Evolution of Bands -With Warlike Airs

With Walike Air and Martial Ayres

Allan Ferguson

Taken from THE SCABBARD (Journal of the MMSI) Vol. XIV 1981

Part 1

Music and war do not seem to have any relation at all to modern observers; however, any historian or military researcher will be very quick to point out that music served a vital function in the past. Musicians were not merely supernumeraries, although they were not always accorded great affection for the service they provided. The music was always in the thick of battle and war, whether in the front, beating out the call to advance, or in camp, performing the least favored duty of beating the Reveille and Taps.

The ironic part, and one of the major reasons for writing this series, is that the music does not always appear in the standard references as the necessary item it is. Very few books recount the roles of drummers, fifers, buglers and bandsmen in the War of 1812. Very few memoirs and anecdotal histories deal with the music, except for the occasional reference in general orders that the music needed to improve or the separate listings of casualties in the music. Worse yet, a recent search done by University Microfilms located only eight doctoral dissertations done in the general subject of military music – not even modern scholars are trying to bring the subject out of the dark. Paucity of information rules the study and conjecture, though totally abhorrent, must be allowed in order to make any understanding possible.

One possible explanation for this paucity of information may be explained by the notion that music was so much a part of military life that no one took the pains to write about this aspect of soldiering. This is true even today, for no one would make a point of commenting on hearing the Marines Band playing ‘Semper Felelis’ and ‘The Marines Hymn’ or a Navy choir sing ‘Eternal Father, strong to save.’ The difference lies mainly in the use; the modern band is primarily a ceremonial appurtenance, whereas the old army could not exist without its musicians.

The music to be heard was certainly variable, both in quantity and quality. There is no definite way of knowing what was played where and when, except for those rare occasions when someone felt a responsibility to write down something he felt was extraordinary or significantly. Two tunes have gained a place in the history books this way, the two tunes being Handel’s ‘Dead March’ from the oratorio Saul and ‘Yankee Doodle’ the former is reputed to have been played by Hull’s music as the troops marched from Fort Dearborn into capture and the later has been noted as having been used by three commanders in as many engagements. The first use of Yankee Doodle was a victory cry when the Canadian squadron sailed away from its abortive attempt upon Sackets Harbor on 19 July 1812; the last two recorded uses were as rallying cries. General Alexander Symth wanted to use it as the signal to attack in his November 1812 expedition, and General Zebulon M. Pike used it as a bona fide rallying cry in the April 1813 attack on York

In trying to flesh out the repertoire of the 1812 musician one discovers a great obstacle; there is little authentic and verifiable music to be found. The greatest reasons for this may be that the music itself was personal property or that the music was destroyed when it became out-dated. The result is the same – libraries such as the one kept by the Marines Museum do not have the music. One may use newspaper references to a certain degree and such a method will yield the following possible tunes: Hail to the Chief (first printed in the US in 1812); Jefferson’s March, and Landlady of France (tune used for the ballad The Constitution and the Guerriere. The definite winners in a popularity poll and by conjecture for greater use would be Washington’s March, Hail Columbia and To Anacreon in Heaven (currently the tune to The Star Spangled Banner). There are many more tunes, but many are just not that well known. If you do read music, The Company of Fifers and Drummers sells an inexpensive edition of the Martial Music of Camp Dupont. The collection of tunes purports to be the collection of music used by the troops at Camp Dupont and seems to true enough in its claim. The original dates from 1815.

In working on this series I would have liked to include a section on solider songs, the risqué and racy side to military music. Unfortunately this notion was forced to be rejected because there is no information which could be trusted. Lewis Winstock whose Songs & Music of the Redcoats answers almost all questions from the time of the English Civil War to the Boer War with regards to music, dismisses the War of 1812 in one paragraph because he lacked the information by which he could make an intelligent explanation. This covers only the British side but rest assured that the American story is no better off. The two most quoted songs post-date the war being the Star Spangled Banner and the Hunters of Kentucky. Most of the tunes reproduced in Vera Brodsky Lawrence’s Music for Patriots Politicians and Presidents deal with naval victories which could not mean much (in my opinion) to an underfed and over-worked infantryman. Soldiers may have indulged in the singing of sacred songs as was common in for hymn-singing to be considered as a proper form of social activity.

This is the introduction to the rest of the series which will contain a section devoted to the music of the United States Marines, a section to the field music and one to the bands. At no time should the discussion get so technical as to leave those of you who have tin years out in the cold with nothing to think about. Remember, the music was not just for the men in the bands but for the men who lived within the sound of them music. Thus, perhaps some of you may wish to discuss the ideas I put forth and I hope you do. It may not effect the firepower of your battalion, but it does affect morale and overall efficiency. Music is a strange and almost unaccountable force given this idea.

Part 2

The fairest way to begin the actual process of reviewing the state of music during the War of 1812 period is to look at the music of the United States Marines. The reasons should be quite clear: the Corps lays a valid claim to having the oldest continuously functioning military band in this country: it has maintained surprising good records for this early period; and it somehow managed to acquire both a band and field music during a period of limited military expenditure. In brief the music of the Marines honestly represents music in almost all phases of military music.

Let us first distinguish between field music and bands. The field music is that part of martial musical establishment which is part of normal company or detachment strength, serving as a sort of musical telegraph, time keeper and morale booster. The pay for such musicians in the Marines was originally $7 per month, or exactly halfway between the payoff a private and of a corporal ($6 and $8 respectively). The band, on the other hand was almost solely a phenomenon associated with a garrison or in the Corps’ case at the Barracks, serving at the commander’s discretion. Initially the band was kept by means of a subscription fund entered into by the officers, however, this fund was eventually depleted. Standard procedure for the era allowed the band to be made up of men enlisted as rank and file, but detailed to the musick more or less permanently; such may be true for the Marines. At any rate, the band served in ceremonial functions in Washington, eventually being recognized as the President’s band as well.

The typical stations for duty for the field music included service on board the ships of the Navy, at the various navy yards, in garrison in Washington and on specific details, such as recruiting parties. Common usage called for the use of fife and drum together in equal numbers, such as the assignment of one fife and one drum to each navy yard. In 1799, Commandant William Ward Burrows asked the Secretary of Navy to increase the total quota for the music from 32 each to 40 each., the latter being the number of ships that needed music. Actually, Burrows was in more of a bind than appears evident, as the law could have been construed to limit the number to only 24 fifers and 24 drummers. In 1814 this authorized strength was increased to 46 of each instrument from 25 and this was naturally decreased after the war in 1817.

This configuration would be an example of the ‘Harmoniemusik’ arrangement that was used during the American Revolution and by most military bands at this time. The standard band had pairs of; oboes and/or clarinets, French horns and bassoons. In 1812 another request was made for instruments this time for: A Bugle-horn – if trumpet kind – 2 F Clarinets – and a pair of cymbals. Occasionally the leader was called upon to play the cymbals during the Revolution, but the Marines seems to be showing a leaning toward the Turkish Music craze that Europe had succumbed to during the Napoleonic era. The reason for this statement is grounded upon the use of the cymbals with the use of a bass drum.

Turkish music is basically the name bestowed upon a conspicuous rhythm made of: bass drum, cymbals, a kettledrum or tenor drum, tambourine and a ‘jingling johnny’. These percussion instruments were played on by blacks in
Europe, however there is nothing to suggest that this was adopted in this country. The final result is that the adding this ‘Janissary’ element to the band is that the band needs to be enlarged with melody instruments to overcome the added noise of the percussion. This may account for the request for more instruments which in itself appears to be as modest as the number of Turkish instruments named in the purchase orders (namely the bass drum and cymbals).

One quality much desired inn band musicians of the time was the ability to play upon the stringed instruments. Evidently, this is true as well for the Marines Band, for cello strings were sent to the band in 1806,a s well as a collection of sacred songs suitable for playing in church. Frankly, strings would certainly be more fitting for an officer’s mess or reception than a full band of oboes and clarinets. Versatility, both in instruments played and types of music played behooved a good band.

At some time during the War of 1812 the Marines adopted the bugle into the field music. The only letter reference to this in the form of a letter from Captain William Bainbridge to the Secretary of the Navy complaining about the failure to punish a ‘Bugleman of the Chesapeake’. The unlucky musician was sentenced to received 300 lashes which were reduced to 100 by the President; as of 6 July 1814 he had received none because he was confined to the Marines Barracks.

The Marines showed good measure of forethought in the establishment of a school to train young lads in the art of military music. The goal was to use the school for boys in the 13-16 years age bracket and then assign them as posts became vacant or were created. Do not fall for that romantic notion that young drummer boys served with their more manly compatriots; the duties of any shipboard or land-based drummer were too important to be given to a child. The school, incidentally proved to be a training ground for NCO’s as well as musicians by virtue of the fact that musicians had to be trained in almost every aspect of military duty. One example of this is to be found with the career of Venerando Pulizzi, the third drum major of the Corps. Although he was not trained in Washington as a musician, he eventually resigned his post as drum major to become a sergeant and later sergeant major in the Marines.

The uniform of the Marines music was essentially the same as that of the rank and file, with the exception that the coats were of reversed colors. These scarlet and blue coats were reported to have cost $8 each in 1812. In 1806 the plumes on the caps were made of scarlet and blue features, ‘of moderate size’, however, that may not have been true in 1812. The 1806 letter which describes the plumes also made note of a request for 20 yards of lace and two pairs of epaulettes for the drum major and sergeant major. (Please bear in mind that the drum major was an enlisted man and not any sort of officer.) The side arm for the music, as was typical for the era, was a sword carried on a shoulder belt.

