Hidden Stories: How St Vincent’s Brass Band has kept the music alive in Pune since 1933

A fine note

Founded in 1933, St Vincent’s Brass Band is an institution in itself. According to Kevin Thomas Bhosle, who belongs to the class of 2016-18 and, now, trains a new generation of boys, a brass band is “one of the rarest of extracurricular activities in schools”.

Brass bands comprise musicians playing on wind instruments made of brass, such as trumpets, horns and trombones, and date back to the Industrial Revolution in England in the 19th century. In the colonial era, brass bands became popular in India, where they were an integral part of the Army, churches, and schools.

“A brass band is a musical art form that demands and inculcates discipline, teamwork and dedication while honing your craft as a virtuoso musician,” says Bhosle.

In Poona in the early 1900s, an idealistic and visionary teacher, Fr M Riklin, found his calling in educating the youth. Born in St Gallen, Switzerland, on March 27, 1875, Fr Riklin headed St Vincent’s High School.

Fr Riklin started the St Vincent’s Brass Band with old instruments obtained from the British Military Band after the 12th Pioneers were merged with the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners to become the Corps of Engineers, in Kirkee.

It was a progressive step to let pupils join a school brass band. “Fr Riklin selected students based on the ear and rhythm sense tests. This practice is followed even now, though we use modern methods. Pupils were trained rigorously in reading music and honing the playing of the instruments,” says Bhosle.

“Students took great pride in being a ‘The Brass Band’ member and felt privileged to learn music from a master as proficient as Fr Riklin. The Brass Band graced and had a place of honour at all the important events of the school, like Sports Days, Annual Prize Distribution Days, Independence and Republic Day, visits of dignitaries from the church and state, foreign countries,” he adds.

Every major event in school featured the brass band. The boys also performed for the annual Corpus Christi Procession from St Xavier’s Church to the Immaculate Conception Church, and for the Feast Day at the Immaculate Conception Church.

By 1973, however, the band seemed to have run its course and was officially closed down. “The band room transformed into a storeroom for oil barrels and so on. After some time, the instruments were forgotten in the mists of time,” says Bhosle.

A band returns to life

In 1995, a new leadership at the school decided to walk the uphill path and revive the band. “By happy coincidence, one of the staff members spotted something at the back of the Audio-Visual room under the stairs. On closer investigation, the school found some brass instruments covered with a lot of dust. Being in disuse over the years, they had gathered dust till they were hardly visible. These instruments had to be thoroughly cleaned and repaired before they could be put to use,” says Bhosle.

The school pulled out all the stops, and students were trained to bring the band back to life.

In 2012, the class of 1958 bought new instruments for the band. Passionate musicians among—and even those who were not—stepped in to keep the band going. Apart from Bhosle, Michael D’Mello picked up his trumpet after 40 years and joined the band. Agnelo Pinto played band leader; Peter D’souza and Nicholas ‘Nikki’ Pereira, a trumpeter who used to play at FTII back in the day, also joined. “In true dare-do-and-win spirit, Vincentians were keen on playing and keeping the band alive,” says Bhosle.

Today, the band is turning another corner. This time, the challenge is from a digital world that has hooked children. “One of the greatest challenges that we are facing is the lack of interest from students. With so much technological advancement, students are not very attracted to an old school traditional setup where the instruments are fairly old,” says Bhosle.

The instruments range from trumpets and alto horns to baritones and euphonium. Repairs are a challenge as there is only one person in the city who can repair the old instruments. But the band continues to play.

Three years ago, it incorporated drums to lift the music. Every year, new pupils approach the band to try out. And, every so often, there is a parent who insists that the boys take some time out from playing football to practise an instrument.

Delhi-based Japan-born trombonist, trumpeter, and multi-instrumentalist Chie Nishikori has conducted a workshop with the band. As the boys joined in the breath exercises, he praised their potential. “If you don’t continue, you don’t see the result, but, as you keep doing music, you keep meeting new versions of yourself. Suddenly, the answer comes to you,” she said.

Just as Fr Riklin had envisioned, the band continues to carry forward its legacy of music.