of
this Leader, the Band sounded con-
sidcrably like a musical organization,
%
and played quite a number of good
pieces, among which were the Red,
Blue and Green Marches, well rc-
membered by the old band boy’s.
After our first Leader had made
all the money he thought possible
out of the Band and the people, he
severed his connections with the or­
ganization; we will, however, give
h:m credit lor doing good work with
the Band, and more than all, start-
ing it out right. Garnaud was a
finished musician, and could not be
To nuke a success of a country
band, give it a standing, keep up
the interest of the musicians, and,
in fact, have and maintain a good
organization, it is necessary to keep
Directors who understand their bus­
iness, preferably imported men.
T^e next Director to follow was
Charles J. Franchi, of San Fran­
cisco, a student of Billey Mayhood,
and a musician and gentleman in
every respect; an ambitious worker at handling band organizations, was as the organization had grown from
for the Band, a fine cornetist, and a not long in winning the friendship fourteen to eighteen and twenty
? Mi
’r ■
-
JsTC.'
The Bandon Concert Band, from a Photograph taken after a Concert on the Beach, June
accused of being lazy; his nervous
temperament was the only thing
against him; he worked to the in­
terest of the Band, and especially
his own interest. With the passing
of this man, however, the manage­
ment learned one thing which had
much to do with the musical stand­
ing of the present organization
(which, by the way, was organized
under the name of “Bandon Fire
Department Band’’) and that was:
NUMBER I.
mzny pleasant events spent with Mr.
and Mrs. Franchi, besides the last­
ing effects of his splendid musical
work.
The Bandon Concert Band, The Leading
“Bandon Concert Band,”
the leading musical organization of
Bandon, and one of the best bands
in the State of Oregon, outside of
Portland, came into existence about
the last of February, 1902. Some
of its members having an unsatisfied
appetite for music and wishing for
some place to let off their pent up
musical energy, conceived the idea
of organizing a band. Bandon once,
prior to the coming into existence of
the present organization, boasted of
a band, and a good one, too, but
through some dint of misfortune,
. coupled with a lack of interest (on
the part of both members and pa­
trons), the old band went to pieces,
following the well worn path of the
many organizations of its kind down
to perdition.
i907.
man who made many friends. Fran-
chi arrived some time in the fall of
1903, and again the Band went
ahead by leaps and bounds. Unfor­
tunately, however, the Director
tired of the quiet life of Bandon,
and returned to San Francisco. After
spending the summer in California,
he again returned to Bandon, again
resigning his position about the first
of March, 1904, leaving many
friends in Bandon to remember the
and confidence of the men, and the
esteem of the entire public. Conse-
sequently, the Band again went
ahead with its usual rapid strides to
success. Up to this time the Band
was hardly old enough to read music
at [sight, and Harris announced in
the Band room one evening that this
Band would have to read his grade
of music, which it was then playing,
at sight within two months from the
date of his announcement, or he
23rd,
’s
1907.
men, and had added a Reed section
in order to handle the grade of
music which they had advanced to
using.
The next man the management
undertook to secure was our present
1 >i rec tor; however, we were disap-
pointed in our first attempt.
On June 1st, 1906, Frank Bowker,
of Lead, South Dakota, was engaged
to wield the baton over what had
grown to be something of a substan-
tial musical organization, and held
that position until about the 1st of
September of the same year, v. a .1
the management for the second l
opened negotiations with Prof. E
Kausrud, of Wisconsin, but wit',
success. We then got into cot
spondence with one Frederi k
Bartley, of Henderson, Texas, ;. I
closed a contract with him, 1
however, without some misappr■.!:
sion, as Bartley seemed to be of . 1
unsettled temperament. This 11
started for Bandon about Septemh
7th, and got as far as Drain, Oregon
when some miscreant, who had im
■
venom than consciem e, had the ;. 1
dacity to advise him that he 1 ;
been humbugged, or, rather, hoi
winked by the versatile (hot a:)
pen of the Manager of the P> nd«. 1
Concert Band, and that things .hi 1
Bartley believed, were not, v het
upon the gentleman lost his fail 1
returned to Portland, and wn te :■
the Band what had happened. \ «
then telegraphed him and witlrt ■
assistance of all our Portland ftiet • .
tried to assure Mr. Bartley of «
good faith, but without avail; 1
he wired us back. “Nothing doit;
going South,” and as we nil. 1
upon what has since transpired, \ ■
are now glad that there was “i,<>
ing doing," as we again opci., !
negotiations with Prof. E. B. Ka
rud, and this time calling to
assistance the influence of an
time friend of his, was successful. A
contract was signed, and he is s. .1
with us, an able director, a prof
sional musician, and a gentlem 1
The Band is now composed of tw
ty-four men, fully equipped w d
high grade instruments and ft:
uniformed, and we feel that
should be forgiven for a natui .l
amount of pride when we say th t
not only the members, but the good
citizens of Bandon and many othei ,
are proud of the organization which
helps to sound the pi o,peritv of
Coos County and tickle the ear of
the visitor with not only popular but
standard music and operatic .‘■elec­
tions.
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