Band Parent's Bibliography

What You Should Be Reading (Assuming anyone ever writes these books, some real books here)
A choice list with commentary to assist in selection.

Band Director's Spouse! It's More Than a Marriage, Its Helping to Run the Band! by J.Q. Finsterblatt, Band Parents' Publishing Company, Kenosha, Wisconsin

• A heartwarming look at those long suffering persons who marry band directors. Includes hundreds of anecdotes contributed by band director's spouses from every corner of the world.

Band Room Ballads by George Yenetchi, Editiones Musicali, Baytown, Texas

• Pathetic attempt to record a high school band's 1994 marching season in poetry by a fish band parent. An embarrassment to all concerned.

Big Book of Home Musical Instrument Repair by the Editors of NewsTime, Life-Time Publishing, New York, New York

• Indispensable guide for the do-it-yourself instrument fixer. From struck mouthpiece removal to flute repadding it is all here with simple step by step instructions and clear full color illustrations.

The Complete History of Brass by F.S. Wolfe, The American Society of Metallurgists

• The story of this metal alloy so important to band instruments makes compelling reading. From the first smelting of copper in the late Neolithic Age to today's sophisticated quaternary alloys, its all here. Complete phase diagrams and hundreds of photomicrographs included.

Everything About Tubas by Ludwig V. Egbertson
(84,779 pages in 100 volumes) Editiones Musicali, Baytown, Texas

• Tuba aficionado Ludwig Egbertson traces the development of the modern tuba from hollowed-out animal horns (proving that the tuba's conical bore is 100% natural unlike the artificial and contrived cylindrical bore of trombones and trumpets) through the early use of wood and bronze metal alloys, the Roman tuba (it was NOT a trumpet), a complete discussion of the etymology of the word "tuba" from Indo-European through Latin and Norman French to modern English including synonyms such as bombardon and non-English words for tuba, the decline of tubas in the dark ages, the rediscovery of conical bore bass horns in the renaissance, the bass serpent, ophicleide and other precursors of the modern tuba, folk conical bore bass horns such as the alpenhorn, all of which leads to the dramatic story of Adolphe Sax's invention of valved bass Saxhorns in 1840. He meticulously presents the evolution of the modern tuba in America and Europe to the present including the development of tubas in various keys, 4,5 and 6 valve tubas, front action valves vs. side action valves, rotary valves vs. piston valves, valve slide triggers, compensating valves, upright bell and bell front (recording) tubas and marching tubas, helicons and sousaphones.

• From these basics Mr. Egbertson moves to matters of particular concern to the serious tubist (yet of interest to the most casual reader) including the metallurgy of tuba brass alloys, eutectic and non-eutectic alloy compositions, sheet metal forming techniques, lacquer coatings, silver, nickel and chrome platings, other tuba metals (nickel for valves, silver for trim and ferrules) and non-metals (nylon for cold weather mouthpieces, mother of pearl for valve caps etc.). An extensive section on Zen and the Art of Tuba Maintenance covers the composition of valve oils, recommended slide lubricants, the care of lacquer finishes, dent removal, corrosion control, cleaning and protective devices including sleeves, "sousa-savers", bags and cases.

• The equations of vibration are reviewed in detail, the theoretical background for sound in a conical air column is explained including why even the open notes on a tuba depart from the artificial "equal-tempered" tuning system adopted by piano makers and why the tuba's "natural intonation" is musically superior. The spherical Henkel differential equations, which describe the interaction of a tuba and its acoustical environment, are solved for a variety of boundary conditions. The effect of tuba mutes on sound quality is explained and different kinds of mutes considered. Complimenting this technical discussion are interviews with noted tubists, conductors and teachers who explain their views of the ideal tuba sound. This section includes an appreciation of the most famous tubas ever made (the 1920 Conn, the 1937 York, the Alexander, the 1909 Boston Musical Instrument Company etc) with the author's predictions of which of today's tubas will be the classics of the future. Mr. Egbertson joins the tuba design debate between those who favor traditional "craftsman" techniques and those who favor modern analytical computer design on the side of the latter.

• The second chapter presents the history of tuba music (both the solo and ensemble literature). Following a survey of pre-tuba bass-wind music it covers the first use of tubas in orchestral scores (Berlioz), the commendably swift adoption of the tuba in orchestras generally and the different uses made of the tuba in ensembles. The solo literature for tuba is explored in detail with extensive printed examples (and recorded examples on the companion set of 100 compact disks, available separately @ $2000.00) from the novelty numbers of the late 1800's to the serious works of the 20th century (Vaughn Williams, Hindemith, Persicetti etc).

• Next is an historical review of the production and sales of tubas, the major (and minor) manufacturers, the primary purchasers, a review of pricing mechanisms, marketing techniques and a complete breakdown of tuba sales for the last 100 years by country and company, the effect of the business cycle on tuba production, the boom in American output following World War I, the consolidations and bankruptcies of the Depression, the decline in American manufacture due to European and Japanese competition in the 1970's and 1980's.

