The Hofbräuhaus News

th
A Celebration of 18 Century Music and History
14 - The Hofbräuhaus News January - February 2006
Fanfarenzug Allensbach e.V. 1961
By Rolf Piro
Trumpets and drums of the Allensbach Fanfare Band rejuvenated the
traditions of the mid-century music era at Nathan Phillips Square at
Toronto’s New City Hall.
The Fanfare Band from the town of Allensbach, a picturesque town
situated at Lake Constance in Germany, came to Toronto in November for
a goodwill concert, and to remember and honor this special historic
event: Toronto’s birth in 1793 involved a group of pioneers from
Noerdlingen and Hamburg, Germany that helped to build the first houses
and saw mills when infant Toronto was nothing more than an outpost in
the wilderness. This history took place not far from the New City Hall.
Shortly before the concert was scheduled to begin at 1 pm November
1, 2005 curious guests in the City Halls Restaurant began to move
towards the large pane windows. They came to catch a view of the
ongoing excitement at Nathan Phillips Square. The Allensbach Fanfare
Band had arrived and 33 musicians all in historic uniforms assembled at
the south-west side of Nathan
Phillips Square for a march to the
peace garden to begin the concert.
A musical salute was presented
to honor the history and arts that
enrich our hearts and souls; then
bystanders had the pleasure to
listen to music ranging from the
traditional marches to music of
modern times.
The musicians played on 18
The Fanfarenzug Allensbach group
stayed overnight in Ottawa, Sunday,
th
October 30 on their way from
Quebec City to Toronto. They
performed Sunday evening at the
Lord Elgin Hotel.
th
century instruments which
authentically lacked the
conventional valves and this made
it a challenge to perform the
music. The band played with
special energy, passion and
intimacy for their audience. A
special honor was given to William
Moll Berczy alias Johann Albrecht
Ulrich de Moll, also known as
Toronto’s Co-Founder who came
from Noerdlingen, Germany. This
period of history is significant for
reasons that Moll Berczy helped to
design the first houses in Toronto.
The concert concluded with an old
song “The blue dragoons” (Die
Blauen Dragoner). Mrs. Wendy
Limbertie, Executive Director of the
Community Folks Arts Council of
Toronto was impressed with the
Fanfare’s astonishing repertoire.
The youngest member of the
fanfare band is only twelve years
old. This young musician is
determined to continue the
tradition of the band. For the
German Canadian Institutions and
Clubs it serves as a model and a
reminder to involve the young
generation today to preserve its
cultural activity for the future. For
newcomers it is suggested to get
involved in community life such as
churches, choirs and/or a wide
variety of other clubs. Their names
and addresses can be found in any
German Canadian newspaper.