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O Canada!
Creating a family portrait, especially of a large family, has always been a fine art for a photographer. Arranging subjects into triangles follows the classical traditions of portrait painters. Here we...
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Tuba Babies
Brass musicians often use mutes inserted into their instrument's bell to muffle and alter the tone. However these accessories are quite expensive for tubas due to the size, so babies are substituted...
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The A.&M. College Band from Greensboro
When you receive a postcard in the mail, which side do you look at first? The picture on the front? Or the message on the back? Though the real story of this postcard starts on the back, we begin with...
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A Helicon Mess
A bass horn don't have to sound sweet,As long as he keeps to the beat.But there's not much demandFor a man in a band,Whose head don't connect with his feet. This lanky helicon player seems to have...
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A Bandstand Request
PARENTS ARERESPECTFULLY REQUESTEDNOT TO ALLOW THEIRCHILDREN... ... ...To do what? Unfortunately the last line of this small signhas been obscured by a bench rail so we can never knowwhat mischief it is...
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Things Are Not Always What They Seem
The fake mustache must be the oldest theatrical gag in the world. Though an audience sees it as the most transparent of disguises, it always manages to fool the other characters in the play. Would this...
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Mister Jeff
Music and humor are all about timing. Play a note at just the right moment, or hold a punchline for an extra pause, and the audience is yours. Mister Jeff was a master at it. With only a pair of finger...
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Master Wilbur, the Boy Wonder Violinist
It was the sequins in his satin shirt and breeches that first caught my attention. No ordinary young boy would willingly dress like that. No farm kid would wear those slipper-like-shoes either. This...
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Four Plus Three
They look like an optical illusion or a trick photo. Four young women. Three guitars. Six hands?How does that work? Take your time. Did you spot the concealed fingertips? The guitarist on the...
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The March of the Sailfish
One fish.Two fish ?Three fish !!!The caption on this postcard reads:The Famous 33rd Infantry Bandafter playing the Sail Fish numberPanama Canal Zone1937I believe this is the only photo of a military...
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A Parisian School Orchestra
South Paris. It's right next to Norway, which is east of Sweden, and northeast of Denmark.Take the road through Poland and Oxford to get there. Go too far north and you could end up in West Paris.Or...
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The Morcan Gornet Band
In the old days, sign writers didn't have spell check.Apparently neither did the musicians of the Morcan Gornet Band,who played in a cornet band in Morgan, MN.Maybe no one cared about correct spelling...
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Louis Vernassier – Musical Excentrique
It's a very old question. Is she a he? Or is he a she? The theater world has always had cross dressing entertainers who have exploited this provocative idea of transgender. Today I present a showcase...
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Music on the Beach
Why do people go to the seaside for their vacation? Is it to bask in the sun? Frolic in the surf? Listen to the music? For the people pictured on this vintage postcard, the highlight of their holiday...
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Music by the Seaside
Why did a symphony orchestra have four harp players?It's simple — one harpist to keep the other harps out of tune;one harpist to miscount the measures rests;one harpist to distract the conductor with...
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Isn't it good, Norwegian wood?
In earlier times folk music was typically associated with primitive musical instruments. It was simple tunes played by country rustics on crudely constructed instrument, since provincial musicians...
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Music Behind Bars
As a rule, small children should not sit on bass drums. They tend to stretch the drum head and often leave scuff marks. However exceptions can be made when taking photographs of a band if the child is...
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Cornets and Apples
I didn't know her name. There was no identification, no date. Her photograph could only fit into that broad category of Anonymous Cornet Player. But I was sure she was more than just another pretty...
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The Iowa I.O.O.F. Orphans Home Orchestra
Take two guitars and two mandolinsAdd a violin, another mandolin, and perhaps a pianistAnd you have the Iowa I.O.O.F. Orphans Home Orchestra of Mason City. The seven solemn faced girls in this small...
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Music at the Beer Garden
The concert is just about to start, however you and your companion are late. Suddenly you regret the extravagance of booking center-front tickets. The audience is silent. You look up to see that the...
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