THE BESSES O’ TH’ BARN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3763, 18 April 1907, Page 2

THE BESSES O’ TH’ BARN.

Messrs J. and N. Tait, the wellknown entrepreneurs, of Melbourne, have completed arrangements for a visit to Foxton of the world-famous Besses 0’ th’ Barn Band. The performance will be given at the racecourse on Wednesday afternoon next. When it is considered that the expense attached to bringing these 32 bandsmen on a tour of the Colonies, runs into a considerable sum of money, such enterprising action will, no doubt, be substantially recognised by an appreciative public. This famous band which comes from Whitefield, near Manchester, takes its name from a quaint old village called Besses o’ th’ Barn, the origin of which is explained in a newspaper dated January 1747, in which a meeting was convened at Besses o’ th’ Barn. This hostelry was previously a barn in which the first pratices of the band were held, and was kept by a popular Lancashire Lass called Bessie. Up till 1853 the band was composed of reed instruments, but immediately after they engaged the services of a professional conductor and changed all the instruments to brass. This historical combination kept up a steady progress in their spare time away from the cotton mills, until to-day they stand pre-eminent as the Champion of Champion Bands. To Mr Alexander Owen, the celebrated conductor and composer, much of the credit of their long list of successes is dde, for he has been associated with the Besses tor twenty - five years. The concerts everywhere have been attracting overflowing audiences and it is the rule for each number on the programme to be encored three times over. Speaking of this famous band the Lyttelton Tithes says:—“ There was a unanimity in the playing and such a regularity of tone and perfection of balance that the first almost irresistible impression was that there was no brass band but a sweet toned organ, and even in the loud passages there was never a suggestion of ordinary brass band effect. ’ ’ The success of the Besses has already preceded to Foxton and it is safe to predict that they will be greeted by a record audience on the racecourse. To prevent crushing at the gate a day sale of admission tickets and tickets to the grand stand will be opened at Mr Levett’s establishment on Saturday morning.