One must assume that the drums were made of wood, as were most military drums in the US at this time. Captain Daniel Carmick did write to the Commandant that he had had great difficulty in obtaining brass drums in the Mediterranean in 1802. This may represent an attempt on part of the Marines to copy European conventions, but as noted in the letter, the idea was for naught. One may reconstruct the appearance of the drums through a purchase order made by Commandant Franklin Wharton in April 1814. ‘ 24 New Drums with the eagle rather smaller than is now painted so as to admit of a label or scrowl over the head of the eagle or from its beak with the Motto, United States Marines’. Since brass drums were not painted, the material must have been wood.

The band, which rarely played with the field music dates back to a purchase order of 31 August 1800 for ‘2 French Horns, 2 C clarinets, 1 Bassoon, 1 Bass Drum, 2 feet & ½ long and 2 feet in diameter.This segment, as well as the next, is devoted to the field music of the War of 1812, that portion of military music devised to wake men up, send them off to their fires to cook breakfast, dig emplacements and get water. This segment deals with the fifes and drums, usually considered the main source of music for the military for this period, while part four will deal the entire problem of bugle horns.

No one can ever deny that the military life requires strict regulation and a means to regulate the actions of the men in the ranks. The drum fills the role of a regulator well because it is eminently portable, loud enough to be heard by the entire unit and relatively easy to play. The fife, though occasionally used alone after tattoo and when the drummer was not available, primarily provided melody to the drum beat.

No fewer than four drum troops were printed in the years immediately prior to the war and as anything goes, these tutors were not identical. This created the typical American problem of confusion within the ranks of drummers as to which call was correct and necessitated the use of schools and extra practice time to straighten out the calls whenever units from two different establishments mustered together. The federal services adopted one method of beating, that of Marine Drum Major Charles S. Ashworth. This did set a standard and a sailor could understand the other’s call with no difficulty.

(1)The second volume of Military Uniforms in America contains several illustrations of musicians and let it suffice to say that almost all are in the reversed color convention normally accepted as correct. One plate does show the drum and describes it in no uncertain terms. The shell was made of white oak and varnished with ‘best Copal varnish’ and the hoops were painted with ‘best vermillion.’ The shells were emblazoned with an: eagle painted in the best manner on a blue ground with thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, the ground to extend 22 inches round the shell. (2) The dimensions of the drum were probably around 16 inches in diameter and between 12 and 15 inches in depth.

The Martial Music of Camp Dupont provides as close a view to the actual music heard in camp as is currently possible. This little volume was arranged for the piano and/or two flute, fifes or violins by R. Taylor in 1814 or 1815 and thus lacks any hint of the appropriate drum beat to accompany the melody. The following is a list of the major calls included in the book; numbering in parentheses refers to the number of melodies within that particular call.

Reveille (10) Drummer’s Call Pioneers’ March Breakfast Call Troop (with doublings) Short Troop Doctor’s or Church Call Roast Beef (Dinner) Retreat Tattoo (3) The General also lists a slow march (Slow March of Camp Dupont) and march for review (French Grenadier’s March). The slow march leaves an impression that, although it might have been used as the march to march off the guard, it might also have been an original march by Taylor. In the second section Taylor acknowledges authorship of two marches for band. Taylor omits any reference to drum beats proper except to say that there are some beats suited for the drum alone, and names them: Adjutant’s Call,
First Sergeant’s Call, Non-Commissioned Officer’s Call Water Call Whiskey Call Wood Call Assembly

These certainly were drum beats and necessary ones at that for the efficient regulation of a camp, but certainly calls are absolutely missing. Taylor gives a dead march, which is neither the famous ‘Roslin Castle’ nor the ‘Dead March’ from Handel’s Saul, but gives no ‘Rogue’s March, no ‘To Arms’ and no other specific calls. Camp Dupont may indeed be a record of the music of the Pennsylvania volunteers installation, but there are some gaps and questionable entries which make me think twice of its total truth.

Those who choose to listen to such music may pick either the Company of Military Historian’s Military Music in America Volume 2 (the War of 1812) or Colonial Williamsburg Presents the Fifes and the Band of Musik. Both were recorded under the direction of George P. Carroll, however, the Williamsburg recording does more justice to the duty portion of the field music. (This recording is not listed in the current a/v catalogs put out by that historic village. He current Musick Master, John Moore, has put out two records of which I have heard only the later. It is simply good fife and drum music, but not especially authentic or accurate to the concept of field music.) The one flaw in the Company record is the band arrangement of the ‘Ca Ira’ (Downfall of Paris), which happens to be one of Taylor’s Reveille tunes. The piano part in the book reads like a piano part and not like a simplified band arrangement thus making the bass or serpent (tuba) line very difficult. The musician who played was extremely good, but that does not account for an accurate arrangement.

I would like to close this section by harkening back to an incident that happened during the American Revolution. A Superintendent of Music was appointed to oversee and standardize the music in Washington’s army. In compliance to this duty, he called in the musicians and requested them to surrender their shrill instruments auricular pain (fifes) so that they might be pitched. The hope was to assign all instruments of like pitch to the same regiment, a feat that had been impossible when only the Quarter Master was involved in issuing fifes (3). It does not take a grand flight of imagination to see how this might have been true for the War of 1812 as well. Standards were not rigid and there was no making sure that fifes in New York sounded the same as a fife to an infantry regiment in the US Army. In brief, think of the grotesque potential of mustering twenty fifers from as many establishments and asking them to play the same note. It might take imagination to call it music.

Notes:

1.File on Marine Band Leader, from Marines Historical Center

2.MULA pp26-27

3.Raoul Camus, Military Music of the American Revolution p129

Part 4

The standard view on bugle-horns and trumpets for the War of 1812 rings like official dogma. Ask anyone who pretends even rudimentary knowledge of military music and he will tell you that bugle-horns were much more like hunting horns than modern bugles are, in respect to both sound and shape. Things should be so simple, however, because the subject of bugles really ought to be classed as ‘open’ for re-inspection.

To define things is the first order of the day. A bugle or bugle-horn is a conical length of tubing with a mouth=-piece and is folded over into one of three basic designs. Its sound is quite mellow, being much like that of the modern flugelhorn (1), and instrument currently popular with some jazz musicians (e.g. Chuck Mangione). The trumpet, however, is a cylindrical pipe of 7 feet in length with a mouth piece, and usually folded over twice into the shape still common for that instrument. Its sound is usually very bright and sharp, in contrast to that of the bugle. Do not confuse the modern ‘bugle’ with the real instrument: today’s instrument is technically a trumpet and was even designated ‘field trumpet’ at one time.

Traditionally, the trumpet has been the instrument of mounted troops with the bugle being the instrument for dismounted elites, especially light and rifle companies. Raoul Camus make the statement that during the Revolution dragoons used both instruments, following the above tradition for mounted or dismounted service (2). Brass instruments are very effective as signaling instruments for both sorts of service because in favor of such instruments for these elite corps is that two buglers (or trumpeters) could be conveniently divided if the troop or company had to be divided for special duty , whereas a normal infantry company, if divided, would have to give one half a fife and the other a drum. As of this time, there is little information available to prove whether the US Light Dragoons (1812) used which instrument, or both, since often dismounted service prevailed in some quarters and the government consistently confused the term bugle, bugle-horn and trumpet. (3)

The three shapes for the bugle provide a good bit of material for discussion. Each has its merits and weaknesses, in providing which was the ‘true’ pattern for US bugles in the War of 1812 and until an original is located, the discussion is still open.

The most familiar shape for the bugle for those who have seen H. Charles McBarron’s illustrations of US riflemen is what one author calls the ‘Hanoverian’ bugle-horn. This is indeed a strong candidate for the title of the official horn, but there are some drawbacks. This instrument, when shown in scale size, is relatively large and a bit awkward. Furthermore, the player would have to face backwards in order for the sound to carry to the front.

The hunting horn was the main candidate for bugle-horn in Harold Peterson’s Book of the Continental Soldier. His arguments are convincing within the scope of that period, but are no more convincing than the Hanoverian horn for the War of 1812. This instrument would share almost all the weaknesses of the above-mentioned horn and add on yet another. The bugle-horn is indeed a descendant of the hunting horn but by 1812 the hunting horn would have been a French horn type and thus relatively expensive to produce. It would seem to be unlikely that the Army would give out an expensive band instrument to riflemen who wanted the horn only for its signaling ability.

Figure 3 shows what Bryan Fosten calls the 1815 pattern bugle-horn (4) and is very definitely a British item. It is roughly trumpet-shaped and comparatively small, thus easy to carry around. It throws its sound forward, in the direction of the troops who are to hear its calls. The bugle had acquired this shape by 1800 in Britain and was even used as the basis for another instrument, the keyed bugle. This instrument which has keys like a saxophone was invented in 1811 in Ireland. The final argument in favor of accepting this as the US pattern comes from a Marine’s purchase order for instruments: it requested a bugle-horn ‘if trumpet kind’.

