Military Bands

The old Sousa marches, when played smartly by a good band, still rouse my spirits.

Military bands were often the only entertainment military people had in pre-electronic days. They were very important to Civil War soldiers. Often, soldiers of both sides would sit within sight & easy gunshot of each other to listen to a good band, regardless of which side it was on. And they often played hit songs of the time, not just military tunes.

The Yankees' fave was "John Brown's Body", followed by "The Battle Cry of Freedom". (There was a Southern version of the same song, & sometimes a band would play it several times to allow both sides to sing its version.) and "Lorena" was hugely popular on both sides. (Written in 1856 by Rev. Henry Webster & his friend Joseph Philbrick Webster-no relation)

Gen. Lee said " I don't believe we could have an army without music", & a rebel officer, while surrendering at Appamattox, said, "We would've whupped the boots off you if we'd had your music."

In nam, we heard Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely", the Shirelles' "Soldier Boy", lotsa Jimi Hendrix & The Animals' "Sky Pilot", & on the way home we returned to Bobby Vinton & sang" I'm Comin' Home!" We didn't get to hear any full military bands there; they mighta been elsewhere in that land, I don't know. (I was outside Da Nang, as a corpsman in a MASH unit.)

 

Most folks don’t know that music was an integral part of the Texas Alamo. At least that is the legend.

Crockett and McGregor would play along with and musically challenge the Santa Anna band.

What a cacophony of sound it must have been when the Scottish bagpipes joined the sounds of fiddling, trumpeting, and thumping of drums.

One can visualize Crocket, in the moving postures as if the fiddler on the roof, John McGregor, tall and strait, piping with Scottish fervor, and the drums and brass of Mexican finest all participating in sounds rolling over the country to encourage, yet, would soon never again be heard.

 

Don't forget the Salvation Army!

 

The book of Numbers mentions a band. A band of two Silver trumpets.

They were for warning and gathering.

Silver, trumpets. I wonder if they were tuned to play in unison or in harmony?