About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherHistoric England Publishing

ISBN-101848023723

ISBN-139781848023727

eBay Product ID (ePID)239520181

Product Key Features

Book TitleBandstands : Pavilions for Music, Entertainment and Leisure

Number of Pages248 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicGeneral, Regional

Publication Year2018

IllustratorYes

GenreArchitecture

AuthorPaul Rabbitts

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.6 in

Item Weight12.3 Oz

Item Length9.4 in

Item Width6.8 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

Dewey Edition23

ReviewsPaul Rabbitt's splendid book is dedicated to both their social and architectural glory. ... Impeccably researched and presented, it is a lovingly dedicated tribute to a very peculiar combination of practical, artistic engineering. ... Wonderful images showcase the cornucopia of structures and designs (and so many of the examples in the book are truly remarkable), as well as capturing a snapshot of the listening habits of the public throughout the generations., "A book for savouring, it will repay close reading for a wider historical understanding of the place of music in entertainment and leisure, and its role in the democratic nature of public parks." GR Arnold, Context

Dewey Decimal725.827

Table Of Content1. Early leisure to rational recreation 2. Rational recreation: pleasure gardens to public parks 3. Brass in concert 4. The art and architecture of the bandstand 5. Decline and revival of bandstands 6. The future of bandstands?

SynopsisIn 1833, the Select Committee for Public Walks was introduced so that "the provision of parks would lead to a better use of Sundays and the replacement of the debasing pleasures." Being "the safest and surest method of popular culture," music was seen as an important moral influence in this endeavor. And so the bandstand was born. The history and heritage of bandstands in England has largely been ignored. Yet in their heyday, there were more than 1500 bandstands in the country--in public parks, on piers, and at seaside promenades, often attracting crowds of thousands. In Bandstands , landscape architect Paul Rabbitts guides us from their evolution as "orchestras" in the early pleasure gardens, to their great decline after World War II, to their subsequent revival in the late 1990s. This beautifully illustrated book tells for the first time the story of these pavilions made for music, illuminating their history, architecture, and worldwide influence., In 1833, the Select Committee for Public Walks was introduced so that ' the provision of parks would lead to a better use of Sundays and the replacement of the debasing pleasures. ' Music was seen as an important moral influence and 'musical cultivation ... the safest and surest method of popular culture', and it was the eventual introduction of the bandstand which became a significant aspect of the reforming potential of public parks. However, the move from the bull baiting of 'Merrie England' to the ordered recreation provided by bandstands has never been fully comprehended. Likewise, the extent of changes in leisure and public entertainment and the impact of music at seaside resorts often revolved around the use of seaside bandstands, with the subsequent growth of coastal resorts. Music in public spaces, and the history and heritage of the bandstand has largely been ignored. Yet in their heyday, there were over 1,500 bandstands in the country, in public parks, on piers and seaside promenades attracting the likes of crowds of over 10,000 in the Arboretum in Lincoln, to regular weekday and weekend concerts in most of London's parks up until the beginning of the Second World War. Little is really known about them, from their evolution as 'orchestras' in the early Pleasure Gardens, the music played within them, to their intricate and ornate ironwork or art deco designs and the impact of the great foundries, their worldwide influence, to the great decline post Second World War and subsequent revival in the late 1990s. This book tells the story of these pavilions made for music, and their history, decline and revival.

LC Classification NumberNA8450