Pictorial evidence clearly straddles the fence on this question. The US Rifle Regiment cap plate in 1812 showed the Hanoverian type horn, but in 1814 showed the hunting horn. British light infantry have always used the Hanoverian shape, but the King’s Own Light Infantry today uses the hunting horn, or Roman, horn. In favor of the third shape, one can use a cartoon by Gillray (ca. 1796) which shows John Bull leading infantry troops with what appears to be short trumpet, or an 1804 watercolor of British riflemen using this shape bugle (in contrast to Hanoverian horn insignia). This sort of help does not assist in settling the matter, but merely adds fuel to the discussion at large. (5)

There is no hard evidence at all to show which pattern or patterns were in use during the War of 1812. The records show that bugles were issued the regular rifles companies (two per company) but a trumpet was issued to the First Rifle Regiment’s recruiting service in Philadelphia in August 1814. As for trumpets, the main problem is in proving whether a troop actually had the instrument. One notice of muster for the Boston Troop of Light Dragoons shows what may be taken for a trumpet, complete with banner. (6) Given the normal state of the supply system and the confused nomenclature, just about anything concerning these brass instruments is possible.

Most bugle and trumpet calls are limited to that five lower pitches of the instrument. Jack Cassin-Scott alleges that the bugle and trumpet calls were identical for the British Army, with trumpet calls sounding an octave lower. (7) That author, however, has made some comments that do not stand up well to the truth, thus making that statement and others relatively suspect. Treat it with caution.

The Company’s record of War of 1812 music contains several examples of bugle calls played upon French horns (in keeping with the hunting horn theory). The calls are drawn from Duane’s Handbook for Riflemen, which, according to the jacket notes, are very similar to British calls of the period. (Two examples from that book are included with the illustrations). That book contains 61 different signals and calls, the majority being signals, such as ‘form echelons’ and ‘enemy is cavalry’. It would be folly to say that Duane is the only source for bugle calls, especially since no seemed to have agreed upon which method of discipline was the best for US troops.

The only hint to be found in The Martial Music of Camp Dupont is in the second section, or band music section. Certain marches contain bugle solos, such as Washington Artillery’s March and March of the Riflemen. The solo part is written in the melody (fife, flute or oboe part) line and is in the same register as the melody preceding the solo. Perhaps this indicates that bugle parts were played on high pitched instruments, as Cassin-Scott says or just that it was easier to write the part in that way.

The band section also contains three marches by the arranger R. Taylor that are particularly well suited for the early style brass band. The marches for the 1st and 2nd Troops of City Cavalry may be heard on the Williamsburg recording: the ‘Flying Artillery March’ is on the Company record. Again, as in the fife and rum calls of the day, the Williamsburg record is the more convincing in portraying the music authentically. These marches, incidentally, are all very good, but one might better question the notion that these marches were actually used by the units named unless Taylor wrote the music before that summer spent at Camp Dupont.

The one assumption that may eventually gain recognition is that bugles were not rare during the War of 1812. The fact that the solos appear in Camp Dupont point that they were used, at least by state forces. Major David B. Douglas wrote in his recollections of his service as a lieutenant during the 1814 campaign that he heard the regimental drum and bugle calls. Granted, such passing references account for little in standard history but such a reference (to bugle calls) would certainly stand out as unusual in the numerous Revolution memoirs, where fife and drums predominate. If only we could find even that much about the dragoons’ trumpet!

Notes:

1.Raoul Camus, personal correspondence 11 February 1980

2. Military Music in the American Revolution

3. H. Charles McBarron, personal correspondence 8 January 1980

4. Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars, ‘British Foot Guards at Waterloo’ Almark Publications

5. McBarron, personal correspondence

6. do

7.Military Bands and their Uniforms, Blandford Press 1978

A Essay on Old time Bands and Their Instruments
Essay by Bob Hoe
From the Heritage of the March Series records 35 / 36

It is highly probable that the full and complete story of the dates of compositions and the arrangers of the Grafulla marches on this record will never be known. Noting the year of his death as compared to the publication dates shown above will prove interesting.

To fully understand the statement made in the first sentence, one must delve deeply into the subject of the instrumentation of various types of bands from time of Grafuula was nearing the end of his life, the 1870’s and on into the early years of the 20th century.

Let us commence by considering the word ‘instrumentation’, this word connotes two basically different things. First, the actual number of each instrument existing in a given band at a given time. And, second, the printed music being used by that band. There are not mutually exclusive, not are they necessarily the same.

Most research into the subject of bands of the late 19th and early 20th centuries has dealt with the top professional bands of the era, just as examples – Sousa’s (both his professional traveling band, and the Marine band when he led it). Gilmore’s, Grafulla’s, Reeves, Brooke’s, etc. Little, if any, thought has apparently been given to the typical ‘Town Band’ of that time. There were literally thousands of them, from one end of the country to the other. Orchestras such as we know today hardly existed in the smaller communities of the country, and the professional bands (excluding the circus) until later years of Sousa’s time, were mostly confined in their appearances to the larger cities, which could produce larger crowds and hence, larger income with which to pay the players. The circus bands were generally of a very small size; it is most difficult to fit a large band on the typical band wagons on which the band played during the parade through the town.

So, let us consider just what was the instrumentation of the ‘town bands’. Basically they were mostly, in some cases completely, brass, with no woodwinds at all. In fact, very often these bands were called ‘Brass Band’ or ‘Cornet Band’. DO NOT confuse these bands with the British Brass bands of today, which are circumscribed in their instrumentation and number of players for reasons having to do with their ‘contesting’ and not because the players would not be available if desired.

The basic instrument was the cornet (trumpets as we know them today were never used, or even known). The Eb cornet was the leading instrument and Eb cornets also shared in playing the lmelodic line. Eb altos were always in evidence – sometimes little upright instruments, same as used in British Brass bands today, and later on sometimes ‘the poor mans French horn’, which variously as the ‘mellophone’ or ‘peck horn’.

Slide trombones were just coming into common use during this time and many bands had only ‘tenors’ which were not too different from the German tenor hors or the British baritone, being valved instruments. American type baritones were used, although a few bands had true euphoniums, but the same part was used by whichever instrument was present in the band. Mostly the basses (tubas) were Eb size, rather than the larger and heavier (an more expensive) BBb type.

Of course, all bands had a drum section – but the instruments played were 99% snare (side) drum and bass drum and cymbals. There was very little of the great emphasis on the other instruments that felt to be necessary to a full percussion section today. In fact, if someone had walked into the band room of a typical town band in 1900 and spoken of the ‘percussion section’ no one would have had the slightest idea what he was taking about.

Now as to the woodwinds – the basic instrument which was felt to be a real necessity (and relatively inexpensive) was the piccolo. Flutes were unheard of, as was the more ‘strange instruments’ such as the saxophones, and alto and bass clarinets. The oboes and bassoon were out of the question, no such were ever seen.

The other two woodwinds used were the Eb clarinet and the Bb clarinet, but they existed in very limited quantities in those days. If a town band had one clarinet that was fine, if somehow they managed to scrape up both an Eb and Bb or two, that put them in a special class, bigger and maybe better than the band in the town down the road. Such bands were often referred to as ‘brass and reed bands’.

It must be remembered that every musician was expected to buy and own his own personal instrument and if nobody wanted to play clarinet, well, the band got along without any.

Now it is obvious, since the great numbers of this type of band provided a large and lucrative market to publishers of music, that they would attempt to satisfy the needs of them. However, to sell these bands required music that was not too difficult,a nd that was ARRANGED in such a manner that it ‘sounded good’ no matter how many clarinets a band did or didn’t have, etc.

In order to achieve this result it was necessary to write into the printed music much ‘doubling of parts’. A composer or arranger might devoutly wish that a certain passage be played on a bassoon, but if the great majority of bands had no bassoon, what was the poor man to do? He could either leave out the particular passage, or have it published (printed) in such a way that it could be played by the instrument in common use, nearest in sound to the bassoon (in that case it would be the baritone-euphonium). There fore a great deal of ‘cross-cueing’ was necessary, or in the very simplest of arrangements, where no part at all was printed for the bassoon, it was given to the baritone without further ado.

As a result of this particular market problem, the various publishers of the day standardized their own ‘sets of parts’ (what parts were printed) without any regard for what other publishers were doing. It is most interesting to trace the evolution of ‘saxophone parts’, probably the first to print them was the firm of Carl Fischer, who began to do so about 1900. Concurrently Barnhouse was not printing any sax parts at all. Not many years alter Barnhouse editions showed in the upper righ corner of the Solo Bb cornet part (which was also the conductor’s part) a basic price of 40 cents (WOW) for a set of parts, and a note that sax could be had for 10 cents extra. A few years later the price went to 50 cents and sax parts were included I the standard set of parts.

In 1930 most of the leading bandmasters of the day reached the conclusion that in time when a standard set of parts must be furnished all ALL publishers. This led to the formation of the American Bandmasters Association by such men as Sousa, Pryor, Simon, Bert Meyers, Goldman, Harding and many others. They worked with publishers and came up with what is considered to be an adequate set of parts to be furnished to a buyer. In actual fact, the ‘standard set of pars, problem continues to this day, especially as regards the QUANTITY of each part to be included in the ‘standard set.’

The great proliferation of flutes, for example, in high school bands makes it an open question how many of this part should be included in a ‘standard set’. Is five enough? In many cases this is claimed to be insufficient. However, we must not be sidetracked, but must continue to investigate the band of yesteryear.

