09 The first contests
These years of productive flourishing of bands we see the birth of the first contests among bands, an occasion to compare each other’s value.We know of a contest among the city bands, working and popular bands of Piemonte, Liguria and Lombardy which took place in the days of June, 3rd and 4th, 1888, in Turin.The philharmonic of Palazzolo sull’Oglio won among the bands of Lombardy by obtaining the first place and a medal.In the province of Brescia more contests are organised, among which we have the one in Chiari in 1892, where the bands of Gussago, Bedizzole, Pisogne, Orzinuovi, Bagnolo Mella and Rudiano took part in.The first prize was given to the band of Bagnolo Mella (230 L.). This contest was part of some liberal cultural initiatives to commit upper and lower classes of the city and the province, and at the same time they made the relationship between the Church and the State even worse.