HISTORY  

1. The Older Days

Finland already had 35 brass bands when Kronoby Hornkapell was founded in 1885. The first orchestra was a Swedish style sextet: E flat cornet, B flat cornet, alt horn, tenor horn, baritone and E flat tuba. Soon the leader, Petter Lybäck added a second B flat cornet, and since then the band has played as a septet.

Kronoby Hornkapell 1895 in Helsinki

  Behind, from left: Johan Riska (Bjong), Johan Broända, K.J. Pehkonen, Matts W. Snåre.   Front, from left: Vilhelm Lybäck, Petter Lybäck (conductor), Alfred Lybäck.

Petter Lybäck studied organ building in Germany, and this is the reason why our band has so many German pieces in the old music books. Petter and his sons Vilhelm and Alfred were excellent musical arrangers and many of the older pieces have their signature.

Vilhelm (P.V.) Lybäck served from 1892-95 in the Military Band in Oulu. At this time, he had a reputation as one of the best cornet payers in Finland. After his service he continued his father's leadership for Kronoby Hornkapell until his death 1923.
                                

Kronoby Hornkapell at the music festival in Helsinki 1907.

Behind from left.: Matts-Emil Stor, Vilhelm Hellström, Adolf Finnholm, Fride Byskata, Hugo Slotte, Axel Byskata, Emil Strandvall.
In front from left: Vilhelm Storbjörk, Alfred Hummel, P.V. Lybäck (conductor), Viktor Bjongbacka, Otto Haga.

Kronoby Ungdoms- och Nykterhetsförening (Youth- & Temperance Organization) was founded in 1890, and the Hornkapell worked from the beginning in close cooperation with this organization. The temperance idea with abstinence from any alcoholic drink was too strong for some of the players, so a second and more liberal band was founded, outside the Youth- & Temperance Organization. Like the USA, Finland had their own Prohibition from 1919 to 1931, but by this time the two Hornkapells were already united. The reason was that quite a few players had immigrated to America, among them Adolf Finnholm and Alfred Hummel, and there were only enough players for one band.

2. Otto Haga's period

Otto Haga joined the band as a young boy playing B flat cornet. He studied music in Helsinki and served as cornet player in a military band. When Vilhelm Lybäck died in 1923, Otto Haga continued as leader. He used to say that he was not a good enough player, so they made him the Band Leader. This was a big understatement, because in the fifties he would still sometimes sit down and give us lessons "how to play the cornet".
After the Independence in 1917 local paramilitary protection troops (skyddskår) were founded. Kronoby Hornkapell was the local skyddskår's band from 1918 to 1945.
Otto Haga performed a tremendous service educating young boys to play in an orchestra. He started six different junior bands, the first in 1926, the last in 1954. Many of the juniors were sons of the older band players.
Otto Haga retired in 1967 after leading the band for 44 years. He estimated that Kronoby Hornkapell under his direction played, among all other festivities, in 500 wedding parties.

3. The later days

First century concert 1985

In front: conductor Åke Storbjörk; From left: Lilian Brunell, Hans-Erik Andtbacka, Rolf Slotte, Sven-Erik Byskata, Guy Björklund, Börje Kuhlbacka,
Erland Slotte, Håkan Riska, Henrik Ainasoja, Paul-Håkan Björklund, Kenneth Storbjörk, Mikael Fröjdö, Hans Brunell, Sören Slotte, Peter Slotte.

Åke Storbjörk was the conductor from 1967 to 1985. He had a long run as a dance band player and also as classical clarinetist in a local orchestra. His father played E flat cornet for a long time (see picture from 1905), so also did his brother Bertel.
After the century anniversary Åke handed the baton to Hans-Erik Andtbacka, who still leads the band. Åke continued until 2000 helping the difficult E flat with his clarinet.

Kronoby Hornkapell in Seattle

July 17th - 26th 1999

Active contacts via Internet with SFHS (Swedish Finn Historical Society) in Seattle gave Kronoby Hornkapell a possibility to take part in FinnFest 99. Companies, foundations, institutes and not least Kronoby commune helped us economically to realize the project.

Saturday July 17th, ready for take off

Here is the group leaving from Kronoby

From left: Göta Wärn, Erik Wärn, Greta Gunell, Alf Gunell, Johannes Nygren, Hans Brunell, Marit Brunell, Kenneth Storbjörk, Hasse Andtbacka, Marjatta Tjäru, Mikael Fröjdö, Mathias Lillbroända, Rolf Tjäru and Monika Kleinecke. Helena Andtbacka was behind the camera, Joni Petroff succeeded to hide somewhere.

Finnish Brass Music in Husky Union Building

Playing Chorals at Denny Park Lutheran Church

Corelli's "Sarabande" at Closing Ceremony in Meany Hall

There is Life after Seattle!

Rehearsal before performance in Esbo / Espoo, June 2001

120 year's anniversary concert in October 2005

Kronoby Hornkapell is a good evidence of the fact that brass band playing is a hereditary disease. Of our players today two are  third generation and two fourth generation players in Kronoby Hornkapell. Outside of the short period of Prohibition when the band was divided, only five persons have conducted the Band during it's 120+ years.