Although not the Band's original name, early in its history (1859) the membership voted to re-name the Williamsport Band for one of its most talented conductors, Daniel Repasz.

Another notable member/conductor whose name is still well known to our members and area musicians is John Hazel, known as the "Wizard Cornetist."  Hazel was a prolific composer and arranger, and the Band still performs his works frequently.

The Band also has its own "Repasz Band March," which has been on the "Top 40" and was used in an episode of M*A*S*H, with Col. Potter singing lyrics to its sprightly 6/8 melody.

1831 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, by Jacob L. Mussina, its instrumentation consisted of flutes, clarinets, a piccolo, and only one brass instrument:  a French horn.

In 1840, Daniel Repasz became a member of the Band.  Recognized for his dynamic musical character, he became a major force behind the Band’s transformation to a fine brass band.  He was elected as the Band’s fourth director in 1856, and, in gratitude for his dedication and accomplishments, the Band members adopted the name Repasz Band in 1859.

The Repasz Band has a proud musical heritage, having performed for a variety of civic and military events. Here is a sampling of some of the Band’s more notable engagements:

Frederick E. Manson, in a short article entitled "Personal Recollections of the Repasz" says that "perhaps one of the most splendid personal testimonies to the Repasz came from John Philip Sousa when Sousa's band came to Williamsport in 1915.¹  With his band he was being entertained in the Repasz rooms - the Repasz has entertained every band of prominence visiting Williamsport from Patrick Gilmore's band to Sousa's.  Addressing Mr. Harry Parker, its manager, Sousa said:  'You have what I cannot buy, a loyalty and enthusiasm without which an organization like yours must be mediocre.  Your band has risen above that.'

And it was this loyalty and enthusiasm of the players themselves that inspired the people of Williamsport lately to rally to the support of the old Repasz"³ when the Lycoming Opera House in Williamsport burned on May 31, 1915.  The band had been based there and lost 84 years' worth of records and memorabilia, its music library, trophies, and most of its uniforms and instruments.  Still the band filled an engagement the day after the fire, and in two weeks filled another with "all new equipment made in Williamsport." ^2,3  As described in Edwin L. Suter's article, "Priceless Relics and Famous Library Destroyed by Fire," during the first year of its existence the Band began to gather a collection of music copied by hand into books for each instrument.  In process the "library" of the Band grew to great size.  It was said to be the largest collection of hand copied music in the country.  It represented the work of hundreds of men . . .  Groping among the ruins the other day Mr. Parker extracted an old singed, water-soaked book many years old.  It was all that was recoverable of the famous "library."  In the list of the burned notes of melody were seven sets of instrument books, leather bound and dating back to 1831, and reaching down to the seventies [1870s].  There was no such thing as printed band music when the making of these books was begun and there was no such thing for many years after.  The musical collection of the Band grew with the organization.

Another precious relic lost was a banner which the "lady friends" of the Band gave it in 1837.  Back in the days of canal travel, the Band journeyed to Bellefonte by packet boat.  Its musical achievements on that occasion were commemorated by the banner.  Then there was an oil painting, Daniel Repasz and the Village Orchestra, by C. Lawrence, an original member of the Band in 1831, and it's first and only "brass" player at that time (French horn).  There were also a baton and portraits of Captain W. N. Jones, one of the famous drum majors of Civil War days.

The organization had sacredly preserved an ancient key bugle, the first brass instrument used in the Band by Daniel Repasz.  Mr. Suter stated that "somewhere in the ruins there is probably a lump of brass representing the old time maker of melody.  The late Herdic Wood, director of the Band for many years, had contributed to the list of things valued - the Lord's Prayer done in scroll work.  The prayer represented the labor of various odd times that, pieced together, made a month of continuous work.  It was destroyed by the flames.

A massive cut glass vase, presented to the Repasz musicians by the Corning Band, of Corning, NY, was lost with the rest.  The roster of the Band in Civil War days and other valuable records were burned.  The Band had a collection of portraits and letters of prominent bands and great bandsmen of this and other countries.  These represented Patrick Gilmore, John Philip Sousa, Innes, the Kilties of Hamilton, Ontario, and the "Bess o the Bairnes" from Scotland, and so on, and with them portraits and letters of commendation from United States Army and Pennsylvania National Guard officers.  The art collection comprised about 200 pictures.  They faded and shriveled in a minute in the furnace of flame that took possession of the band room. ⁴

During the Depression, with nowhere to rehearse and no money to rent a room, the Repasz Band merged with the Elks Band.  Many of the members played in both anyway, and the Elks offered a home.  From the 1950s through the early 1990s, the Band became known as the Repasz Elks Band.

