Bloomingdale Cornet Band - History

History

On May 30, 1884, the band played its first parade on the what is now known as Memorial Day. The band was organized some time before its first performance. However, the first documented records that are known to exist are news accounts of this first performance. A "cornet band" was a common designation for wind bands organized during the Gilded Age. No defined instrumental make up (i.e. only brass instruments) exists at its inception; however, twelve people were listed as the original founding members. The first director was Alfred Bedson. A series of directors followed until 1889, when Samuel R. Donald became director and served in that capacity until 1939. Other directors have followed and at the present time, the band is directed by Roger Vreeland.

About 4 months after its first performance, for reasons not documented, the band was split and a band based in the adjacent town of Butler, New Jersey was organized under the auspices of the largest employer, the Butler Hard Rubber Company. The company was led by Richard Butler, Secretary for the American Pedestal Association, which handled the fund-raising for the building of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. This rival band, the Butler Silver Cornet Band, was considered a company band of the rubber company. A noted Massachusetts musician named Jeremiah J. O'Sullivan was hired by the company, shortly after the band was organized, to be the leader of the Butler band. This rivalry led to some members of the Bloomingdale Cornet Band, who worked for the rubber company, to be fired at the request of members of the Silver Cornet Band. The rivalry diminished over time. By 1889, both bands united in some performances and hosting fundraising events.

The band has retained the "Cornet" in its name, as has a handful of other similar bands in the United States, such as the Franklin Silver Cornet Band.