The average player in a town band, of the type that existed around the turn of the century, most assuredly ;came to play NOT to sit around waiting for his turn to come. He wanted to play most of the time, and demanded music that gave him the opportunity to do so. Admittedly some strange sounds came from these town bands, but everyone both in the band and in the audience was having a good time, and what more could anyone ask?

What has all this got to do with the music of Grafulla on this record? Well, one must go further in to the investigation to come to this problem. The top bands of the 1880’s, most particularly those of Gilmore and Reeves and the Marine Band, included nearly all the instruments used today in bands. Therefore it stands to reason that the composers of the time knew what these instruments were, what they sounded like and wrote for them WHEN THEY KNEW THAT THE MUSIC WOULD BE PLAYED BY SUCH A BAND. And the publishers occasionally put out sets of parts including all these instruments.

A fine example of this is Coleman’s edition of Sousa’s International Congress, published in 1887. Here is the list of the parts that were included:

Piccolo in C
Flute in C
Oboe
Bassoon 1
Bassoon II
Eb Clarinet
1st Bb Clarinet
2nd Bb Clarinet
3rd Bb Clarinet
4th Bb Clarinet
Alto Sax
Tenor Sax
Baritone Sax
Eb Cornet
Solo Bb cornet
1st Bb cornet
2nd Bb cornet
3rd Bb cornet
1st and 2nd Eb horns
3rd and 4th Eb horns
1st trombone – printed in both clefs
2nd trombone – printed in both clefs
3rd trombone printed in both clefs
Euphonium (and that is what the part was titled – NOT Baritone) printed in both clefs
Basses – first and second on one part
Small drum
Bass drum and cymbals
There could be no more positive proof that this list of instruments for which parts were printed. In addition, manuscripts of Sousa in the library of the Marine Band, written before this date, also included ALL the instruments.

Why is it then, that published editions of marches and waltzes and overtures and other standard band music included only a limited number of parts? The answer lies in the economics of the publishing business; the publishers would have had a great difficulty in finding a large market for sets of parts that included the saxes, when no band had them, etc.

One publisher who seems to have aimed particularly a the ‘town band’ was the JW Pepper, also of Philadelphia. Strangely enough, Pepper put out some extremely difficult music (Some of the marches of Grafuula on this record are good examples) in the 1880s, but then as time went on, into the 1900s, published practically nothing but very easy band music, with only an occasional piece of even moderate difficulty in his catalog. It would appear that Pepper discovered that the money lay in; easy arrangements-easy compositions’ and took the road to which this discovery pointed. Many other publishers of the time did not ‘write down’ to the lesser competent bands. For example, the earliest publications of the Church Company, when they were still in Cincinnati, were of considerable difficulty, and at no time did Church lower their standards.

In about 1903 the Coleman firm was sold to Carl Fischer and much of the music previously published by Coleman was ‘re-issued’ by Fischer. In the process, it was necessary to make it conform to the ‘standard instrumentation’ (what instruments parts were pointed for) that Fischer was using at the time. Among other things, this means the addition of Sax parts. Some of the most valuable of the Coleman copyrights at the time included a number of Sousa marches; Washington Post, High School Cadets; Semper Fidelis, among others.

Fischer soon made these available to the music buying public in ‘new editions’ including sax. Also, in many cases, the horn parts were changed and other things done. It is anyone’s guess what exact process was followed by Fischer in doing all this. It might be an interesting project for a researcher to study with great care the ORIGINAL manuscripts of these marches (of which a few, or portions of a few) seem to be available at the Library of Congress and compare them with the editions as published by Coleman and as later revised and re-issued by Fischer. Did the original manuscripts of Sousa himself include parts for the instruments later published by Fischer? Or did Coleman’s edition conform exactly to what Sousa wrote? If that is the case, then who wrote the changes that showed up in the later Fischer publications? It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Sousa himself was paid by Fischer to revise and add parts to the Coleman for them to print.

Part two

To think even more deeply about the subject, let us consider the writing of Semper Fidelis by Sousa. At the time he wrote it, he was director of the Marine Band. There are two possible hypotheses that come to mind as to the exact circumstances under which Sousa wrote it. I do NOT refer to the fact that he set out to write a march for his beloved Marine Corps and Band and that he had the melody, and most of the harmonization in mind BEFORE he ever set pen to write a score. That goes without saying. The question devolves to these alternatives: 1 – did he FIRST, before writing anything, contact his publisher, Coleman, in Philadelphia and day to him “I am about to write a march for the Marine Corps, dedicated to them, and I think it is going to be a fine march, and how would like me to instrument it?’ or 2 -did he compose the march and instrument (arrange) it with the instrumentation of his Marine Band in mind? If he did the latter, then he wrote parts for ALL the instruments, including several that Coleman did not include in his ‘standard set of parts’ at the time. It is much more probable that this is the way Sousa went about writing Semper. So, having written it for the Marines to play and finding it satisfactory, it can be safety assumed that he then took it to Coleman and said ‘How about publishing it? How much will you give me for it (in money)?’

At this point the ‘reduction of instruments’ begins. In actual fact, Sousa surely knew, since he had previously sold many marches to Coleman, exactly what instruments Coleman wuld include in the printed set. In keeping with the stories Paul Bierley has unearthed, it is most likely that Sousa himself made the reduction arrangement for Coleman, leaving out what he had to, and possibly adjusting some of he other parts to cover what was left out.

All the above applies in far more extreme terms to the Sousa marches issued by Pepper, who published a much smaller set of parts than Coleman did. There is a great mystery about how it happened that two competing Philadelphia publishers BOTH put out a certain few Sousa marches. The most reasonable explanation is that Sousa originally sold them to Coleman and then Pepper came along and bought the rights from Coleman to issue them in a somewhat simplified edition.

To illustrate this point, ere is the list of parts as published by Coleman of Sousa’s Espirit de Corps in 1878:
Db Piccolo
Oboe
Bassoon
Eb Clarinet
1st Bb clarinet
2nd Bb clarinet (and it was very different from the 1st clarinet part
Eb cornet
Solo Bb cornet
1st Bb cornet
2nd and 3rd Bb cornets
1st and 2nd alto Eb
3rd and 4th Alto Eb
1st and 2nd trombone (but both played exactly the same part, there was no division in it)
3rd Trombone
Baritone
Eb bass
Drums
Here is the list of parts printed by Pepper to the SAME march a few years later in 1893:
Db Piccolo
Eb clarinet
Bb clarinets (only one part for all clarinets and there is no place in which it is divisi – in other words, at all times all clarinets in the band are to be playing exactly the same thing.)
Eb Cornet
Solo Bb cornet
1st Bb cornet
2nd Bb cornet
Solo Eb alto (and this part is a melody par NOT an accompaniment part)
1st Eb alto
2nd Eb alto
1st trombone
2nd trombone
3rd trombone
Baritone
Eb bass
Drums
So, what are the major differences, and how do they tie into the market for which Pepper was shooting? Well, only one part for all clarinets would certainly indicate that the bands which bought his publications didn’t have any, if any, clarinets. Pepper had one less cornet part, and no oboe or bassoon.

Not only were these instruments changes made, but the introduction was changed and other melodic and harmonic changes made in the Pepper edition.

It has been necessary to lay some ground work preliminary to further discussion, by bringing Sousa into this essay. Primarily this was done because Sousa’s works and the details of his composing and arranging are far better authenticated than those of any other composer or arranger of the time.

We are now ready to discuss the meaning of the statement at the start of this essay, the very first sentence. Keep in mid that Grafuula led a band of rather smaller size than the Marine band of Sousa, and also quite a lot smaller than Gilmore’s of Reeves.

Until this record was made by the Coast Guard band, the only work of Grafulla’s that has been known and played IN MODERN INSTRUMENTATION is of course, Washington Greys. The edition used by nearly all bands is one published by Fischer in 1905 and under the composer’s name is the notation ‘re-arranged by GH Reeves’ (that was a pen name of Laurendeau).The point is that the original arrangement of Washington Greys has not been seen, is not available, and there is no way to ascertain how much of the published version is really Grafuula and how much is Laurendeau’ own ideas. (Lest the reader of this essay feel that ‘arrangers’ are ALWAYS faithful to a composer’s intent, a later record of this series will give a magnificent illustration of the fallacy of this assumption).

Several of the works of Grafulla, both originals and arrangements of tunes by others, as contained in the famous ‘Port Royal Band books’, found in the Library of Congress years ago, have been recorded – but INVARIABLY by bands using Civil War type instruments, and of course these were very small bands by today’s standards.

The comment of a world famous bandsman, player, arranger, composer and conductor is most appropriate here ‘Hearing Civil War music on Civil War instruments is interesting for abut ten minutes and then you fervently wish they would all drop dead because the intonation and tone quality is so bad it makes the composer sound like an idiot’ It is for this reason, basically that a major decision was taken by Commander Stauffer and myself, when the Navy band started to make the first records in the Heritage series. After much consideration and debate we decided that all music would be played by the FULL NAVY band as it exists today.

A few minor concessions were made, particularly inn German marches, saxes were not used. But generally, every instrument in the Navy band played at all times. The same procedure was followed by all the other bands in the Heritage of the March series and also on the Marines-Sousa series.

