William Rimmer
From Marchdb.net
1862-1936
William Drake Rimmer, who could be described as the "march king of the brass band movement," was born in Southport in 1862 into a musical family. His father was bandmaster of the Lancashire Volunteer Rifles and encouraged both William and his brother Robert in their musical studies. At the age of 15 William joined the Southport Rifle band as a side-drummer and then moved onto the cornet, eventually becoming the bands principal cornet soloist. As a young man he made himself into one of the finest cornet players in the country under the eye of Alex Owen at Besses o’ th’ Barn. His prowess on the instrument became well known, and he was engaged as a soloist by many of the best bands of the day.
He eventually gave up playing to concentrate on training and conducting bands. From 1892-1910, Rimmer was responsible for the training and professional conducting of many bands such as the famous Black Dyke Mills Band. The high point of his career came in 1909 at the Manchester Belle Vue contest, where he was professional conductor of five of the six prize-winning bands. He also conducted every winning band at both the Crystal Palace and Belle Vue competitions between 1905 and 1909. Due to bad health he retired from conducting in 1909.
From 1910 he concentrated on composing and arranging. Many of his arrangements of operatic and classical pieces were used as test pieces in brass band contests. It was in the composition of his sparkling marches for brass bands, however, that Rimmer did most to perpetuate his name. His total number of his marches (for brass band and concert band) number over 100. Musicians of the brass band world mourned in 1936 when William Rimmer died; they had lost one of their pioneers. He had made a monumental contribution toward upgrading the quality of music used by brass bands everwhere.
Marches composed by William Rimmer:
- The Ancient Marines
- The Arabian
- Australasian
- The Avenger
- Black Fury
- Black Knight
- Blencathra
- Bravo, the Anzacs!
- The British Flag
- Cardenden
- The Carnival King
- The Cavalier
- Chepstow
- The Comet
- The Commonwealth
- The Cornet
- The Coronation
- The Cossack
- The Cross of Glory
- The Cross of Honour
- The Cycle Parade
- Dauntless
- Dawn of Freedom
- Deeds of Daring
- Dreadnought
- Earls Court
- The Eastern Belle
- Faithful and Free
- Farewell, My Comrades
- Fearless Footsteps
- The Field Day
- Flying Dutchman
- For Freedom and Honour
- Formidable
- Freedom's Fire
- Gallant and Gay
- Gipsy Belle
- The Grenadier
- Harlequin
- Hercules
- Heroes of Liberty
- Heroic
- Honest Toil March
- Honour the Brave
- Imperial
- Impregnable
- Indomitable
- An Irish Patrol
- Ironclad
- Irresistable
- Jack O'Lantern
- John Peel
- Jubilant
- The King's Cavalier
- The King's Courier
- Kings of the Air
- King's Park
- The King's Royal Rifle Corps
- Knights of the Road
- Laird O'Cockpen
- The Laurel Wreath
- Leviathan
- Long Live the King
- Marathon
- March at Ease
- Marine Artillery
- Men of Harlech
- Monarch
- The North Star
- The Northumbrian
- Old Comrades
- One of the Best
- Orion
- Our Glorious Empire
- Patriotic
- Punchinello
- Queen of the South
- Ravenscraig
- Ravenswood
- Rays of Glory
- Ready and Steady
- The Red Gauntlet
- Rock Lea
- The Royal Trophy
- La Russe
- St. David
- Salome
- Scindian
- Sergeants of the Guard
- Ships with Wings
- The Silver Badge
- Slaidburn
- The Soldier's Return
- Sons of the Wild
- Sons of Victory
- The Southport Belle
- Strathcona
- Sundian
- Territorials' Own
- Valorous
- The Victors Return
- The Virtuoso
- Viva Birkinshaw!
- Viva Pettee
- The West Yorks
- The Wizard
