Robert Browne Hall

Robert Browne Hall (30 June 1858 Bowdoinham, Maine – 8 June 1907), usually known as R. B. Hall, was a leading composer of marches and other music for American Wind bands. A principal American composer of marching music, he was born in Bowdoinham, Maine and seldom left his native state during his lifetime, dying in Portland. His music though has traveled around the world. He is particularly popular in the United Kingdom, so much so that many lovers of brass band music there mistakenly imagine that Hall is an English composer. His celebrated march, "Tenth Regiment March", written in 1895 and dedicated to the Tenth Regiment Band in Albany, New York, is a well-known staple of brass band concerts and competitions all over the UK, under the title "Death or Glory".

Hall was famous during his lifetime as a particularly fine player on the cornet and served for a time as conductor of the Bangor Band. As soloist, conductor, composer and teacher, Hall is still remembered in Maine. The last Saturday in June every year is officially Robert Browne Hall Day in the State of Maine.

Having suffered a stroke in 1902 from which he never recovered, he died in poverty in Portland as a result of nephritis five years later and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Richmond, Maine. His widow sold the manuscripts of many compositions. Unscrupulous publishers assembled and realized from fragments works they passed off as genuine Hall compositions.

Birth and Death Data: Born June 30, 1858 (Bowdoinham), Died June 8, 1907 (Portland)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1901 - 1940

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-1133 10-in. 3/18/1904 Officer of the day Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor BVE-1133 10-in. 11/17/1925 Officer of the day Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-1662 10-in. 8/5/1904 Independentia march Joseph Belmont Whistling solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor E-1662 8-in. 10/16/1907 Independentia march Joseph Belmont Whistling solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-4402 10-in. 4/16/1907 New colonial march Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor E-4402 8-in. 4/17/1907 New colonial march Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor C-12818 12-in. 1/20/1913 Officer of the day march Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-14938 10-in. 6/8/1914 Gardes du Corps march Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-15611 10-in. 1/19/1915 De Molay commandery Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-16514 10-in. 9/20/1915 Tenth Regiment march Conway's Band Band composer  
Victor B-17347 10-in. 3/21/1916 Tenth Regiment march Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor BVE-17347 10-in. 12/10/1926 Tenth Regiment march Victor Band Band composer  
Victor BS-84145 10-in. 8/30/1934 Officer of the day Bluebird Military Band Band composer  
Victor PBS-026147 10-in. 9/21/1938 Come join the band (Stanford University) Frank Hubbell Male Quartet Band, with male vocal quartet composer  
Victor BS-026816 10-in. 9/7/1938 Officer of the day march Goldman Band Band composer  
Victor BS-054647 10-in. 7/25/1940 Come, join the band All-American Glee Club ; Emile Coté Male vocal chorus composer  
Columbia 229 7-in. ca. 1901-Oct. 1905 Independentia march Joseph Belmont Whistling solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 229 10-in. ca. 1901 Independentia march Joseph Belmont Whistling solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 1010 7-in. ca. 1902 The new colonial march Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 1010 10-in. approximately 1902 The new colonial march Columbia Band Band composer  
Columbia 19277 10-in. 3/29/1911 De Molay commandery Prince's Band Band composer  
Columbia 46117 10-in. 10/16/1915 New colonial march Prince's Band Band composer  
Columbia 77906 10-in. 6/20/1918 De Molay commandery march Naval Reserve Band Band composer  
Columbia 79230 10-in. 6/9/1920 Officer of the day U.S. Naval Academy Band Band composer  
OKeh 346 10-in. ca. Sept. 1918 New colonial march OKeh Military Band Band composer  
OKeh S-7578 10-in. Sept. 1920 The new colonial march Conway's Band Band composer  
Edison 2400 10-in. 8/11/1913 Officer of the day National Promenade Band Band composer  
Edison 5258 10-in. 1/3/1917 The new colonial march New York Military Band Band composer  
Edison 6781 10-in. 5/8/1919 Tenth Regiment march Conway's Band Band composer  
Edison 11664 10-in. 4/24/1927 The officer of the day march C. Sharpe-Minor Organ solo composer  
Edison 11832 10-in. 8/2/1927 Independentia march New York Military Band Band composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hall, Robert Browne," accessed March 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109298.

Hall, Robert Browne. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109298.

"Hall, Robert Browne." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109298

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