The FReeper Foxhole Studies Military Bands in America - October 31st, 2003

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[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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A Brief History of Military Bands in America



For over 200 years, military bands have entertained troops and raised the morale of war-weary soldiers.

Pre-Revolutionary War

As far back as 1633, in the Colony of Virginia, drummers performed for marching practice during militia drills. In 1659, the Dutch supplied the militia of their new colony with drums. In 1687, the importance of music to the militia was further demonstrated when Virginia voted to purchase musical instruments for its militia. All free white males were required to serve in these units and supply their own rifles. Drummers received money for their services and public funds furnished their instruments. The first known band in the colonies was a band in New Hampshire in 1653 comprising of 15 hautbois (oboe) and 2 drums.

The elite militia units in the colonies obtained the services of bands. Officers funded these bands. In 1747, the Pennsylvania colonists formed regiments and Colonel Benjamin Franklin was the regimental commander in Philadelphia. In 1756, the Regiment of Artillery Company of Philadelphia, commanded by Franklin, marched with over 1000 men accompanied by "Hautboys and Fifes in Ranks." It is likely that the term "hautboy" did not refer solely to oboes, but to military musicians, and that Franklin had a well-balanced band. This marks the first recorded appearance of an American military band in the colonies.

The Colonies go to War



Musicians in the minuteman companies provided the steady rhythms needed to drill the new militia. On April 19, 1775, William Diamond (in some accounts Dinman), a drummer in Captain John Parker's Lexington militia company, beat To Arms at the Battle of Lexington. Also present was Jonathan Harrington, a fifer. Diamond later went on to march the Lexington militia to Bunker Hill. Some time after Bunker Hill, Diamond set aside his drum in favor of a musket and served throughout the remainder of the Revolution, to include the Battle of Yorktown, as a foot soldier.

Support for independence grew and spread throughout the colonies as the war in New England intensified. The colonists held rallies with patriotic speeches and banners. Militia companies drilled while bands played patriotic melodies.

At least seven regiments were known to have bands. The bands of the 3rd and 4th Regiments of Artillery served until the end of the war. Near the end of the Revolution, both bands gave frequent civilian concerts. One of them continued to exist into the nineteenth century under the name of the "Massachusetts Band."

Musicians were largely young boys from the ages 9 to 14. Congress approved the plan for soldiers no longer enlisting to be only musicians. Drummers and fifers were now picked from the ranks of enlisted personnel. Thus is the first reference to musicians performing soldierly duties.

The War of 1812

During the War of 1812, few changes occurred in the development of Army music. The only exception was the shift from fifes and drums to bugles sounding the signals. The bugler was located at the side of his commander.

Militia bands were a common sight during the War of 1812. The first military band of New York City was organized in 1810 and offered its' services to the 11th Regiment of the New York Militia. It was stationed at Bledsoe's Island in the New York Harbor, the site of the Statue of Liberty. The band served throughout the War of 1812.

Civil War Bands

The number of military bands grew tremendously during the first years of the Civil War (1861-1865) when expenses were assumed by the federal government. In 1862 Congress consolidated over 200 regimental bands into about 60 brigade bands and limited the number of musicians in military bands to sixteen.



Some military bands had a less-than-professional appearance. This band (pictured below) was under the command of General James A. Blunt in Kansas in 1863.



Brigade bands performed concerts for the officers, provided music for marching troops, and aided in kitchen and medical duties at hospitals and in the field.

This over-the-shoulder, or backfire, cornet was played by George Bind of Company C, 7th Kansas Cavalry during the Civil War. These horns were designed to point back behind the musician's shoulder so that troops marching behind the band could better hear the music. This horn was manufactured by Gilmore, Graves & Co. of Boston around 1861.



Military Bands on the Frontier

After the Civil War bands continued to play an important role in the military. Army regulations required bands to be stationed only at those posts serving as regimental headquarters. In Kansas, that meant Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, Fort Harker, and Fort Hays.

The regulations also allowed bands to travel around the region to posts occupied by companies of the regiment. Frontier military bands often performed concerts at nearby communities. People traveled great distances to hear military bands play.



Commanding officers had a wide latitude in the uniforms and outfits worn by band members, as is apparent with the band at Fort Hays in 1886.

An event that has long been premeditated . . . came to a successful issue last Wednesday evening: simply the grand ball given by "C" Company, Sixth Cavalry. The intent was to make it stupendous and so it was. Probably no similar event has ever transpired in Western Kansas that can equal it . . . . There was an aggregate of two hundred couples--parties from Wallace, Ellis, Dodge, Victoria, Russell, and Ellsworth graced the fete with their presence. Hays City turned out en masse, and, in fact, the crowd was immense, and good will pervaded the entire affair.
--Junction City Union, April 4, 1874

Spanish-American War

Regimental bands accompanied American troops to Cuba and the Philippines for "The Splendid Little War."