Study of the published set of parts of the Pepper edition of Espirit de Corps will show that some adjustment had to be made. It has been a practical impossibility to add parts for the various instruments that exits in these bands of today. Time and talent to do this were not available. The standard practice has been that the director of each band, and this includes the college and school bands on the Heritage Letter series as well, has had to take a view as to what parts to give to which instruments. The practice limits of the ‘fixing up of the parts to be played by a modern band’ has consisted almost entirely of two things. If the band (and virtually NO piccolo players today use it) did not have a Db piccolo, the part was re-written to C piccolo (no change in the sound). The other change was of course to use French horns in F for the Eb alto parts. If the horn players were able to do so, and most all of them are, the parts did not have to be re-written for them, but they transposed.

Of course, the cornet parts in most cases (not the Navy and Marines but almost all other bands) were played by trumpets, with consequent slight change in the brilliance of sound. The oboes generally played from the second or third clarinet part, transposing and the bassoons used the third trombone part.

Sometimes saxes are not used. For example, in the Coast Guard Band, which is rather smaller than some of the other bands that have recorded on the Heritage series, the sax players, being professional musicians and capable of doing so, ‘doubled’ and played clarinets. If saxes were used, it was up to the director of the band what parts they played. Often he tried them playing one part and either told them to play, or used a different part. Alto saxes often used En alto horn part, tenor saxes played the baritone part and baritone saxes the third trombone or tuba part.

The result has been to put on these records the sound of a modern fully instrumental band playing the old time marches.

Who would question that if any of the composers used on the Heritage series were writing marches (and other music) today, for today’s bands, he would write for ALL instruments of the band. All we have actually done within the limits of available time, is to have the music sound as closely as possible to what they would have done.

Back to Grafulla. Nearly all the published editions used to make this record had parts printed the same as the list of parts of the Pepper edition of Espirit de Corps. It is very possible that Grafulla wrote his original marches for more OR less instruments than were published by Pepper, Brophy an Schott. The one march Skyrocket, shows an arranger, Henneberg, but there is no way to tell if he used a piano edition of the march to work from, or had a set (partial, full of just what) of band parts of Gratfulla’s own to start with.

The point is that it is not possible to accurately ascertain if the printed sets truly represented Grafulla’s ideas of what a band should sound like or not. Most likely they did, but he also lead an orchestra in New York and it is conceivable that some of these marches were written for that use of that orchestra, and had to be ‘re-arranged’ for band by someone else after his death. One very reasonable conclusion is that Grafulla himself did not prepare them exactly for the publishers, since the dates are mostly several years after his death.

It is hoped that this essay will give a better idea to the young musicians of today that ‘sets of band parts weren’t always the same as they are now’. Experience has shown that many young band directors, confronted with a set of parts printed in the times with which this essay deals are confused, lost and don’t know what to do with it. A careful reading of the above will explain much of the problem, and perhaps when such music is found, they will be better prepared to deal with it, and use it.

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Evolution of bands 2

THE  GERMAN OBOE ENSEMBLE IN GERMAN MILITARY AND CITY MUSIC UP TO 1720
Renate Hildebrand
Translation Jesse Read

Shortened version of the first two parts of a degree thesis at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis on “The Oboe Ensemble in Germany from the Beginnings to ca. 1720.”

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(. Many thanks for this fine translation from Jesse A. Read, bassoonist and Baroque bassoonist at University of  British Columbia,  vancouver British Columbia, Canada. Renate Hildebrand’s article first appeared in the special wind instrument-oriented magazine TIBIA . . . from TIBIA No. 1/1978 (Moeck Verlag Musikinstrumentenwerk, Celle, W. Germany) TIBIA has kindly given us permission to reprint this article in English for the first time. Ed.)

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It is a little known fact that the oboe and bassoon developed as solo instruments preceding their now well-known soloist-virtuoso status of the High Baroque and Classical periods. The areas of court, military, and city music deserve special attention, for here the members of oboe ensembles were joined together in “Hautboistenbanden” which had special responsibilities and social status as befitted performers of High Baroque “entertainment” music.The schalmei (shawm), whose use in military music of course went back much further, was used in the Brandenburg-Prussian army for the first time in 1646 four schalmeis served under the Great Elector-two schalmei, one alto pommer and one bass dulcian. This arrangement is typical until the 18th century as well in the bodyguard of the Prince of Zeitz. Von Fleming wrote this in 1725 about reed instruments in the army: “The schalmei are still in use; only four men are used: two descants, one alto and one dulcian.”

In the second half of the 17th century the French developed the oboe from their schalmei. Developments were made in fundamental points and it was thenceforth called the “hautbois” by the French. For the reed instruments, the decisive step in development was made at the same time as modifications in recorders (Block-and Querflöte) and in bassoons. These developments brought these instruments into use in “Art” music. The oboe and bassoon were now more flexible than their forerunners, less through the insignificantly narrower bore as through the modified form of the bell and the reduction of the tone hole size and especially through the embouchure by which the tightly stretched lips grasped the more refined reed and could thus better modulate the tone.Since only the instruments of the two reed families with the greatest potential for development continued to be made, some range was lost. Because of the considerable and unwieldy length, the lower-pitched instruments of the pommer family were always less flexible from the point of view of technique and sound than were the higher-pitched members, whereas with the higher-pitched dulcian instruments, different problems were encountered; it was more difficult to build the smaller doublebore instruments, their range was narrower and their sound and intonation worse. So in the 17th c. people returned to the most successful members of the instrument families which had been developing in the meantime these had already been built in their best forms as the first examples in their classes: in the Middle Ages the schalmei, then the alto pommer, and in the 16th c. the dulcian as a bass instrument.

Since the tradition of ensemble structure according to instrument families was still alive, and the double-reed instrument families of oboe and bassoon are closely related, a new ensemble with two oboes, alto oboe, and bassoon arose from these two groups. This corresponded to the ensemble with two schalmei, alto pommer and dulcian which was already common at the beginning of the 17th century.

At the court of Louis XIV, mostly marches, dance tunes, and airs were played with the new oboes in the above mentioned arrangement, with, however, a doubling of the voices. In the 1680′s French oboists with their new instruments and their ensemble structure came to Germany most of them as court musicians. Up to that time the oboe was unknown in French military music. Later however, the oboe made its appearance there, after the French oboists had become familiar with the German schalmei in the army.

An account from the year 1690 runs: “A few years ago, French schalmei players, known as ‘hautboisten’ became known and were used in battle.” In 1681, “four German schalmei players” and a “French hautbois”" played in the infantry regiment of Anhalt-Dessau. Whether he played the principal voice or whether he was intended for the instruction of the descants, or both, is not known. In 1695 in the army of the Bavarian Elector Maximilian Emanuel II, the infantry regiments had progressively changed to six oboists; however, the old schalmei ensemble was retained until the middle of the 18th century. Von Fleming wrote in 1726: “The regimental pipers were for a time also called schalmei pipers, and at the time such instruments which gave a clear tone were played in front of the regiment so as to encourage the ordinary soldier all the more. Subsequently they were, however, difficult to play, and at close range unpleasant to the ear, so instead of the German schalmei, the French oboe became popular, and is now used almost everywhere.”

Later, until the second half of the 18th c., there were six regimental oboists in Prussia, Bavaria, and Austria, according to von Fleming:

“Subsequently however, the oboe came into its own, so now there were six oboes, since the oboe sounded not so harsh as, but much sweeter than the schalmei. In order to improve the harmony even more, there were now two descants, two taille, and two bassoons,” so that it is clear that “oboe” had become the generic term for the instruments from descant to bass, just as later “Hautbois” is strictly a military term. “Taille” refers in this context to the alto oboe. In a bill from the instrument maker Jacob Denner to the Göttweig Monastery (Kloster Göttweig), “bassoon” was written in beside the bass oboe and also beside the bass members of the blockflöten and chalumeaux, as almost always the “bassoon” as the bass member of an oboe ensemble was distinguished from “fagott”, the bass member of an ensemble which included strings.

An original composition “for Oboists of the Court and Battlefield, arranged for four or more instruments playing” is “Die Lustige Feldmusik” by Johann Phillip Krieger, written in 1704 for two oboes, alto oboe and bassoon. With six voices, it was necessary to double the two oboe voices or the first oboe and the bassoon. Two other works for oboe ensembles, whose arrangement is known, but whose music is missing, are the “Ouverture a 4″ for “two oboes, one taille and one bassoon” by P. Wieland (ca. 1700), and the “Ouverturensuite a 4″ by Ph. Heinrich Erlebach (1657-1714) for two oboes, taille, and bassoon. The pitch distribution of such a four-voice piece corresponds to a piece for instruments of the violin (not the gamba!) family and thus enables the same music to be played on different instruments — an important circumstance for the oboists.

The Sonsfeld music collection in the possession of the Prussian General Friedrich Otto Freiherr von Wittenhorst-Sonsfeld (1678-1755) contains almost exclusively works from the early 18th century, in which several oboes and bassoons are required, in most cases accompanied by a trumpet. The six part-books of the manuscript collection bear the initials G. v. L. which very probably can be taken to mean that they once belonged to the Prussian General Georg von Lilien. A further notation on the part-books specifies under the respective instruments, the reed instruments first: Hautbois I. . . Hautbois II. . . Hautbois III. . . Taille . . . Bassoon I. . . Bassoon II. . . It therefore has to do with ouverturensuites and concerti, in most of which a trumpet plays above an oboe ensemble movement. For the vast majority of 52 works, no composer is given. The most common arrangement is trumpet, three oboes, taille, bassoon (or two bassoons). Occasionally two violins or two horns are added, or the taille is left out; in one case even two flutes and two cornets are combined with two oboes and two bassoons, in exceptional cases there are only reed movements without trumpet.

