Great Municipal Band

The Great Municipal Band was a Gungan band that performed at all major events significant to the Gungans. It was a source of extreme pride for the Gungan people as only the finest musikagungs of the planet Naboo were members. The band was a significant part of Gungan culture, as it composed symponiks to record and retell Gungan history. The Great Municipal Band was directed by a leader, and in 32 BBY that leader was Augara Jowil, who succeeded Beezar Pert, composer of the "Symponika Crunchen-Grand." Under Jowil's direction, the Municipal Band performed the "Symponik Nabooalla" following the Invasion of Naboo.

History
The Great Municipal Band was a musical band composed of the finest musikagungs, the musicians of Gungan society, on the planet Naboo. Sometime prior to the year 32 BBY, the band was under the conduction of Beezar Pert, composer of the famous "Symponika Crunchen-Grand," a symponik detailing the events of the formation of the Gungan Grand Army. Pert took the young musikagung Augara "Augie" Jowil as his apprentice and instructed her until he retired. Despite Jowil's relative youth and inexperience, the members of the Band unanimously elected her to be Pert's successor.

During the Invasion of Naboo, Jowil and the Band evacuated the city of Otoh Gunga, along with the rest of the city's population, and fled from the invading Trade Federation to the Gungan sacred place. It was there Jowil got her chance to chronicle the historical event she never thought would come: the meeting of the Gungan Boss Rugor Nass and the Human Naboo led by Queen Padmé Amidala in order to regain freedom for the entire planet. Jowil composed the entire "Symponik Nabooalla," an epic for all of Naboo's denizens, in her head within days. The piece's first movement debuted during the Municipal Band's parade performance during the victory celebration in the capital city of Theed after the Naboo and Gungans successfully defeated the Trade Federation. The Band's performance was witnessed by representatives of the Galactic Republic such as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi Council. That ensured Jowil's place in history as one of the group's most important leaders.

Organization
The Great Municipal Band was composed of the finest musikagungs. It contained drum and horn sections, and had at least forty-two percussionists and several horn players. It was led by a conductor and headquartered in the city of Otoh Gunga.

Behind the scenes
The Great Municipal Band made its first appearance in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace during the movie's final scene depicting the victory parade in the city of Theed. It later appeared in the second issue of the Star Wars Manga: The Phantom Menace comic series, released on January 19, 2000, as well as in the PhotoComic adaptation of The Phantom Menace, published on August 29, 2007.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace PhotoComic
 * Star Wars Manga: The Phantom Menace 2