From the beginning
Bugle Band Contest 1926
Transport back to 1912, a
time when the gramophone was in its infancy and the radio had not been
invented. Live performances were the only opportunity of enjoying music and it
was against this backdrop that the idea of a band contest was greeted with such
enthusiasm.
Within the concentrated Mid-Cornwall clay country villages there were in excess
of a dozen bands, which gave a tremendous base, and it was estimated that around
6,000 attended that first contest.
With no formal grading structure in place it was decided to run the contest in
two sections determined by the size of the band.
Class B was for bands of 16
players and under, whilst Class A was for the larger bands. We believe this was
the first contest to attempt some form of grading.
It was intended to be a one off event to raise funds for the building of a
Working Men's Institute in the village, but such was the success of the day it
was decided to continue as a Festival in its own right.
The First World War brought an abrupt end to such social gatherings, but the contest was resurrected at the cessation of hostilities to herald in what is generally perceived as the golden age of the contest. Big name bands, (both Munn & Feltons and Black Dyke competed at Bugle in the same year that they won the Nationals), and huge crowds gave Bugle a growing national reputation.
Suspension of the contest was again necessary for the Second World War, but 1947
saw its revival and the Festival has now seen an unbroken run of over 70 years.
Much has changed, but the Festival has remained true to its original concept as
an open air event. For one year in 1971, with stormy weather forecast, the
contest was taken under canvas, but it was not generally liked and the
experiment has never been repeated.
Bugle Band Contest 1951
The most significant change
has been to transfer the contest from the grounds at Peniel to the present venue
at Molinnis Park. Cloaked in the historic past and set in atmospheric
surroundings, Peniel had become the spiritual home of the Festival, but the
total inadequacy of car parking arrangements for an increasingly mobile
population and the lack of basic services was making it increasingly untenable.
It was a brave decision to move, but one that probably ensured the long-term
survival of the Festival.
The Festival is not a fund raising venture for any organisation, its sole
purpose being the continuation of the contest for the greater enjoyment of brass
band music, as is defined by our Registered Charity status. Whilst attendance's
have fallen away from those heady prewar years, it would still take a larger
hall than Cornwall possesses to house the contest indoors.
The Contest Today
Competition is run to the Five National Grades. A Youth Section is also included, but to cover local considerations this is run under our own Festival rules. The most significant departure is that we allow two senior players to take the stage.
In 2013 the committee decided to take the bold move of introducing a Training Section. This was done to give younger players and senior beginners the opportunity to experience contest conditions and enjoy the unique experience that is playing on the stage at Bugle.
Each class has a set test piece, the placings for which decides the Section
winners. Additionally a second piece is set for the top sections, usually a
Chorus, Hymn Tune or March. This is an historical hang over, and until more
recent times the points awarded were aggregated to decide the class winners. We
now feel the Test Piece is the major piece, but because of the nature of our
audience the secondary piece has been retained to give variety.
MARCH TO THE CONTEST GROUNDS
March to the contest grounds - 2004
The march to and from the
contest grounds was introduced at the inaugural Festival in 1912, and has been
retained as a popular feature ever since, although optional for the bands.
The morning march starts approximately one hour before the contest itself and
is but a short distance from the village centre.
The Deportment Class is now adjudicated on the march, although when initially
introduced the Deportment Judge sat at a small platform alongside the main stage
and the band was rather oppressively assessed from the moment of registration.
This class was introduced at a time when little attention was paid to uniforms, bands would often take the stage in "civvies" and, as the judge often commented, "in brown boots". It certainly served the purpose of raising awareness in this respect, for no band would now be seen out of uniform.
The winning band performs outside the Bugle Inn
At the close of the contest the bands return to the village centre, where the
Royal Trophy winners sign off the day by playing in the square. This is now well
organised, but in early years there were some chaotic scenes as the village
could not contain the mass of people, compounded by bands gaining on each other
on the long march from Peniel (the then venue), often resulting in up to three
bands playing simultaneously in the centre of the village.
The Royal Trophy for the Championship winning band
A comprehensive prize list is
on offer, full details of which are given in our annual Schedule.
Over the lifespan of the Festival an unrivaled range of trophies have been
donated, and are now second to none. There are more than forty trophies competed
for each year.
Pride of place goes to the Royal Trophy which is awarded to the Championship
Section winners. It was presented to the Festival in 1913, by the late Duke of
Windsor, then Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, and to this day is the only
trophy with a royal connection in the brass band world.