The Portuguese Community Band of Hamilton, Ontario

At the present time, few documented sources exist pertaining to Portuguese bands

in Canada. The information presented here was primarily gathered through interviews

with members of the community. I would like to express my appreciation to the

following individuals who willingly participated in interviews and expressed enthusiasm

for the project:

i) Manuel Roque, current president of the Banda Portuguesa da Hamilton

and his daughter, Sarah Roque, manager and clarinetist with the band;

ii) Nelson Pinheiro, current conductor of the Banda Portuguesa da

Hamilton;

iii) Gabriel Pinto, local professional musician and Portuguese band

historian;

iv) Joseph Resendes, currently a Ph.D. student at York University, Toronto,

Ontario.

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario, is a mid-sized Canadian city of about 600,000, located at the

extreme west end of Lake Ontario, about 50 klm south-west of Toronto. Traditionally,

Hamilton has been an industrial city, with steel mills and manufacturing, especially

automobiles, home appliances, textiles and farm equipment. In recent times Hamilton has

experienced the “rust belt” syndrome that has affected most of the North American mid –

West. Much of the manufacturing base has moved either south or off-shore, and the city

has had to re-invent itself as a service and educational centre. While Hamilton still

1
produces a large percentage of Canada’s steel, it tends now to be exported rather than

marketed to local industries.

Because of its industrial tradition with many well-paid jobs, Hamilton attracted a

substantial body of immigrants. As a result, the city is ethnically diverse, with community

centres serving the Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Polish and Portuguese populations. Since

federal government policy in Canada has encouraged immigrant populations to maintain

their cultural traditions through grants from the Heritage Department,1 all of Hamilton’s

community centres mount celebrations of significant national/historical events, religious

observances and popular festivals relating to their cultures, and several of them have

bands. Unlike most bands in North America, these ensembles tend to follow the

European model, with a wide range of age levels, close family connections and well-

organized opportunities for the instruction of young people.

The Portuguese in Canada

Connections between Portugal and Canada date back over 400 years. Portuguese

fishermen, the so-called “White Fleet”, regularly visited Newfoundland to fish on the

Grand Banks from the early 1500s until the 1970s.2 However, emigration to Canada from

Portugal really began in 1953 when the Salazar government began to relax emigration

restrictions. Over the next 30 years many subsequent waves of immigrants, especially

from the Azores, brought thousands of Portuguese to Canada3 resulting in large

communities in many Canadian cities including Montreal, Toronto, London (Ontario),

1
Examples of such federally supported festivals include the huge Caribana festival in Toronto – a three-
week festival of Caribbean traditions in mid-summer, and Portugal Day, celebrated in Toronto over a full
week and culminating with a large parade on the Saturday closest to June 10.
2
Walsh, Peter. (2008) “Return of the White Fleet” in The Weekend Telegram, St. John’s, Newfoundland,
May 31, 2008.
3
Ferreira, Wesley, (2007) Across the Ocean: The Music of Bandas Filarmonicas, Program Notes, Canadian
Association of Bandas Filarmonicas, Toronto, CD, PHBP702.

2
Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Victoria, and, of course, Hamilton, among others. Today

there are bands in all of these communities, including three in each of Montreal and

Toronto, two in London (Ontario), and one in each of Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton,

Victoria and Hamilton.

Portuguese Bands in Canada

The “Father of Portuguese Bands in Canada” was José Brazil (1923-2009), who

came to Toronto in the early 1960s from the Azores. In 1966 he founded the first

Portuguese band in Toronto, the “Banda do Senhor Santo Cristo”. Subsequently, bands

were established all over Ontario and Canada. The second group, the “Banda Lira Spirito

Santo”, debuted in October, 1970, in Cambridge, Ontario – a small city about 100 klms

west of Toronto. The “Banda Portuguesa da Hamilton” began rehearsals in November,

1971.

José Brazil was largely self-taught but was a deeply committed to his new band.