The 20th Kansas Volunteers were commanded by Frederick Funston of Iola. Members of the 20th Kansas Band distinguished themselves in the Philippines, often taking part as stretcher bearers and sometimes in combat. After the war a number of musical compositions, like Funston's Fighting 20th March were written in tribute to Funston and his men.



"The War to End All Wars"

Over 200 American military bands were stationed in Europe during World War I. Because the quality of these bands was fairly low, military bandmasters' schools were established. Many Americans got a musical education while serving in the military, and after the war pursued careers in music education in the public schools.



Corporal Martin G. Miller used this tenor saxophone while in the band of the 130th Field Artillery, 35th Division, from 1917 to 1919. It was manufactured by Frank Holton & Co. of Chicago around 1903.



World War II and Beyond

In 1941, the War Department authorized the organization of over 400 bands for the American military. Smaller ensembles often formed out of the larger concert bands, and popular music such as jazz and big-band music was reflected in the selections performed by these military bands.



As in World War II, bands accompanied combat units into action in Korea. Bands traveled many miles to perform several concerts a day for units close to the front line. One report read, "The closer we play to the front line, and recently we have been within a half-mile of it, the more enthusiastic has been the response to our music."

By 1969, eight bands were stationed in Vietnam. Bands in Vietnam, like those in Korea, often performed in forward areas. They flew into combat areas with instruments and performed pop concerts or military ceremonies when needed.

Desert Storm/Desert Shield

Army Bands played a part in these conflicts by increasing morale for Soldiers and providing music for military ceremonies. Bands' duties were varied. For example, the 3rd Armored Division Band performed on the enemy side of a berm while the 24th Infantry Division advanced into Iraqi territory; and many bandsmen spent countless hours guarding the perimeter.

Members of the 1st Infantry Division Band from Fort Riley, Kansas formed a rock 'n roll band to entertain the troops while stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1991.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[Darksheare]

Beware the fevered kisses by the dark of the moon, the fevered lips of the eventide, for the nightime breezes vanish by morninglight.

[Darksheare]

Yes.
One of the few I have scanned.

[Darksheare]

Wasn't I, but I did run into a few of them personally.
They spent quite some time busted down a pay grade or three.
(It was C battery of my old unit that accomplished this feat.)

[snippy_about_it]

Oh, the last sentence. I see. So right. :(

But it could be fun while it lasted. ;)

[Darksheare]

True, true.

[dglang]

I served in army bands during the Viet Nam war. After graduating from high school, I auditioned for the Fifth Army Band at Ft. Sheridan Il and was accepted.

Upon completion of basic training, I was sent to the U.S.Navy school of Music at Little Creek Va. I was told at the school that my incoming audition with a score of 3.29 out of a possible 4, was the highest that they had ever recorded for a tuuba player.

Upon completion of 6 months training at the music school, I was sent to Ft. Sheridan to join the Fifth Army Band. At the Fifth, the band was great and had a weekly radio program on WGN radioin Chicago. That is how I learned about the band.

We wore dress blues for all our public appearances and we wern't allowed to wear the uniforms until we arrived where we were going to play. That was to keep the uniforms clean and neat.

I have not so fond memories of riding in a bus down State Street in Chicago wearing our underwear before putting our uniforms on when we arrived at the parade staging area.

We often played at parades throught Illinois, and Wisconsin. One Fourth of July in 104 degree temperatures, we had to march in three parades the same day. After the second parade, several of the guys decided to stay in our blues since they were drenched in sweat anyway.

Right before the third parade, the director CWO Billie G Cook inspected us and everyone who had a wrinkled trousers from wearing them on the bus got yard duty for punishment.

After serving with the Fifth for about 9 months, I was reassigned to the &4th Armt at Ft. Benjamin Harrison Indiana (Uncle Bennies Rest Home as we called it) and finished my term of service there. When I first arrived, the band had about 13 musicians and 7 of them were tuba players. I wound up playing trumpet and french horn as well as tuba. By the time I left, the membership rose to about 100.

During the early days at Uncle Bennies, my schedule went something like this for a typical day:

Get up at about 8:30 to 9:00 and fall out for roll call (weather permitting).
Return to room and make bed and clean up.
Hold morning warmups (about an hour).
Take morning coffee break 1/2 to a full hour.
Have morning rehearsal 1 to 2 hours).
Break for lunch at about 1:30.
Afternoon was spent in PT (personal time) which ment practicing our individual instruments. Some guys went swimming or visited other post recreation areas, or took naps to prepare for evening partying. Some simply left for the day.

At the beginning, the band was to small to do much.

Ft.Harrison was the home of the Army Finance center, the Defense information school, The Finance school, and a couple other schools. About four times each month, we played at welcoming and graduation ceremonies at the various schools, and during warm weather, the monthly 'retreat' ceremony. We also participated in the Indy 500 parade as well as a few local concerts.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning and thank you dglang for sharing your story with the Foxhole.