In the late 1940s the Band languished.  Rehearsals were held intermittently, and attendance was poor.  The future was in doubt.  A man named Earl Williams took on the task of saving the Band.  Occasionally referred to as "Mr. Repasz," Earl has been a member since 1938 (an impressive 65 years). ²

Gene Bardo in "The Legacy of the Repasz Band" notes that when the Band was founded in 1831, there were no school bands, and the group was already 74 years old when the first high school band was founded in Connersville, Indiana in 1905.  Modern military bands and their music evolved over a long period of time and also includes groups like the Allentown Band.  Since the time when Daniel Repasz molded his organization, others headed by such men as Patrick Gilmore, John Philip Sousa, Arthur Pryor, Edwin Franko Goldman, and Harold Bachman came, had their hey-day, and faded into history.¹  Only the Repasz Band has continued its lineage and to this day looks forward to a promising future.

¹ Gene Bardo, "The Legacy of the Repasz Band," The Instrumentalist, January 1983.

² InSites, Vol. 5, No. 1, Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce Newsletter, 1989)

³ "A Short History of the Famous Repasz Band, The Oldest Band in America, 1831 - 1931" from the Repasz Band's 100th Anniversary Programme; 1931)

⁴ Edwin L. Suter, "Priceless Relics and Famous Library Destroyed by Fire," Repasz Band booklet (Grit Publishing; 1915)

⁵ William Volkmar, "Repasz is the Oldest Band in America," Repasz Band booklet (Grit Publishing; 1915)

⁶ Norman E. Smith, March Music Notes, Lake Charles, LA:  Program Note Press, 1986, pp. 402-403.

John Hazel

Labeled the "Wizard Cornetist" by the press, John Hazel (1865-1948) became one of the world’s greatest cornet soloists of his day.  Raised in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, he had an active playing career from 1883-1907.  He was also an early recording artist.

Upon retiring from the demands of his professional life, he returned to his hometown only to find that his musical expertise and popularity found local bands and individual musicians enlisting his talent.  Not only did he solo for the hometown folks, he also became a brass consultant to the Keefer Instrument Company (formerly the Distin Co.) of Williamsport, and wrote more than 75 compositions, including "Spirit of America," "Our Blue Jackets," "Lycoming Motor March," and "Keefer Grenadier."

In 1907, Mr. Hazel accepted the non-paying position as director of the Repasz Band.  He soon set his mark on the Band with his experience and musical taste and earned a commendation from the director of the U.S. Marine Corps Band at a War Governors Celebration.

Serving the longest tenure by any director to date - 31 years (our present director, Albert Nacinovich soon will complete his 30th year), Mr. Hazel retired in 1941 after 31 years as director of the Repasz Band.  In 1995, the Repasz Band, along with Williamsport’s Imperial Teteque Band, the oldest all-Masonic Band in the world (founded in 1894), performed a concert saluting the music of John Hazel.

For more information, an article on John Hazel:  The Wizard Cornetist, published in The Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society, Vol. XXXVI, No. 1, Winter 1996 is reprinted with permission in its entirety within this web site.

Tributes
Over the years, the Repasz Band has been honored with numerous tributes, many unwritten and unpublished.  The 100th Anniversary Programme and the booklet on the Repasz Band (Grit, 1915) contained numerous accolades, some of which are provided on a separate page.

. . . and a Promising Musical Future

A sign of any performing organization’s vitality is the level of activity they maintain. As never before, the Repasz Band enriches the cultural life of our area with concerts in the parks, nursing homes, and at sporting events.  Numerous patriotic and civic occasions make their call to arms and the Repasz Band takes up the challenge.  And, as the muses inspire, more formal concerts grace the winter holiday and spring seasons.

Today, the Repasz Band continues a fine tradition of service as Williamsport’s own community band, performing for patriotic and civic celebrations, the Little League World Series, concerts for hospitals and nursing homes in the area, and annual Holiday and Spring concerts.

(This history comes in part from an article by Judith B. Shellenberger, in the May 1998 issue of Advance, published by the Association of Concert Bands.  Mrs. Shellenberger has been Business Manager of the Repasz Band since 1987.)