Music in the Portuguese tradition was difficult to find in North America and very

expensive to bring from Portugal. Brazil began writing arrangements by ear or by

borrowing scores wherever he could. On trips back to Portugal, he purchased what he

could and copied or borrowed scores. Ultimately, he produced a large catalogue of

arrangements for his group, including marches, excerpts from operas, popular tunes and

traditional music. His archive became a central repository of music that was shared with

bands throughout Ontario and remains an important source of repertoire. At some point in

his career, he conducted all of the bands in Ontario, and after his death his large archive

was broadly distributed.4 Acquiring repertoire, especially traditional music, remains a

challenge. Manuel Roque, President of the Banda Portuguesa da Hamilton and its
4
Pinto, Gabriel, interview, May 31, 2012; and Resendes, Joseph, interview, June 7, 2012.

3
primary benefactor, informed me that whenever anyone from the community goes to

Portugal the band gives them money and a list of works to find and purchase.5

The activities of these bands are virtually exclusively integrated into the festivals

of the Portuguese Roman Catholic Church, and they support themselves with fees

provided by the churches for their participation.6 All of the bands are closely associated

with a church and, for the most part, they rehearse in church halls. The largest festival,

and in Canada essentially the first of the season, is the “Festival of the Holy Ghost”,

which begins on Easter Sunday and continues for the next seven Sundays. The bands’

participation in these festivals follows a formalized structure. Each Sunday morning the

band assembles at the home of the “Mordomo”, the host of the festival and the keeper of

the icon associated with the feast day. The band plays a march and the anthem related to

the specific religious observance. After a brief meal, the band leads a procession to the

church. At the conclusion of the church ceremony, the band again plays the anthem, and

provides a series of slow marches for an open-air procession following the icon.

Generally, before the procession begins the band plays a quick march to encourage the

congregation to participate in the procession. If more than one band is involved, each

band would play a quick march.7 Since some 70% of the Portuguese ex-patriots in

Canada are from the Azores, most of these festivals follow Azorean traditions, especially

those of St. Michael’s island. However, according to Dr. Katherine Brucher of DePaul

University in Chicago, Canadian bands’ participation in religious festivals as described

5
Roque, Manuel and Sarah Roque, interview, January 14, 2012.
I also agreed to look for music for them on my trip to Portugal.
6
A few of the bands do participate in secular events. In Toronto, the Banda do Senhor Santo Cristo has for
many years participated in the Santa Clause parade, the city’s largest parade, and recently the Banda
Portuguesa da Hamilton has played at the City of Hamilton Arts Awards ceremony held at Mohawk
College.
7
Ibid, interviews, Pinto and Resendes.

4
above largely parallel that of similar bands (the Bandas Filharmonicas) in Portugal. Dr.

Brucher is a specialist in Portuguese music of all types, but also plays saxophone and has

performed with bands in various parts of Portugal when in the country doing field work.8

In Canada, the vagaries of the weather tend to limit outdoor activities, largely confining

the bands’ activities to the months of April to mid-October.

The instrumentation of Portuguese bands in Canada differs from most other North

American bands. Generally, these bands use few or no flutes, certainly an anomaly in

North America, and rarely include double reeds. In place of flutes, the high register

melody carriers are E-flat soprano clarinets. The bands I heard, either live or in video

recorded performances, had at least two, and sometimes as many as four, E-flat clarinets.

The first B-flat clarinets in their highest register often double the melody in unison with

the E-flat instruments, and the shrill sound of the high clarinets appears to be

characteristic of these bands, at least in Canada. Low clarinets either double the melody

an octave lower or add harmony. Alto saxophones are an important middle register

melody carrier either doubling the clarinets an octave lower, accompanying them in

parallel thirds, or alternating with them. Tenor and Baritone saxophones have a primarily

harmonic role. Apparently, most bands use Baritone saxophone on the march and support

it by only a single neck strap, instead of the more comfortable and balanced body harness

that is common in North America even in sit-down bands. (It makes my neck hurt just

thinking about it!).

Not surprisingly, trumpets are the primary brass melody instrument. The first

trumpet part is also often in the high register and may double the clarinets or alternate

8
Brucher, Katherine. “Celebrating Community in Portuguese Bands” in Con Brio: The Journal of the
DePaul School of Music. Fall 2011, 18-19.

5
with the woodwinds on the melody. The lower trumpet parts, either one or two, double

the melody in thirds or octaves, or provide harmony. As might be expected, the trumpets

also contribute many types of fanfare figures. Middle register brass in Canadian bands

incorporate French horns, E-flat alto horns and/or mellophones, as well as trombones.