About 1720 a six-voice movement with two oboes, two horns and two bassoons made its appearance, indicating an exchange of tenor oboe for the horns. The earliest surviving infantry marches are written for this arrangement. This was the arrangement until the end of the 18th century, notably in Telemann’s Suite in F, in Haydn’s Divertimenti Hob. II No. 7, 15, and 23 and Mozart’s Divertimenti KV 213, 240, 252, 253, 270 and 289. The four-oboists band which made its debut at the Dresden Court Festival in 1719 had a simple four voice arrangement with three reed-players and one horn. Even before 1719 J. G. Store had written a march for two oboes, horn and bassoon. Von Fleming writes: “In the Royal Polish and the Elector of Saxony’s infantry it is arranged that with the six oboists yet two horn players must join, which produces a right pleasant harmony.”

Later the horn was joined by the clarinet which was invented at the beginning of the 18th c. The usual arrangement in the second half of the 18th c. then was: two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons. The Mozart Serenades KV 375 and 388 and Haydn’s “Feld-Parthien Hob II 4143 were intended for this arrangement. In the Musikalischen Lexicon by H. Chr. Koch (1802) is found the heading, “Hoboisten, hoboistenchor”. The entry reads: “A beautiful wind music consisting usually of two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons.”

To this Von Fleming adds: In the Royal Prussian and Brandenburg Elector’s regiments, a trumpeter on foot instead of a horn player goes ahead,” which, incidentally indicates the social decline of the formerly privileged trumpeter.

The oboists who were on the staff of the infantry regiments, played most importantly in the personal service of the commanders, who, in Brandenburg-Prussia until 1707 and even later, paid them out of their own pockets. Von Fleming writes about this service: “Every morning in front of the commander’s quarters, the oboists play a morning song, a march which he likes particularly, an entree and two minuets which he is particularly fond of; and in the evenings this is repeated, or whenever the officer has guests or calls an assembly, and they listen to violins and cellos and sweet flutes and other instruments. . .”

Military oboists came mostly from the “Stadtpfeifereien” (henceforth translated as “town musician groups”) and played many other instruments, and were frequently interchangeable (einsetzbar). Occasionally they even appeared in court chapel music ensembles. This is mentioned, for example, in 1704 at Sonderhausen and in 1706 at Schwerin. Reinhard Keiser writes to the court of Wurtemberg, that he has in mind a combining of the two good regimental bassoonists for his Suite for 8 oboes; and in the “Pageant of the Gods” in Dresden in 1695, seven bassoonists of the local sovereign’s own guards assisted 35 others.

In Leipzig the regimental oboists played outside the military at funerals, and in Sonderhausen at soldier’s funerals the Hautboistenkorps was especially important. Von Fleming reports on the burial of an officer: “The oboists walk before the body playing a dirge on muffled oboes.” A further function was, naturally: “The trumpets, drums, fifes and oboes encourage the soldiers in battles and attacks, they control marching advances and retreats.”

As already mentioned, until now the regimental oboists were of the civilian school, the best of whom were sure to seek places in the court, chapel, and city music ensembles. Those who went to the military as a rule were not the best. There was less demand (in the army) and the job was poorly paid. Mattheson cannot deny himself a parting shot: “However, the oboes were not played in the most delicate way (in the field or among the public where it is not so precisely taken) so I would rather hear a good jew’s harp or kazoo.” And von Fleming: “the trumpets, oboes and others of the same, which make too loud a noise, are damaging to the head and the health, they impair the lungs and deform the face; the cheeks and the eyes become swollen.”

In order to improve the level of playing King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia founded the “Hautboistenschule” in 1724 in the military orphanage in Potsdam. The first head of the school was Gottfried Pepusch, a brother of Johann Christoph. He was a member of the Brandenburg court chapel ensemble until its dissolution, and then remained as Staff Oboist and had many pupils, six of whom went to Hannover in 1701-2. Oboists were sent to Berlin for further instruction also, five by the Margrave von Ausbach.

As with court and free oboe bands, so also in the regimental bands “the first oboist had to understand composing, the music so much the better to order.” The Dessau March, for example, was composed by an oboist.  Unfortunately, nothing particularly concerning the oboe’s history can be gathered from the extensive information on town musical groups, so that it can be assumed that the oboe was adopted with very little fuss. In 1690 Kuhnau writes in his novel Musicus Vexatus that besides the importance of mastery of the trumpet, bomhart (pommer), cornet, trombone and dulcian, there was demanded a reasonable skill on the oboe and stringed instruments. Indeed in a report of the laying of a foundation in Glaucha in 1698, the town musicians marched with schalmei and bagpipes, nevertheless, after 1700 the schalmei was no longer mentioned in the town pipers groups.

Linked with this is an interesting regulation of the Prorector in Halle in 1703: “After nine o’clock in winter and ten o’clock in summer, all loud music, whether on horns, trumpets, and drums or oboes or post-horns is forbidden.” Also in Halle, in 1698, the Scheinhardtsche Companie was famous for attending luncheon tables with violins, oboes, horns, trumpets, kettledrums, and “French schalmei.”

The different instruments had particular tasks in the town music groups. For example, trombones were played, but never required, while strings were reserved for other special tasks. On the other hand, the oboe took on such a universal importance, that groups of musicians called themselves simply “hautboistenbanden” even though they played other instruments also, in order to show that they were available to play with the newly fashionable instrument, outdoors, in houses and churches on both solemn and gay occasions.

The town music group was, of course, an extended training school for the new generation of musicians. Besides stringed instruments the wind instruments were nevertheless their own domain. For example, the pupils at the Thomas school in Leipzig received wind instrument instruction from the town musical group, but instruction on the other instruments from Thomas-Kantor. A supplementary article to the Guild Records set out in 1662 by the Elector of Saxony forbade organists to instruct their pupils on wind instruments, since this was the role of the town musicians. Most of the court and regimental musicians had received their five to six years instruction in the town musicians ensemble.

The town musicians saw to it carefully that they would have no competition. In 1689 it was ordered in Chemnitz that schalmeis were to be played only by town musicians. In addition, in 1702 King Friedrich I of Prussia bestowed the privilege of public oboe playing on the “Hyntzschen Companie” which caused the town musicians great loss. At the time there were about 30 oboists in Halle, however they were only permitted to play the oboe for private occasions or outside the city gates as long as they were excluded from the privilege. Here, as a schoolboy of Zachow, who himself came from a town musicians group, Handel learned to appreciate the oboe and probably composed his trio sonatas for two oboes and basso continuo.

The chapter on town musicians should not be ended without mentioning the Denners, father and son, Johann Schell, and other Nuremberg makers of woodwind instruments, who were contemporary with the town musicians of Nuremberg, which in part explains the quality of the Nuremberg instruments. The spontaneous expansion in Germany of the originally French oboe is essentially thanks to these instrument craftsmen. The oboe parts of Bach’s works show to whose ability the town pipers owe their success.

The so-called “stadtoboists” deserve mention. Such musicians of the city “miliz” were designated for the first time in 1716 in Frankfurt: “six oboists in their fine uniforms walked before the troops playing Telemann’s March.” In Leipzig in 1720 the Stadtmiliz employed oboists as well as drummers and flautists, about 1750 this group was called the “Stadthautboisten.” As a rule the group consisted of six men, as in the military groups and was put together mostly from dismissed regimental musicians, who had to be given a place in civilian service. Their duties included playing for the guard, and for festivities and processions of the town. They could play privately in taverns by the city gate. In the second half of the 18th century we no longer find these (miliz) musicians in the city records, just as free oboe ensembles, in Halle for example (see above) are no longer mentioned outside of particular occasions.

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FOOTNOTES

[1] The idea of German schalmei arose in the 17th c. and referred to instruments which were described by James Talbot in 1700 thus: “They are used in the German army, but have a sweeter sound than the schalmei of other countries. They have only six key holes, no key for the lowest tone, but instead a fontanelle, and the lowest tone with six covered holes is C’.” Such instruments are preserved in many museums, among them Brussels, Nuremberg, Basel and Leipzig. [return]

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BANGING THE DRUM SLOWLY and QUICKLY

TWO factors which brought a forceful crescendo to the military band were the so-called Janissary Music and the inordinate military and social zeal aroused by the French Revolution,

The Oriental influence was nothing new in the field of Military music. We have seen the Saracen influence in the Middle Ages. At the Renaissance, the French) envious of the kettle drums of the Hungarians, already borrowed from the Turks, introduced them into West as timballes These Tamballes, were reserved for royalty arid corps of elite cavalry, although artillery had them mounted on a chariot. Oboe bands, as we know, were also an Eastern plagiarism, and in the early eighteenth century further borrowed plumes from the Turks found favor. Janissary Musicwhich meant the adoption of the bass drum, thedeep but portable kettledrum and the tambourine, together with cymbals, triangle and “Jingling Johnny”, the last word being a popular imitation of the Turkish name chahana. The credit for having introduced this batterv of percussion and concussion into Europe usually goes to Poland which, in the 1720′S, had received a full Turkish band from the Sultan. Russia, ‘not to be outdone, sought a similar favor of the Sultan in 1725, Prussia and Austria following suit, and by the 1770′S most other countries had fallen under the sway of Janissary Music. Later borrowers dispensed with hiring Ottoman performers Negroes being employed in their stead because these had long been employed as trumpeters and drummers in European armies. In the British army we see cymbals in the 24th Foot (1777), with bass drum and tambourine added in the Royal Artillery (1782), and a Jingling Johnnie and a tambourines in the Coldstream_Guards(1785).

