Berlin’s first known brass band, lead by Heinrich Glebe, paraded the streets of the village during the 1850’s. It was organized by Herr Glebe an old country German, who was a tailor and cap maker on King Street East. Later he operated a hotel in the old frame building known as Weaver’s Tavern on King Street West.
Among the members of the Glebe band were Michael Knechtel, Henry Heller, Adam Wagner, Henry Hett [great grandfather of Laverne Hett], and Conrad Gerbig, drummer.
Towards the latter years of the Glebe band, there was an opposition band lead by William Kaiser which proved to be the nucleus of the Berlin Musical Society which will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2001. This new aspirant for public favour and honour was a thorn in the side of the veteran Glebe, according to a story in Berlin Today and feeling between the leaders of the two bands ran high. Some of the encounters between them were amusing and at times spirited, though never fraught with serious results.
Glebe eventually retired from Berlin and "took hold of the musical talent in Waterloo". He and his family left Berlin for Hamilton where "before the aged musician answered the last bugle call, he was well-to-do".
exerpts from an article "William Kaiser’s Band" by Kathryn Hansuld Lamb