Band History
Band History Research Guide
The William L. Clements Library possesses exceptional resources for research on the history of band music in the United States. Before the advent of recorded sound, bands (primarily composed of brass instruments) were the most significant form of popular music in the U.S. The resources for research on band history at the University of Michigan are combined under the umbrella of the Center for American Band History Research, which is a partnership of the William L. Clements Library, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments. The Center for American Band History Research brings together collections, researchers, and performers to increase awareness of and interest in the history of bands in the United States. The Center supports research on the significance of band music as a form of popular entertainment from the middle of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, and will seek to provide avenues for the integration of material related to bands into broader instructional and performance settings.
As you use Clements resources, you may encounter language that may be considered culturally insensitive or derogatory. Clements staff aim to only include such language where it is essential for access and discoverability. To find out more about our policies relating to harmful language, please read our Harmful Language Statement.
This research guide is intended to offer a broad overview of holdings at the Clements Library related to Band History. It is meant as a starting point for researchers interested in this topic, not an exhaustive list of all relevant materials. If you have any questions about this guide or our holdings please contact us here.
The core of the Center is a rich and growing set of collections of historic manuscripts, photographs, prints, ephemera, and sheet music related to organized bands, band leaders and conductors, composers, performers, and concerts housed at the William L. Clements Library. The Clements Library offers a robust series of public programs as well as annual visiting fellowships to support research in the collections, including the Foreman Band History Fellowship.
Highlights from the Clements Collections
George C. Foreman Band History Collection, ca. 1780s-2000s (majority within 1820s-1920s)
The George C. Foreman band history collection consists of 167 boxes of material related to the history of American and European band music including printed sheet music, programs, broadsides, bound volumes, photographs, and ephemera.
Mark S. Chalabala “Coda” Collection of Early American Band Photography
The Mark S. Chalabala “Coda” collection of early American band photography contains approximately 1,112 photographs, prints, and ephemera documenting brass bands, musicians, and musical instruments. Photographs from the 1840s to 1920s make up the majority of the collection.
Francesco Fanciulli family papers, 1868-2024
The Francesco Fanciulli Family Papers consist of correspondence, musical and other compositions, contracts, photographs, ephemera, printed items, objects, and other materials related to the prominent bandmaster, composer, and music teacher Francesco Fanciulli and his family. Fanciulli’s leadership of the United States Marine Band, New York’s 71st Regiment Band, and Fanciulli’s Concert Band, along with performances at the inauguration of Grover Cleveland, the Pan American Exposition in 1901, the 1904 World’s Fair, and in Central Park are highlights of the collection.
The Sousa Band World Tour Collection, 1910-1945 (majority within 1910-1913)
The Sousa Band world tour collection includes photographs and postcards documenting the 1910-11 world tour of John Phillip Sousa’s band.
Subject Headings & Keywords
To find materials on band history in our holdings, search by Subject Headings in our catalog or finding aids. We suggest combining search headings with other keywords of interest or relevance to your research. The following subject headings and keywords may be particularly productive as a starting point:
Subject Headings
- Balls (Parties)
- Band concerts
- Band directors
- Band music
- Bandmasters -- United States
- Bands (Music)
- Brass instruments
- Brass instrument players
- Cornet music
- Dance music
- Marches (Piano)
- Marching bands
- Military music
- Musicians
- Popular culture -- United States -- History -- 19th Century
- Popular music
- Sheet music
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Songs and music
- United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Songs and music
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Songs and music.
Keywords
- Clarke, Arthur C.
- Gilmore, P.S.
- Jullien, Louis-Antoine
- Jewell, Frederick Alton
- Levy, Jules
- Pryor, Arthur
- Sousa, John Philip, 1854-1932
Digital Resources
Digitized Archival Collections
- Perspectives on John Philip Sousa / edited and with an introduction by Jon Newsom (Music Division, Research Services)
- The Winnisimmet quick step : as performed by the Boston Brigade Band / music composed by John H. Seipp
- Hall’s quick step : as performed by the Boston Brigade Band / composed and arranged by T. Bricher
Other Digital Resources
- Article in Quarto #33: The Songs of the Civil War (p.6-8)
- Adopt a Piece of History: Francis Johnson Sheet Music, “Boone Infantry Brass Band Quick Step”
- Adopt a Piece of History: Francis Johnson Sheet Music, “Planters’ House Assembly Waltz”
Last Updated 09/22/26