Brunnsoktetten
Who are we?
We were formed in 1991 and consist of nine wind players who mainly play brass music from the turn of the last century, but sometimes we also try some more modern music.
This small orchestra is perfect to use both at arrangements where the space does not allow for a large orchestra, as well as at larger events.
Octet music had its heyday around the turn of the 19th century. Musicians in the then military music bands and other professional musicians earned extra money by, for example, playing at the many spa hotels or performing for dancing, or holding concerts in the city park.
The name “Oktett/Octet” is a little misleading as it sometimes consists of more than eight musicians (sometimes up to eleven). The Brunnsoktett mostly plays with the traditional lineup consisting of nine wind players, without drummers.
The repertoire consists mostly of hand-written original notes, from the years between 1885 and 1910. The notes previously belonged to Gustaf Ferdinand Lundin. How all these pieces of music have been scattered over the years is not easy to know. But we are very happy to have succeeded in saving a large part of them, which we play with pride.
We have played at many different places, from large openings to small private parties.
Background of “Brunnsmusik”
“Brunnsmusik” had its heyday at health spas from 1880 to 1920, until the war reduced interest in staying at spa hotels.
Music played a significant role in spa life with programs from morning to evening. In the morning, guests would be awakened with a reveille, and then there was music when the healthy spa water was to be consumed in the morning, before the park music in the afternoon. Some evenings also featured dancing in the park, where the musicians played a prominent role.
It is part of this tradition that we are trying to recreate and carry on.
Gustaf Ferdinand Lundin
Gustaf Ferdinand Lundin
- Our Role Model
- Our Role Model
Gustaf Ferdinand Lundin worked as a flutist, composer, and music conductor in various military bands, such as the Svea Life Guards, Västgöta Regiment, Kalmar Regiment, and Småland Hussars.
His extensive sheet music archive reportedly contained "a couple of thousand pieces" according to the newspaper Musikern, dated May 13, 1910.
In the same newspaper, the following can be read:
"He was considered perhaps the finest arranger and orchestrator of military music that our country had seen for a couple of decades; this especially applies to his instrumentation for eight-part military music."
A few years ago, we managed to acquire parts of this cultural treasure, consisting of nearly 600 arrangements from his archive, from a collector.