An eye-witness account by J. H. Elliot
Today has seen the great brass-band festival at Alexandra Palace, the 33rd of these annual events which used to be held at the Crystal Palace. The whole scene, the playing, and the players, will be described by J. H. Elliot , a Northern music critic who is an authority on the brass-band movement and has published two books about it.
An average entry of 200 bands from all parts of the country, and something like 50,000 spectators, are drawn by the Festival. Small bands, comparative beginners, compete during the day in addition to the more famous ones, for there are ten graded sections of the contests. The star playing of the day is of course for the National Championship, and at the end of the day seven bands selected from the Championship class take part in a massed-band concert.