A 220-page book by Luiz Fagundes Duarte marks the 150th anniversary of the Serreta Philharmonic, the oldest uninterruptedly active marching band on Terceira Island.
At the suggestion of the Society’s management, the author, from the parish, agreed to write the book, which he worked on for about a year and a half. He felt, however, that it would be too reductive to talk about the philharmonic without telling the story of Serreta. To this end, he did “all the necessary and possible research,” according to a note he sent us, and ended up writing the book now seeing the light of day.
“To tell the story of this Philharmonic, we cannot and must not separate it from the historical, geographical, geological, social, and cultural context in which it was created and evolved: the parish of Serreta – of which we must also not forget the cult that has been built up over time around its patron saint, Nossa Senhora dos Milagres,” explains Fagundes Duarte in the Introduction to the book.
In the note he sent us, the author highlights the philharmonic’s uninterrupted existence, not least because Serreta was “the last region of Terceira to be cleared and populated.” It is. Also, he points out, “the least populated parish on the island.”

150 years of uninterrupted music

The philharmonic, says Fagundes Duarte, was born 11 years after Serreta was made a parish “and has kept it alive and dynamic for a century and a half,” he points out.
“A century and a half actively participating in the life of the parish and the island, and interacting with its counterparts, both in Terceira and the other islands of the Azores, as well as mainland Portugal and the emigrant communities in North America,” reads the Introduction.
The book will be launched in two stages: the first will be a session on Sunday, December 10, at 12:30 p.m., in the Serreta Philharmonic Hall (after Mass), followed by a reception. The second will be on December 15, at 8.30pm, in the Salão Nobre of the Paços do Concelho in Angra do Heroísmo. The book is supported by the city council of Angra do Heroísmo.
The author dedicates the work to his father, Manuel Gonçalves Duarte, who was the conductor – or “music master,” as they used to say – of the Serreta Philharmonic for many years. Manuel Gonçalves Duarte’s son, Jorge Duarte, a dentist in Turlock, California, is also a very talented musician, as is his son, grandson of the famous “regente.”

From Diário Inuslar and PBBI

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno