An American's Guide to Whit Friday

          After living and going to school in Manchester, England, I’ve tried to keep up with British culture.  Beyond occasionally checking out a Manchester United football match, this includes keeping up to date with British brass banding events.  I’m amazed with how many American euphonium players haven’t  learned about or become involved with brass bands.  I can’t complain too much because I had never played in a brass band until I was in England.  My first experience in a brass band and my first time ever playing a baritone was actually when I was filling in for a rehearsal with Black Dyke.  Talk about baptism by fire!  We played “The Force of Destiny.”  I was hooked.

          A big part of banding for many brass bands is competition.  The US only has two major brass banding events per year, the US Open Brass Banding Championships, and the North American Brass Banding Association’s (NABBA) annual contest.  Great Britain, the place where banding originated, has many, many more events per year than the US.   I won’t get into all of them because frankly, they confuse me!  There are so many that even when I was in England, I couldn’t keep track of them all.  However, one of the most unique brass banding events just took place this weekend, and I wanted to take advantage of the news peg to let everyone know about it.  Maybe I’ll get someone new hooked on brass banding.

          Whit Friday (no, I didn’t miss the “e” at the end of Whit) is the Friday before the beginning of Pentecost, the Christian feast seven weeks after Easter.  This year, that Friday was June 17^th, this past Friday.  For the event, brass bands around the area meet up around mid-afternoon to cram into a coach bus with all of their instruments and supplies (and often beer).  They travel to various towns and cities in the area.  At each location, the band plays two marches.  During the first march, the band actually marches into the contesting area.  During the second march, the band plays in a set location and is judged by a hidden adjudicator.  After playing at a certain location, the band gets back in the coach and heads to the next location.  At some point in the evening, around 10:30 for smaller towns or as late as 2:00 am, the winners (winners Tameside, winners Saddleworth) are announced.  The contest is known for having so many prizes.  A band could win for marching well, having the best soloists, playing well, or even being the first to play at a certain location.  Prizes range from £1,000 for best performance in a larger city to £35 for best soloist award.  

          This year’s big winner was Brighouse and Rastrick, winning most of the larger prizes and many of the best soloist awards.  Here’s a youtube video of their performance at Dobcross, one of the cities involved in the Whit Friday competition. 

If you want to follow up with a more comprehensive listing of the winners and categories, check out 4barsrest.com.  Next year’s Whit Friday is scheduled for June 1^st.