These instruments have a harmonic and rhythmic function. In the bands I heard, the

performers were amazingly skilled with the rhythmic aspects of their roles, playing off-

beats and syncopated figures with precision and adding a great deal of momentum to the

music. The trombonists either play valved instruments and read in B-flat treble clef, or

slide trombones and read in bass clef. The trombones also rather frequently played the

melody in unison with euphoniums and tubas, seemingly most often at the second strain

of marches. Euphoniums have the same function as in other bands – low-register melody

carriers often an octave lower than the trumpets, or adding important obbligato passages.

Apparently, they traditionally read in B-flat treble clef, but the scores I analyzed had parts

in both clefs. Tubas, who also read in B-flat treble clef, have the usual roles of providing

bass lines or “walking bass” figures, but they also frequently add counter melodies or

decorated melodic ideas that contribute substantially to the contrapuntal interest of the

music.

Percussion usually consists two parts – snare drum and a small bass drum with a

cymbal attached and played by one person. On the march, the Banda Portuguesa da

Hamilton divides the roles of bass drum and cymbals between two players, and uses

multiple piccolo snare drums. In addition to its usual rhythmic role, percussion also has

the “role-off” function expected in marching performances. Recently, Canadian bands

6
have begun adding arrangements of popular and familiar jazz tunes to their concert

repertoire and drum set has become common in these contexts.

Despite the close association with religious festivals, performance dress for these

bands consists of military-style uniforms. Canadian Portuguese conductors attribute this

tradition to the influence of John Phillip Sousa. Sousa had Portuguese roots and

performances by the Sousa Band in Portugal in the early years of the 20th century were

landmark events. Since Sousa’s band wore military-style uniforms, this dress was

adopted by Portuguese bands as well.9

The Music

The music performed by Canadian Portuguese bands falls largely into two

categories: devotional music associated with church services and music for

entertainment, which is played in concerts or arraials. The devotional music consists of

anthems many of which date back several centuries and are associated with particular

festivals, and slow marches, played during religious processions. According to Joseph

Resendes, these processional marches are often dedicated to particular people, named

after a saint or have a generic title.10

The concert music is more varied. These concerts (arraials) usually take place in

the church grounds after the service and processional, and are accompanied by food and

drink as well as dancing and other music. The band music includes quick marches,

overtures, suites and medleys, some of which are extended to considerable length.11

Intentionally or not, much of this music is based on folk melodies or near-folk tunes. For

example, a longer concert work, Dos Açores ao Algarve (From the Azores to the
9
Pinheiro, Nelson. Interview, June 8, 2012.
10
Ibid, interview, Resendes.
11
Ferreira, Wesley. (no date) Across the Ocean 2: The Music of Bandas Filarmonicas, Program Notes,
Canadian Association of Bandas Filarmonicas, Toronto, CD, PHBP1002.

7
Algarve) by Silvio Pleno, employs recognizable folk songs from the Azores, Madeira and

the southern Portuguese mainland. By contrast, a new march written by John Araujo, a

member of the Banda Portuguesa da Hamilton, and named Nelson Pinheiro in honour of

the band’s conductor12, does not specifically quote folk material, but its melodies have a

strong folk character, modally-inflected, singable and attractive. In my interview with

him, Gabriel Pinto mentioned that when playing another march for the first time, he heard

a melody that he remembered his grandmother singing.13Some of these concerts also

include a visiting band. If this is the case, the two bands set up adjacent to each other and

alternate playing in a type of “duel”. I understand that such duels are also popular in

Portugal.

