{{Use dmy dates, date=December 2023 The Chalk Farm Band is

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

of the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

located at the Salvation Army Centre in Haverstock Hill,

Chalk Farm Chalk Farm is a small urban district of north west London, lying immediately north of Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden. History Manor of Rugmere Chalk Farm was originally known as the Manor of Rugmere, an estate that was mentio ...

, London, England. It is one of the best known brass bands of the Salvation Army in the UK.

Brief history

Chalk Farm Band has always been at the forefront of Salvation Army banding. Indeed, as early as 1898, just sixteen years after its formation in 1882, it was first featured as the solo band for a Salvation Army International Congress. The venue was London's Crystal Palace and the band was led by a youthful A W Punchard. This notable achievement proved to be a prelude to far greater accomplishments, for during the next fifty years, Bandmaster Punchard led the band in many pioneering developments that influenced the life and growth of Salvation Army bands worldwide. Particularly notable were the trail-blazing overseas tours over thirty of which have been completed to date. During the 1930s, the band's progress became a model to be emulated by music sections throughout the world, no doubt as a result of extensive touring of

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and Central Europe. AWP was also regarded as the model bandmaster and was appointed National Bandmaster in 1922, a position he held until his Promotion to Glory in 1950. Innovative ventures were being undertaken at home. The first of many gramophone recordings was made as early as 1912, for Pathe Frere, and the band's first radio broadcast was transmitted in 1924. Formal recognition of the band's consistently high standard of service came in 1934 when it was received by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

, London. Bandmaster Punchard's eventual retirement in 1944 coincided with the gradual return of many of the band's servicemen from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The rebuilding task passed to Frank Rawbone who greatly enhanced the technical skill and tonal qualities of the band. This enabled a tour of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

to be undertaken in 1948, the first extensive post war overseas campaign by a Salvation Army band. Progress continued in subsequent years and under the baton of Stuart Parker, a further European Tour was undertaken in 1961. Michael Clack assumed the leadership of the band in 1963 and directed the band for most of the succeeding years until his retirement in 2001. Under Michael's leadership, the band continued to travel extensively in the UK and beyond, developing ever more innovative methods of ministry. During the historic four-country tour of Europe in 1967, Rome was visited for the first time and an invitation was accepted to play before

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

at the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

– at that time a highly controversial decision but now this event is recorded for posterity in the History of The Salvation Army Vol VII. It was a very different Germany that received the band in October 1985 than on the occasion fifty years earlier when Nazi salutes and Swastika flags accompanied the band on its way through

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

, Hamburg and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In 1986, the band accepted an invitation from the Spain and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Command to assist in its first ever Congress. In spite of much local opposition the band was privileged to hold an open-air service and march of witness in the

Plaza Mayor, Madrid The Plaza Mayor (English: ''Town square'') is a major public space in the heart of Madrid, the capital of Spain. It was once the centre of Old Madrid. It was first built (1580–1619) during the reign of Philip III of Spain, Philip III. Only a few ...

– yet again the first Salvation Army section to undertake such a venture. 1988 saw the band undertake its first tour outside Europe when it undertook an extensive tour of Australia in the country's Bi-Centennial year. Less than 24 hours after landing on Australian soil, the band played its first festival in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, later travelling to

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

and Sydney where a capacity audience greeted the band for its final major concert at the

Sydney Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

. Since that ground-breaking tour, other countries visited by the band include Sweden in 1991, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and Germany in 1995, and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 1997. In the following year, the band accepted an invitation from the Russian Command Headquarters in Moscow to travel to Tbilisi, Georgia to assist with that Territory's first ever Congress just five years after the Salvation Army's work recommenced in the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

following the collapse of Communism. Just two years later, the band's pioneering spirit saw it travelling again, this time to Japan to participate in high-profile events including the mammoth Midosuji Parade in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. Despite encountering an earthquake on its first day in Japan, the band was not to be deterred and played to enthusiastic crowds, including over 1 million people on the streets of Osaka for the major parade that was the centre piece of this tour, an event captured live on Japanese television. The band was honoured to play at the

