There was a time when almost every community in North America had a brass band in which it took great pride. The band provided entertainment and was a means of expressing patriotism and community spirit. The American composer and conductor John Philp Sousa, known internationally as the 'March King,' was like a rock star of his day, with band leaders all over the United States and Canada looking to him for inspiration.
Closer to home for residents of southwestern Ontario was 'Professor' Charles F. Thiele, composer and bandmaster for the Waterloo Musical Society in the city of Waterloo. He is known as the Father of Canadian Band Music. His story is told in Canadian playwright James Reaney’s musical drama I, The Parade.
Fergus also wanted to have a first-rate band. The first brass band to send its notes ringing through the streets of Fergus was established in 1855. It was actually a fife and drum band that played for patriotic occasions and other special events. It was known at various times as the Fergus Reed Band, the Fergus String Band and the Fergus Orchestral Band.
For the rest of the 19th century and in the first decades of the 20th century, Fergus continued to have bands. However, the costs of equipment and uniforms were sometimes a problem. Talented musicians who were willing to volunteer their time didn’t always have the financial means to consistently manage those expenses. Then, during the First World War, many of the young men who might have marched in the town’s brass band were instead fighting in the trenches of the Western Front. It looked as though Taps had sounded for the Fergus band.
But with the end of the war there came a reprieve in the form of William George Beatty. He decided that Fergus should have a professional band, that is, one whose members were actually paid to perform.
Beatty was a leading Fergus citizen and manager of the firm of Beatty Brothers, whose factory was one of the town’s principal employers. Along with T.A. Farnell, R.D. Kerr, W.L. Ham and D.R. Potter, Beatty was part of a committee, formed in 1919, that was determined to ensure Fergus would have a successful brass band. For that to happen, they knew they would have to get a quality bandmaster. Beatty Brothers would pay him a salary for his musical work and supplement his income by providing him with factory or office work in hours when he was not busy with the band. The town was willing to chip in some money for equipment and uniforms.
Beatty and company placed an ad in The Canadian Bandsman and Orchestra Journal stating, “A bandmaster is wanted to conduct a well-organized factory band, and teach beginners in factory hours … We want a man of sterling character and splendid enthusiasm, able to attract to the band all the young men of musical tastes in our plants. He must be able to develop them, hold their interests and make good players out of them. He must be able to settle in the town and become a good citizen of it.”
They followed up on the ad with a letter to prospective applicants.
“We want a permanent man … one who will settle here and be contented to live here. If he has a wife, she must be satisfied with the town. It is an enterprising place of about 1,700 … there are good schools, churches and libraries in Fergus … We must have a man of sound character, firm with his men, reliable and at the same time courteous and ‘slow to anger’ and able to keep things running smoothly … The band is for the town and for the boys. We want a good band to entertain the citizens but, at the same time, we are not aiming to compete with Sousa and want to get along with home material as much as we can … We pay our best players 50 cents a day and our other players we pay 25 cents a day.”
The author of the letter didn’t mention that a soloist would be paid 50 cents a day, but “beginner” players weren’t paid anything. Only band members who worked for Beatty Brothers would be paid. Band members who worked “down town” would receive no remuneration.
Even though the letter drew applications from as far away as Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Pittsburgh, the position of bandmaster was finally given to J. Lamiman, a local musician who had experience playing in a professional band. However, several of the musicians who joined the band came from out of town.
Beatty’s committee laid out rules for the band members. No member was to discuss complaints with fellow band members, but to bring them to the committee. Band practice was held twice a week, and there was a fine of 25 cents for arriving late. The committee would decide on the choice of music and the hiring of new members, and all members were expected to “back up and be governed by the decisions of the committee.”
Initially, the first professional Fergus band was a success. A campaign was launched to build a new bandstand in Webster Park, and every business in the downtown district except one contributed. The concerts were given free of charge, and people came from communities throughout Wellington County and beyond to hear the music. Sometimes the crowds were more than a thousand people. Fergus residents would sit out on their porches and verandas to listen. The band played for patriotic occasions, church socials and charity events.
Then, in 1921 Beatty Brothers withdrew its financial support due to “hard times.” The musicians who had come from out of town left Fergus. Only a few band members remained. Fergus still had a brass band, but it was much smaller and no longer professional. Nonetheless, it stayed active enough to experience a revival in the 1930s. In 1937 the Fergus band took first prize in its class at the Waterloo Musical Festival, home turf of the illustrious Professor Thiele.