It's interesting to me to read that the Army would send people to the Navy school of music. I love the story about riding on the bus in your underwear. LOL.

Looking at your schedule at Ft. Benjamin Harrison I can see why you may have called it Uncle Bennies rest home. I didn't know anyone got to sleep that late in the military!

How hard is it to go from playing tuba to playing a trumpet and french horn? I have a nephew who plays trombone and never thought of asking him about how easy or difficult it would be to switch instruments.

We have folks from all over the military join us at the FReeper Foxhole but I believe you are our first musician to "fall in".

Don't be shy and stop in again sometime.

Thank you for your service to our country.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for serving dglang.

Glad you shared your experience with the Foxhole. You had to lug around a Tuba in Chicago in summer? I don't envy you, I was Color Guard in parades in the Chicago area and the humidity can be a real killer. Thankfully, we wore our jungle fatigues.

[dglang]

From 1984 to mid 1993, I was a member of the Joliet American Legion Band from Joliet Illinois. This band was formed in 1946 at the end of world war II and was comprised of service personnel who grew up in Joliet Illinois and were members of the great high school band at Joliet Central high school.

During the 1930's and 1940's, that high school band and my own high school band at Harrison High school in Chicago Illinois were regular contestants for and winners of the U.S. National High School Band Contests.

The first year of it's existance, the Joliet Legion band competeted in the American Legion national band contest and won first place. In 33 trips to the Nationals, the band finished in first place 32 times and in second place the only time they didn't finish in first.

Our solo cornetist in the Joliet Legion band, Chuck Peters once served as the solo cornetist in the Sousa band.

During an international music festival in Toronto Canada in 1986, the Joliet Legion band became the only adult band from North America to ever win a gold medal in international competition.

Usually in a band contest, each band plays three numbers, the first of which is a warmup and is not judged. The second and third numbers are judged to determine each bands ranking in the contest.

For our first number, the warmup, we opened with March op 99 from Prokopioff's Love of Three Oranges. I remember looking at the audience upon completion of that number and seeing jaws dropped wide open at the complexity of our warmup number which was harder than most bands main numbers.

During the judging numbers, the judges sit in the back of the room and softly speak their comments into a tape recorder which is simultaniously recording each bands performance.

For our second number, we played American Overture for Band which featured out french horn section. After listening for a minute, one of the judges said that he couldn't teach us anything and he was just going to shut up and enjoy the performance.

For our third number, we played Romanian Rhapsody by Georges Enesco. Another judge questioned why he never heard anyone else play this number because it was so beautiful. A short time later, he said he knew why no one else ever played it, it was too hard.

I was playing tuba in this band and one of the judges said that our bass section was the most awesome he has ever heard. When I was in the army bands, I could support a 100 piece band all by myself and our legion band had 8 tuba players, all of which were experts.

At the end of the third number, all three judges were up on their feet yelling BRAVO BRAVO, and we knew that we made history before we even heard our scores.

[dglang]

I remember one parade in Chicago when I laid my light weight Sousaphone on the street rather than hold it. A big wind came up and I had to chase after the horn as it was literally blowing away down the street.

The big Conn Artist brass Sousaphones with short action valves weighed about 55 pounds each and even they weren't immune to the effects of a heavy wind.

At an outdoor ceremony at Ft Harrison on a very windy day, the Sousaphone players had to lean into a very heavy wind that was blowing just to keep our spot in formation. From time to time, the wind would suddenly stop and the entire line of tuba players would suddenly jump out of line about two places to the left of where we were standing. If the wind would suddenly stop after a particularly hard burst, we would almost fall down from leaning so much to the left.

[dglang]

When I was a tuba player in the 74th army band, I went on a few bugle jobs playing a trumpet for soldiers who were killed in Viet Nam. I went on a couple of jobs accompanying a Marine Corps Honor Guard.

Most of our regular trumpet players didn't want to go on the bugle jobs, but I gladly volunteered. I figured that it was the least that I could do for someone who lost his life.

At one funeral, the family wanted to give me $25.00 for playing taps and I refused it. I told them that I wanted to be there, that I volunteered for that job and I did it to honor their son, and I was proud to do it for him.

[SAMWolf]

From time to time, the wind would suddenly stop and the entire line of tuba players would suddenly jump out of line about two places to the left of where we were standing.

LOL! I can get a mental picture of that, I remember trying to stand at attention in high winds holding a flag.

[PhilDragoo]

What an outstanding accomplishment.

You mention Ft. Harrison. Indianapolis is my birthplace and was my home for twenty years.

Your pursuit of excellence with the Joliet American Legion Band is laser-bright in the currently dulled culture.

Viewing the success of the group Chicago, it would seem the time is right for another assemblage of instrumental virtuosos.

It would be applauded along with the development of the Rap Music-Homing/BoomBox-Busting PGM.

I'm sure those treated to your performances felt as we did watching the Blue Angels perform over the USNA in 1994.

The truly accomplished have the power to awe.