THE VOLGA GERMANS IN PORTLAND
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Beliefs > Churches > Second German Congregational Church > ​Bands

Second German Congregational ​Church Bands

​The love of music has been passed down from generation to generation since the founding of the church. This musical heritage no doubt has its origins in Germany and Russia where the founding families had ancestral ties.

In 1945, Louis Pilbeam was invited to begin a band at our church.  Trumpets, trombones and saxophones were the basic instruments.  As soon as a student learned to play the scales, Mr. Pilbeam taught them to transpose piano music from the hymnal.  

Church band members, who actively participated in the church services, discovered when they entered high school that they were considered among the best musicians in their school.  Many band members were top musicians in All-City bands, orchestras and the Junior Symphony.  

Small groups provided music for banquets, youth meetings or wherever they were needed.  The band was often invited to perform concerts at other churches, even as far away as Vancouver, British Columbia.
Second German Church Band circa 1945
Second German Congregational Church band circa 1945. Rev. Heinrich Hagelganz is standing to the right and Louis Pilbeam to the left. Harold Kammerzell is seated at the far left of the front row holding his trumpet. Photograph courtesy of Harold Kammerzell.

Sources

Krieger, Joanne and Willis.
Last updated January 14, 2017.
Copyright © 1998-2023 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
    • About This Website
    • Reviews
  • History
    • Historical Timeline
    • Migration to Russia
    • Emigration from Russia
    • Settlement in America
    • Migration to Portland
    • Little Russia
    • A Short History of Albina
    • World War I
    • The Volga Relief Society >
      • Portland Volga Relief Society Subscribers 1921
    • World War II
    • Assimilation and Dispersion
  • Beliefs
    • Churches >
      • Albina Seventh-day Adventist Church
      • First United Mennonite Baptist Church
      • Ebenezer German Congregational Church
      • Free Evangelical Brethren Church >
        • German Evangelical Congregational Brethren Church
      • Second German Baptist Church
      • St. Pauls Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • Second German Congregational Church >
        • Evangelical Congregational Church
      • Zion German Congregational Church >
        • Rivercrest Community Church
    • Pastors
    • The Brethren
    • Denominations >
      • German Reformed Church
      • German Evangelical Synod of North America
      • Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • German Congregational Church
      • Seventh-day Adventists
      • United Church of Christ
  • People
    • Our People
    • Notables
    • Pioneers 1881-1892
    • Stories
    • Photographs
    • Help Identify These People
  • Community
    • Characteristics
    • Businesses >
      • Bakeries Retailers and Services
      • Garbage Haulers
      • Grocery and Meat Markets
      • Restaurants >
        • Helsers on Alberta
        • McCormick & Schmicks
        • Wildwood
      • Saloons and Taverns
      • Suppliers and Manufacturers
    • Employers
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Maps
    • Documentary
  • Traditions
    • Foods
    • Folk Medicine
    • Expressions
    • Weddings
    • Holidays
    • Folk Music
    • Funerals and Burial Sites
  • Resources
    • Family Research
    • Books and Video
    • Works Cited