Heian Shrine The is a Shinto shrine located in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The Shrine is ranked as a (the top rank for shrines) by the Association of Shinto Shrines. It is listed as an important cultural property of Japan. History image:Lake at Heian Shrin ...

in historic

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

before returning to London having broken new ground for The Salvation Army in the Far East. Under Michael Clack's leadership the band had reached new heights and broken new ground across the world. Michael was awarded the MBE by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1995 for services to Music Education, an honour richly deserved. In 2001, Michael retired and handed the baton to Jonathan Evans. Since that time, the band has continued its tradition of taking the Gospel to the world with further tours undertaken in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. During the latter visit, the band was again involved in pioneering work, assisting with the opening of a new Corps at

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

on the Estonia/Russia border. Family commitments have taken Jonathan away from Chalk Farm, and Michael Clack has since 'taken up the baton' once again. As well as being held in high esteem overseas, the band continues its vital work in the UK with visits continuing to Corps across the UK Territory. Of greater importance however is the band's local ministry in the cosmopolitan area of North London. Enduring links with the church of

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

, means that it is regularly called upon to participate in high-profile events in Central London. Over the years the band has been very active in the British broadcasting media having appeared for many years on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...

programme as well as making regular appearances on

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

and BBC Radio's

Gloria Hunniford Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer from Northern Ireland. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regula ...

programme, all of which carried its ministry to millions. Demands for the band services remains high and the current band continues to be fully committed to maintaining and developing the highest standards of Salvation Army banding.

Mission

The Band's primary function is to participate fully in the weekly religious services, both indoor and in the open-air. In addition it regularly presents concerts at other

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

both in the UK and abroad. The Band has appeared annually on the BBC TV Show

throughout most of its record 50-year run, and has also made a number of appearances on

at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

and on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

shows such as

and Owen Spencer-Thomas's Sounding Brass and Listen to the Band.

Make-Up

All of the band's members are amateur players, and members of the

. Despite having earlier feature other instruments, the band now features the standard brass band instrumentation being: * 8

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

s * 2 tenor horns * 1

baritone horn The baritone horn, sometimes called baritone, is 3 or 4 valved tenor-voiced brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a pist ...

* 2

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

s * 2

euphonium The euphonium ( ; ; ) is a tenor- and baritone-voiced valved brass instrument. The euphonium is a member of the large family of valved bugles, along with the tuba and flugelhorn, characterised by a wide conical bore. Most instruments have thr ...

s * 2

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

s * 1 percussion

Recordings

The band has released 5 CDs (the most recent being Emblem of the Army), 6 records, and also appeared on a number of 78s. A video detailing its history is also available, which is entitled Blood & Fire & Brass – Blood & Fire being a feature of the Salvation Army

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

Tours

From the very early days of its history the band has travelled extensively, as the ' Battle Honours' on the Band flag records and the band is proud to be recognised as one of The Salvation Army's most widely travelled Corps' Band. *1902

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

*1903 South West England *1905

*1907 Netherlands & Germany *1909 Ireland *1911 Midlands,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

& Eastern Counties *1913 West England &

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

*1920

*1924 Northern England & Scotland *1927

& Germany *1930

& Sweden *1934 Denmark, Sweden &

*1936

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

& Central Europe *1948 Sweden *1961 France and Switzerland *1967 Europe including Italy &

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

*1969

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

(for an

Investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian kn ...

with HRH

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

) *1981 Switzerland *1985

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

*1985 Germany *1986 Spain *1988 Australia *1989

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

*1991 Sweden *1996 Netherlands & Germany *1997 Denmark *1997 Switzerland *1998

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

*2000 Japan *2003 Norway *2005 Finland &

*2007 South West England

References