A lovely article on two centuries of Tilburg’s musical history was recently published in De Draad magazine. The article was written by Petra Robben. She is a cultural historian, city curator at the Tilburg City Museum and coordinator of Erfgoed Tilburg.
Music is one of the things that brings people together. This is certainly the case in Tilburg, across a wide range of genres. Rock, jazz, classical, brass bands… There are still numerous music societies, and who doesn’t know Tilburg for the Rock Academy and the courses at Fontys University of the Arts and Factorium? In addition, the city is home to many orchestras, of which the music society De Nieuwe Koninklijke Harmonie, based in the Huis van Muziek, is one of the oldest.
Of course, Kessels cannot go unmentioned either. Unfortunately, the Kessels works brass band (see image) no longer exists, but it was one of the bands that factory workers – despite their unequal status and hierarchical relationships – voluntarily joined to make music together.
Together with Petra Robben, Hans Peters from De Draad magazine delved into the history of Tilburg’s music societies. She wrote her thesis entitled ‘A pastime for the citizens. Music societies and civil society in Tilburg, 1750–1900.’
Click on the image below to read the full article.
Would you like to read Petra Robben's full thesis? If so, please email dedraad@contourdetwern.nl.
You can read the full magazine of The Wire in which the article appeared here.