These “blacks” as they were designated on the muster rolls displayed great ability and agility in the handling of these percussion instruments. Dressed in the most outlandish Eastern style, and by performing their rhythmic functions they added not only to the gaiety of nations but to the rehabilitation of military music from a military point of view. In 1786 the British War Office had actually forbidden the “band” to be used for parading, but the new exotic craze helped to bring about the restoration of the musically cadenced step. Many of the march books of the period reveal that the instruments employed and music were Turkish in content . The military band did not retain sole possession of Janissary Music. Mozart used this medium in the Opera SERAGLIO(1781) and Haydn in the MILITARY SYMPHONY (1794) Hector Belioz is quoted as having said that the “alien instruments” had come to stay as they were cradled in the orchestral score but having been born in the military band .

One of the contributory reasons for the emergence of military band instruments other than the simplistic instruments associated with what was called HARMONIE-MUSIK was the necessity to develop tonal colours and balance within the military band. Th addition of percussion and the advancement of wind instruments made this condition possible.

When the French Revolution broke out in 1789 military music in France was at a low ebb. Within a year France became the military music luminaries of western Europe.The watch words of the revolution ,”Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” were but grand slogans which needed to have some cultual attachment to make the message clear to the populace with sights and sounds. It was then that the French devolped the grand national festivals. The raison detre to celebrate the revolution became the monster parades and out door concerts with massive bands and choirs all singing and playing to praise and further the philosophical doctrine of Mirabeau and Voltaire.

An outstanding part of the open-air fetes was played by the newly-formed band of the National Guard. Raised in 1789 by Bernard Sarrette with 45 performers who were taken over the following year by the Paris Municipality. In 1792 the band was suppressed and although the band had limited success it became the focal point for the establishment of the ECOLE ROYALE de CHANT (later the Conservatory of Music) and the school was the mainstay for the provision of military musicians for the numerous French military bands which began to become established. The instrumentation of bands during the revolutionary period is of importance to the history . of military music itself. As planned by the Conservatory the military band of 1779 consisted of I flute; 6 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 1 trumpet, 2 horns, 1 serpent, with bass drum and cymbals.. The massed bands for the fetes were of enormous dimensions.

As planned by the Conservatory the military band of 1779 consisted of I flute; 6 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 1 trumpet, 2 horns, 1 serpent, with bass drum and cymbals.. The massed bands for the fetes were of enormous dimensions. . On one occasion there were 10 flutes, 30 clarinets, 18 bassoons, 4 trumpets, 2 curved tuba, 4 buccins 12 horns, trombones, 8 Serpent; with 10 side-, bass and kettle drummers, cymbals and triangle beaters.

Indeed, for spectacular effects, three hundred drummers could be mustered for a prodigious roll when needed. In this instrumentation one observes the temporary eclipse of the oboe by the clarinet. This was because the latter instrument, played with the reed uppermost and an embouchure produced a clarino (high trumpet sound. The clarinet also had a very good range from the chalameau (low register)’ to the sopranino register. Then there was the Small F flute as help in the higher registers, and Berlioz thought that such an instrument would be serviceable in ordinary orchestras Lastly, and more importantly, there was the addition of the trombone and serpent so as to give greater weight to the foundations of the wind ensemble.

The reaction to the radical changes in French bands was not .long in making itself in making itself manifest elsewhere. Germany not wishing to usurped immediately created a Guards band with an instrumental establishment of 1 piccolo 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons 1 trumpets, 3horns, 1 serpent and 6 Schlaginstrumente(percussion). Britain also saw the value of a balanced instrumentation although influenced by the French Model as seen in Grenadier Guards band of 1794 with 1 flute, 6 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 1 trumpet, 3 horns,, 2 serpents and the Janisserary percussion. It was agreed that by 1794 France, Germany and Britain certainly were at the leading edge of military bands world wide.

Returning to the hub of the military band world band world in France, we see that the band of the National Guard numbered twenty-seven. Cavalry bands were eventually raised and handsomely furnished with 16 trumpets, 6 horns and .3 trombones, to which kettledrurns were added in cuirassiers and carbiniers. The newest band which was raised was the Consular band which eventually took the place of the National Guard band and won fame under directors Michel Gebauer and Mathieu Blasius. and the oboe had been restored Under the Empire (1804), with Napolean, a larger band was allowed the Imperial Guard It was for this combination that Paer composed his four Grande Marches for Napoleon’s wedding with Marie Louise in 1810.

What contributed most to France’s pre-eminence in military music was the requirement for it. Secondly, it had composers of the mettle of Gossec, Catel and Mehul and Cherubini living and working in France. Thirdly, the band of the National Guard was composed of some of finest wind band players in Europe”. The output for the military band was enormous. In addition to the innumerable quick steps and other parade band and marching music, as well as the settings of patriotic songs, there were symphonies, suites and overtures of the first rank composed for this combination. Gossec was already a pioneer in music before the Revolution broke out, having been the first to broach the symphonic form, to use a military band with an orchestra, and to demonstrate the value of the Clarinet and trombone in the latter. The Revolution, with its clear cut with the past, provided a medium for new and vibrant works from his facile pen.

In terms of “form”, the symphonies of Gossec take first place. There is one in ‘C which comprises one movement only; another, in F, of two movements. They may not be what we know discern as symphonies but, the three movements were quite an engaging and animated work work. His Marche Lugubre, written for the translation of the body of Voltaire (1791), with those preludial notes ‘for ‘the gong and kettledrums, is a somber , moving dirge. Of greater consequence are the symphonies of Catel, who shared honors with Gossec in directing the bands. His symphony in F, written in the Hayden style is an exhilarating piece of writing, whilst the one in C displays some daring modulations, almost modem in their audacity. A symphony by Louis Jadin is even more, advanced in its bolder harmonies and, incidentally, reveals a striking prophesy of what Felix Mendelssohn was to write in the Scherzo of the “Reformation” Symphony.

The overtures by the composers of the Revolution are even better than the so-called symphonies. Two by Catel are of some importance, especially the one in F but another, in C, by Louis Jadin, is superior in many ways, with some unconventional touches in harnony and a quaint ryhmic shadowing of the Finale in Beethoven’s Symphony in C minor. Lastly, there is an overture in F by Hyacinthe Jadin a brother Louis Jadin which stands an easy first among the overtures of the revolutionary “period. Practically all of this music has passed out of use but remain as outstanding treasures of military band music. Ca Ira attributed to the drummer Becourt is an outstanding example of music which has withstood the test of time. It remains a well known and often played march.

Turning to Germany the great composers of this era also lent their hand to the creation of band music. Dittersdorf, Franz Hoffmeister ,Pleyel,Franz Kummer began writing for the band combinations. Some of the music was forgettable but it was important material to add to the repertoire. Beethoven also saw the military band asa good medium. Most of the music falls within the period which closes with the events of 1815. His earliest compositions include the Rondino and the Octetor Parthia in Eb (1872 which was the originally written as String Quartet (opus 4). He followed these works with his sparkling tattoo music (ZAPFENSTRICH) of 1809the one in F having been written for the Bohemian Landswehr. These were followed by the Polonaise Ecossaise and the March in F (1810) . The march for 2 clarinets,2 horns and 2 bassoons although undated was a fine composition for the period. His march in D written in 1816 is an example of his finest writing for the wind ensemble. The full score for this march indicates that save for the ommission of the trombone it is very much equal to modern instrumentation(no saxophones of course) He also employed the F clarinet which had been used in the French Bands previously. It was useful asa outdoor backup for flutes. The march is certainly in advance of anything previously. Beethoven wrote to publisher and said” this march could be played by several bands united, but even if one band lacked instrumentation it could be easily utilized by leaving out some of the parts”. He foresaw the versatility of bands and their ability to adapt themselves with samll or large combinations. A hundred and fifty years passed before formula band writing was discovered.

Band music in Britain had also begun to expand with the Royal Artillery band mustering thirty-eight performers in 1812 including boys and Janisserary. The Coldstram Guards had risen from twelve in 1785 to twenty-two in 1815. The King’s regulations also were changed to allow line bands to have as many as twelve performers by allowing one bandsman per company. Bandmasters were now beginning to have more attention paidto their merits as leaders such as George McKenzie of the Royal Artillery while John Mahon and Edward Hopkins became the leaders of the Scots of Third Guards band. One of the attactions of Life in 18th century London was the “Guard Mounting” at St James Palace which began around 1818.

There also sprung up another universal type of band and that was the bands for militia, volunteers,Yoemanry and fensibles. These bands which were formed mostly in Britain were of very high quality. In many instances they were led by well known local musicians. The abundance of new music also helped to createa healthy atmosphere for the bands. It is also interesting to note that much of the music from this period was published and in reviewing the scores we find that the composers were very serious about their work and the the quality. The music also tells us that the performers were of very high standards particularly in works that were arranged from orchestral sources.