All of my informants mentioned two Portuguese composers who are especially

skilled in writing quality concert repertoire for these ensembles – Amílcar Morais and

Ilidio Costa. The works of these composers are especially prized by Canadian Portuguese

conductors both in the areas of devotional music and concert works. In 1985 and 1986,

the Portuguese Music Festivals of Canada sponsored two competitive band festivals in

Toronto, which attracted ensembles from across the country. The test piece for the 1986

festival was Costa’s As Três Estações (The Three Seasons?) and he was brought to

Canada to serve as the primary adjudicator.14

A local conductor/composer of substantial reputation is Edwardo Raposo. Raposo

lives in London, Ontario, and founded one of the London bands, the St. Cecelia Band. He

retired recently. Raposo is known as an exacting and demanding conductor, and a highly

capable band developer. At one point or another, he has conducted virtually all of the
12
As noted earlier, many marches are named for particular people..
13
Ibid, interview, Pinto
14
The test piece for the 1985 festival was Roteiro(Screenplay) by Amílcar Morais, a highly effective
arrangement of popular tunes from the 1960s and 70s.

8
Ontario bands and has had considerable influence on all of the conductors. He is also a

fine composer. His march, Hamilton, was written especially for the Banda Portuguesa da

Hamilton when he was the conductor of the group during the 1980s.15

Along with the works of these three masters, the conductors and some of the

musicians in these ensembles compose new works for their ensembles,16and conductors

in Canada supplement the traditional repertoire with arrangements of popular music or

jazz as a means of attracting younger musicians to their bands. At a recent performance,

the Hamilton band played an arrangement by its conductor, Nelson Pinheiro, of well-

known songs by the Portuguese pop singer Jorge Ferreira. The arrangement has been well

received by both the performers and the audiences.

The Banda Portuguesa da Hamilton

The Banda Portuguesa da Hamilton began operations on November 10, 1971. The

first conductor, Manuel Da Costa Araujo, was a trumpet player and a good composer,

who came to Canada from the Azores. The current conductor is Nelson Pinheiro.

Although he does not perform himself, Manuel Roque, the current President of

the band’s supporting organization and its primary benefactor, has had a long relationship

with the group. As a successful businessman, Mr. Roque has been in a position to sponsor

immigrants from Portugal (especially the Azores), and by bringing a few people each

year, particularly musicians, he was able to continuously strengthen the band. In the

1990s, the Canadian government tightened immigration regulations making sponsorship

more difficult.17 A significant number of the current members of the band work for Mr.

Roque in his several businesses. His continuing commitment to the group is shown by the
15
Ibid, interview, Pinto.
16
Examples of such works written for the Banda Portuguesa da Hamilton are: the march Nelson Pinheiro
by John Araujo, a tubist in the band; and Amor do Pai (Father’s Love) written by Nelson Pinheiro.
17
Ibid, interview, Roque.

9
fact that he discourages his employees from working on the weekends so that they can be

available for the band’s engagements and for rehearsals on Saturday evenings.18 His

daughter, Sarah Roque, leads the clarinet section and helps manage the band’s activities.

Like similar bands in Portugal, the membership incorporates a wide age range19

and is drawn from many walks of life. It also may include several generations of the same

family.20Currently a father and his two teen-age children are members.

As mentioned earlier, in 1985 and again in 1986 the Portuguese Music Festivals

of Canada sponsored competitive band festivals in Toronto, which drew groups from

across the country. It is a matter of considerable pride that the Hamilton band, conducted

by Edwardo Raposo, won both competitions. Partly as a result of this success, the band

produced its only recording to date, an LP that includes the test pieces from both festivals

as well as other favourite pieces.

The activities of the Hamilton band parallel those of other Portuguese bands in

Canada, but have unique elements as well. The band is associated with St. Mary’s

Cathedral Church in downtown Hamilton, but owns its own building nearby. The

building houses the rehearsal room, storage space for its extensive inventory of

instruments, music and other equipment, and classrooms for the teaching of music to

young people. However, the building also has a large common room with a bar and

gaming tables, which serves as one of the gathering places for the Portuguese community

in Hamilton. On weekends, this space is very active with community members meeting to

socialize, play cards and dominos and watch Portuguese TV.

18
Ibid, interview, Pinto.
19
Currently, the youngest member is Alexandra Cirino, age 13, who plays E-flat clarinet; the oldest
member is trombonist Luís Amaral, who told me he was “26 plus tax” – a very funny joke in Canada.
Apparently he is in his mid-80s.
20
Ibid, Bucher, 2011, 19.