• The section on ergonomics covers human anatomy as it relates to the tuba, the embouchure muscles are identified and their interaction with jaw and mouthpiece explained. Norms of finger and arm movement and their proper consideration in valve design are reviewed, the human lack of long prehensile tails is regretted. Special considerations for younger and smaller players are listed within a comprehensive consideration of the implications of 3/4, 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 size tubas. National and cultural tuba preferences are listed and explained.

• Biographies not only of the great tuba soloists (William J. Bell, Harvey Phillips, John Fletcher, Harold L. Walters, etc) but also of every tuba player in a top 25 American and a top 20 European orchestra since 1880, the tuba players in the great marching bands of the late 1800's-early 1900's including the military bands of the USA and Europe and also of the great craftsmen who made tubas and the composers of the more influential tuba methods (Blazevich, Wekellsblatt, Kopprash, Smith etc.).

• The third chapter reviews the social impact of tubas, the growth of groups like the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association, the origins of the Tuba Christmas movement, the ongoing philosophic controversy of what should be considered a tuba- Is the euphonium a small tuba or just a "cornet" for trombone players? Is there any real difference between euphoniums and baritone horns? Is the fluegel horn really a sopranino tuba? Just what kind of a tuba is a "bombardon" anyway? The tuba's place in popular culture is featured including the tuba drawings of the great Gerard Hoffnung, hundreds of other tuba and sousaphone cartoons, a selection of tuba nic-naks and jewelry, a review of tuba comedy pieces (Tubby the Tuba), and a heart felt essay on the public's continuing confusion of sousaphones and tubas. All other aspects of the tuba are covered in the remaining 219 chapters.

FUNKY WINKERBEAN: The Marching Band Strips by Tom Batiuk

• An amusing and touching collection of all the Funky Winkerbean comic strips about the Westview High School Scapegoats Marching Band. So true to life its spooky!

Marching Band Companion, A by Ludwig V. Egbertson, Editiones Musicali, Baytown, Texas

• Everything you ever wanted to know about marching bands and more! Even the complete neophyte will develop a proper appreciation of this incredible art form. Explains marching technique, music arrangement, what contest judges look for, etc. Hundreds of diagrams and photographs.

Real Cheap Cooking with Scrounged Ingredients: Swamp-Yankee Recipes from the Depression by E.C.and H. L. Drake, Old Oaken Bucket Books, Hingham, Mass.

• The Great Depression of the 1930's hit no group harder than the 'Swamp Yankees" of the bogs of southeastern Massachusetts. Generally crotchety and distrustful of government aid programs administered `way up in Boston they used that fabled Yankee ingenuity to create edible dishes from whatever was available. Personal favorites- Boiled birch-bark and cranberries, boiled oak leaves and cranberries, boiled rice-weed and cranberries, boiled horse chestnuts and cranberries and ,for those special occasions, boiled seaweed and cranberries.

SET !!! by Dr. James Engelklever, Random Mouse Publishers, Chicago, Illinois

• The autobiography of perhaps America's greatest band director fondly known to generations of his students as "Dr. Engelklever, Sir". From humble beginnings as a cornetist in the Warren G. Harding Elementary beginner band in Kegahoga Falls, Kentucky Engelklever went on to achieve an unequaled 25 consecutive National Championships leading the University of West Aukanokaka Marching Band. Here in his own words is the complete story including all the set charts from his championship shows and a wonderfully heartfelt essay on the importance of sock color in uniform selection.

Band Parent's Videography

(What You Should Be Watching )
A choice list with commentary to assist in selection.

America's Funniest Marching Band Bloopers VHS Videotape

• Here they are, the most hilarious marching band mishaps captured on videotape by both amateurs and professionals. Students marching into one another, instruments breaking, dogs running onto the field, sudden cloudbursts, they're all here. Includes the classic Purdue University Band "domino effect" sousaphone disaster from the 1957 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the "MIT wins Harvard-Yale Game" half-time incident from 1978. Its enough to make a band director cry.

And the Band Played On, Motion Picture, British, 1961

• A professional London-based musician moves to the country where he is persuaded to take over as conductor of a village brass band. Charming comedy of class and cultural differences in post-war Britain. Parental Warning: graphic footage of sheep dipping.

Mr. Holland's Opus, Motion Picture, USA 1995

• Hollywood's idea of a band director. Still it would be fascinating to know how a high school under financial pressure which suddenly decides to start a marching band afforded $200,000. worth of marching instruments, uniforms and equipment.

The Music Man, Motion Picture, USA 1962

• Superlative film version of the classic Broadway musical about bands and band parenting in early Twentieth Century Iowa. Triple threat author/composer/librettist and Iowa native Meredith Wilson was a piccolo player in Sousa's Band and knew his subject matter inside out.

The Stars and Stripes Forever, Motion Picture, USA 1952

• Hollywood biography of John Philip Sousa is not as bad as it might have been (Oliver Stone did not direct). Clifton Web is a stiff and skinny Sousa who whines a lot about how his marches have overshadowed his other music. That complaint was never once raised by Sousa in his 400 page autobiography and is undoubtedly a Hollywood invention. Any man who disliked marches as much as this Hollywood Sousa would never have written so many of them. Still the music is well performed.

Copyright 1996 by George Yenetchi

Copyright 1994. 1995, 1996 , 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 by George Yenetchi