The Nauvoo Brass Band was an official musical organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when the church's headquarters were located in Nauvoo,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. It was later revived by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) in the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

Nauvoo era

Originally called Joseph's City Band, the Nauvoo Brass Band was formed in 1842 by William Pitt to accompany the public drills of the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

, and became nicknamed Pitt's Brass Band. The band performed public concerts and at various other special events. After the death of Joseph Smith, the band met the wagon returning the bodies of

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

and Hyrum to Nauvoo, and became part of the procession of mourners into and through the city, playing as it marched directly in front of the wagon. After the bodies were delivered to the Mansion House, they played outside the building for those that came to pay their respects while the bodies were

lying in repose Lying in repose is the tradition in which the body of a deceased person, often of high social stature, is made available for public viewing. Lying in repose differs from the more formal honor of lying in state, which is generally held at the pr ...

Post-Nauvoo era

When the majority of the

Latter Day Saints The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

were leaving Nauvoo as part of the

Mormon Exodus The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

in early 1846,

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

gave the band special permission to travel together as a group. They pooled their individual resources to help each other migrate, and performed both for fellow church members traveling as well for some of the Iowa settlements they traveled through. The band was able to stay together as far as

Garden Grove, Iowa Garden Grove is a small town in Decatur County, Iowa, United States. The population was 174 at the time of the 2020 census. History On April 24, 1846, emigrants affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction ...

, but fragmented after that point. Young tried to keep some of the best players of the group together by having them travel close to his own wagons and play for his family during the journey. In the end, only three members of the band were accompanying Young when he reached the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847. By October 1848, enough of the band members had completed the journey to allow for a performance at LDS Church's general conference. On July 24, 1849, the second anniversary of the Mormon pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley, the band led a commemoration which became a precursor for the modern

Pioneer Day Pioneer Day is an official holiday celebrated on July 24 in the American state of Utah, with some celebrations taking place in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and ...

celebrations. In early 1850, the Nauvoo Brass Band was formally reorganized and provided with new uniforms through a donation from Young. Notable appearances in Utah include performances in 1853 at the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth templ ...

site dedication ceremony and later at the laying of the

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

s. They also met the first handcart pioneer company, as well as other pioneer groups as they entered the Salt Lake Valley.

Modern recreation

The Brass Band was re-created in 2003 by the LDS Church's Illinois Nauvoo Mission. The group is made up of young performing missionaries who go to Nauvoo to play in the Brass Band each summer. Their purpose now is the same as that of the original Nauvoo Brass Band; to entertain the people who live in Nauvoo, and those who come to Nauvoo. They perform daily in the summer on a horse-drawn Band Wagon on the streets of Nauvoo, and at concerts throughout the day, including "Sunset By the Mississippi".

Notable members

* Robert T. Burton (trumpet) * William Clayton * Edmund_Ellsworth * Levi W. Hancock (fife) * James Smithies

Notes

References