10
 The band also participates in a series of festivals each year in ways that are not

common to other groups, at least in Ontario. On New Year’s Day, the band participates in

the church service by playing at least one energetic march to usher in the new year. On

Good Friday, it sets up in the choir loft for the last service of the day and plays anthems,

hymns or other music of a somber nature to symbolize the “burial of Christ”. By contrast,

on Easter Sunday the music presented is joyous and optimistic. My informants were not

aware of any other bands that participate in these events this particular way. The largest

festival that the band engages in each year is the “Holy Spirit” festival, celebrated on July

6. This year (2012) the band itself will be the “Mordomo” or host, as part of the

commemoration of its 40th anniversary.21

Other important engagements for the band are similar to those of other Canadian

bands. The St. Cecelia festival is obviously important to musicians. St Cecelia’s Day is

officially celebrated on November 22; however, the Canadian weather precludes any

outdoor events in late November. Generally, this festival is moved to August or

September, and the bands take their place at the front of the church and are featured

during the service. In Hamilton, it is generally a two-day festival (Saturday/Sunday); the

Hamilton band plays on Saturday. Sunday, considered the more important day, is left to

visiting bands from other cities.

For the Hamilton band, another important event is the festival “Our Lady of the

Angels”, on August 14/15. This festival is hosted by St. Mary’s Church and the band is

expected to contribute. This is the largest festival in Ontario - often five or more bands

participate and, as described earlier, engage in friendly competition.

21
Ibid, interview, Pinheiro.

11
 The Hamilton band has a busy season that usually starts five weeks after Easter

and runs until late October. Generally, this includes twelve to eighteen major festivals,

including those in Hamilton and others in cities across the province, some of which have

no band of their own. These events normally include one or two processions, one in the

morning and often another in late afternoon, as well as a concert to conclude the festival.

Numerous smaller festivals are also included in their calendar. 22

Conclusion

While the participants (the players, conductors and organizing committees) invest

enormous enthusiasm and energy, Portuguese bands in Canada face an uncertain future.

First generation immigrants, those who arrived in Canada in the 1950s and 60s, are

passing away or are unable to sustain their level of commitment, and young people, who

may be second generation Canadians, do not feel the emotional and, indeed, the spiritual

connection to traditions imported from Portugal that sustained their parents or

grandparents.

Regarding the future challenges facing these bands, Joseph Resendes believes

there are simply too many festivals in the liturgical year of the Portuguese Catholic

Church. In Canada at least, it is increasingly difficult for young people, and especially

young families, to dedicate an entire weekend to their band’s participation in a particular

festival, let alone more than 20 festivals throughout the year.

For Resendes, the insular nature of Portuguese bands is another factor militating

against their future success. In Canada, capable community musicians often perform with

multiple groups – a community band, an orchestra, a jazz ensemble, etc. Such “outside

activity” is discouraged in Canadian Portuguese bands, and, in fact, may be considered

22
Ibid, interview, Pinheiro.

12
disloyal to a musician’s “home” band. The rigidity of this attitude means that fine players

may be forced to choose between their home band and any other performance

opportunities that they are offered.23

I would like to suggest another impinging issue – competition with the North

American school band system. According to Dr. Brucher, instrumental music training is

not a part of the Portuguese school system. Community bands in Portugal offer free

instruction, instruments and performance opportunities that do not exist otherwise.24

While Canadian Portuguese bands try to replicate this approach, North American

students, given a choice between working with a community band or with their peers in

school, mostly choose their schools, as is shown by a plethora of educational research

attesting to the power of peer interaction among school-age children. Thus, the

Portuguese bands (and community organizations of all kinds) are at a distinct

disadvantage in recruiting young people.

The conductors and supporters of Canadian Portuguese bands are acutely aware

of the challenges they face. In 2006, the Canadian Association of Bandas Filarmonicas

formed the Portuguese Heritage Band Project whose primary initiative was the creation

of an ensemble of about 30 musicians drawn from bands across Ontario to perform and

record music in the traditional style, with the intention of raising the profile and

stimulating interest in this form of music-making. To date, two CD recordings called

Across the Ocean: Music of the Bandas Filarmonicas have been released and a third is

being planned. However, it remains to be seen whether or not such initiatives will secure

the future of these unique musical organizations.

23
Ibid, interview, Resendes.
24
Ibid, Brucher, 19.

13