The Salvation Army Brass
Early in its history The Salvation Army used brass instruments which, over time, developed into its trademark. Today the top bands of The Salvation Army are internationally known.
Brass Band Stockholm 7
In 1878, Charles Fry with his sons Fred, Ernest and Bert began to support The Salvation Army with brass music at their meetings. So it was that the town of Salisbury (UK) saw the Salvation Army's first small brass band.
At first William Booth was not very enthusiastic about the idea of a brass band. However, the success convinced him otherwise. The Salvation Army Corps in other places soon followed suit.
Charles Fry with his wife and sons Fred, Ernest and Bert
The use of brass music and the big bass drum for church services was not appreciated by everyone. But William Booth explained that it didn't matter whether you call people into the meeting with bells or the beat of drums.
Over the years, they have grown into stately bands in many places
Nowadays one can always hear or see great brass bands of The Salvation Army. Some of the bands travel to other countries for concerts, which are attended by brass instrument music lovers.
Melbourne Staff Band at the Internationalen Congress 2015 in London