Thus we can see a pattern emerging which shows that the developing musical instruments in tandem with the literature and the evolution of the military musician were entering a new sphere and a new world was dawning for the military band.

THE GENIUS of MOZART

IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MILITARY MUSIC.

France was not only leading the wind-instrumental world at the opening of the eighteenth century but she was looked upon as the fount of this art. Both England and Scotland had been influenced in their adoption of oboe bands. Even Germany was as affected by Gallic military modes, in its music if in nothing else. Yet the lands beyond the Rhine were already displaying themselves to advantage in the higher branches of the art and were certainly busy in improving their bands, so much so that they were soon to leave France behind.  Many changes had been forced upon instrumentation. Crumhornes and cornetts had passed out of use by the turn of the century, although Gluck was using cornetts much later. With the oboe becoming a simpler instrument to play it soon was able to push itself in a melodic sense to the forefront. The bassoon also became a very useful instrument replacing the bombard instruments and also the trombone fell into neglect. The alteration in the coiling of the tube of the horn (and this was why it became known as the “French horn”) gave this instrument a new and useful position in wind bands.  The greatest novelty was the emergence of the clarinet, an instrument said to have been “invented” in 1696. When all these band instruments appeared in the military band is not certain yet one feels instinctively that most of them spent their prentice years in open-air bands before they were patronized by indoor orchestras. Unfortunately we are denied complete documents from French sources regarding the state of military music during the first half of the eighteenth century. German army bands of 1706 consisted of 2 oboes, 2 trumpets or horns, 2 bassoons plus drums ordered or fixed by Frederick the Great by the mid 18th c., who was quite familiar to Mozart and Beethoven.

In Britain there is a fund of documents about regimental bands although not so complete in the earlier years as available elsewhere. As late as 1731 the band of the Honorable Artillery Company was confined to “one curtail, three oboes, and no more”. In 1746 there is reference in a parliamentary report to the music, hautbois and fifers of the Foot Guards.   It is not until 1762 when the famous Royal Artillery Band was formed in Germany that we get a precise instrumentation of 2 trumpets, 2 French Horns and 4 hautbois or clarinetts.  The Artillery band increased in size to 10 players in 1792 and twelve in 1798. Many of the British Regiments had at least 8-10 musicians in their ranks. Cavalry bands also moved with the times and adopted oboes into their bands along with trumpets and kettledrums. Also, they were augmented by bassoons. In 1767 the Horse Guards  had very strong combinations which included trumpets ,oboes, bassoons and drums. A rather stimulating combination even without a trombone-but in 1769 two bassoons were added. At the same time it must be understood that excepting the Royal Artillery, the Life Guards, the Horse Guards, the Horse Grenadier Guards and the Foot Guards, all “Bands of Musick” in the army were unofficial although tolerated.  This was also the rule in France to some extent. Here, military bands, and even military music in general, had deteriorated. The Uhlans of Marshal Saxe in 1741 the Gardes Francaises and a regiment of Croats had bands of horns, bassoons and cymbals. Whilst a Harmonie-Musik formula was still the rule, the Instruments were frequently doubled, as in 1762 when the French Guards had the performers in their bands increased from eight to sixteen, and in 1738 to twenty-four.

Thus far we have been able to comprehend the growing strength and the widening instrumentation of the military band. This name had now come to mean in Britain the army band, because the latter had quite eclipsed the old town band, which had almost died out. In most instances the membership of army bands consisted of hired professionals, a position which stood military musicians in good stead occasionally. When the Swedish garrison of Demmin capitulated in 1759 the ARTICLES OF SURRENDER read “The hautbois and musicians being paid by the officers shall be at liberty. In one of Marlborough’s campaigns, when the oboes of a French regiment were ordered to strike up battle music to cheer their comrades they couldn’t be found. It appears that after the first shots had been fired the the oboes made their exit. Evidently they were pleased with the “pomp”‘ but not the “circumstance”.  In Britain, it is said, the first band of enlisted musicians was the 1st Foot Guards (Grenadiers) in 1749.

The rising importance musically of the military band brought the definite recognition of its leader or director who, throughout the eighteenth and the first half of the nineteenth century, led his band with his instrument, often the oboe. He was dubbed the Master Musician or Music major in Britain, Kapellmeister in Germany, and Capo-Musica in Italy. In the United Kingdom there was a craze for foreigners as bandmasters, usually Germans and Italians.  Among these aliens were some names of eminence. The famous astronomer Sir William Herschel, a Hanoverian, was bandmaster of the Durham Militia; John Kohler an instrument maker was bandmaster of the Lancashire Volunteers; Johann Logier, an early musical textbook author was in a similar position in the Killkenny Militia.  The appeal of the military band because of its portability was lending to its success. True, the primary purpose of this institution was army duties, that is to provide music for the marching, lifting the spirits of the soldier in battle and to brighten and comfort soldiers in their bivouacs and in barracks. Yet there was considerably more to the new art form.

Kipling once wrote “there is no greater asset to recruiting than the band”. Since the officers supported regimental music by contributions to a “band fund”, they took every opportunity of using the regimental band for their own pleasures, even to have the band perform on civic or private occasions. In other words, they began to enter the orbit which had been the purview of town bands. In many centers of music the bands began to have regular subscription concerts. This fact is born out by the programs of the Royal Artillery Band in England. The Terraces of Versailles held numerous concerts featuring first the French Gardes du Corps and later colossal bands of the National Guard who played for the festivals of the Republic.

The actual music played by military bands of the period does not reveal any drastic departure from the music which preceded it. The most important element being the march, and this was practiced in two, if not three forms the slow march, which the Germans called the parade march the quick march which the French called the pas redouble and the double quick march which was called the pas de charge. The slow march was taken at 80 paces to the minute in Britain. Examples of the slow march can be found in march books from the past including a book called WARLIKE MUSIC … a collection of marches and Trumpet tunes. The contributors to this collection included the venerable Mr. Handel, and the book contains slow marches which were from the realm of opera including SCIPIO and RINALDO.  The quick march with a tempo of MM.=100 was in 2/2 or 2/4 (6/8 marches were mostly in vogue in Britain).  Prussia originated the quick march in the 6/8 meter and the idea spread rapidly through Europe. The custom of units employing distinctive folk songs as regimental marches both in quick and slow time began during this period (circa 1760-1800) The marches were often in the 6/8 meter and were performed during regimental occasions. Most of these marches have been preserved. Germany prized it’s historic marches -Der alte Deassauer  (1705) Hohenfriedberger(1745) and Coburger (c 1750).  Austria also developed some glorious marches including The Prinz Eugen March Pappenhiemer and the Musketiers von Friedland.

Despite the artistic progress of the military band the movement had not attracted the great composers. Reinhard Keiser(1674-1739) the creator of German opera was the first to patronize the wind ensemble by composing two suites for military band most likely based on his operas and dated 1715 noted as Kayserliche Friedens Post. Nicholas Hasse is the composer of an AUFZUG (fanfare style) for 2 trumpets and two kettledrums (1750).The British Museum houses several early numbers for military band including Handel’s overture to his Fireworks Music (1749) scored for 3 trumpets, three horns, 3 oboes, 2 bassoons with a contra-bassoon and kettledrums. In browsing the score one is taken with the massive tutti scoring that must have given listeners an earful at this very early period.

C.P.E. Bach wrote numerous compositions for the smaller Harmonie Musik combination of six, as well as for seven and eight players. Johann Christian, the London Bach, composed marches for this type of band, whilst Michael Haydn did a Turkish March for twelve instruments and percussion. His brother, the greater Haydn, contributed divertimenti and Feldpartien items for the military band, and when in England he wrote two marches for the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV, and another two for the Volunteer Cavalry of Derbyshire.

The divertinmento was, like the partita, a suite of several movements, whilst the equally favored Military Concerto was an instrumental solo, usually with variations. The only other music of the concert type for the military band was for the most part arrangements from operas and oratorios. One recalls how this is illustrated in the second act of Mozart’s great opera where Don Giovanni’s band of Harmonie-Musik entertains him at dinner with extracts from current operas including Figaro. On the whole it cannot be said that there is anything arresting in the wind-band music of the period. Gluck might have done something, and we know that he was invited to contribute to French military music. Of course he may have been  made aware of France’s slow development in this sphere, and Rousseau had been cruelly contemptuous of this music. Even later, if one peruses the marches of Pugnani (he was director of militarv music to the Duke of Piedmont), the suites by W. F. E. Bach a grandson of Johann Sebastian or the works of Sussmayer the friend of Beethoven, it is crystal clear that no great progress had been made in wind-band music since Lully’s time.

It was not until Mozart’s genius streaked across the sky that one discerns fresh ideas in the treatment of the instruments of the wind band. His ten years’ experience (1773-82) in composing a score of divertimenti and serenades and the like for the wind ensemble had enlightened him on the wider capabilities and the greater beauties of its instruments. That for which he scored was the ordinary town band–2 oboes, 2 horns, and 2 bassoons–although after 1781 he preferred clarinets to oboes, except when he used both. Occasionally he added 2 cor-anglais or 2 basset horns, Even the cavalry band instrumentation fascinated him, 5 or 6 trumpets and a pair of kettledrums, with 2 flutes, these latter were probably fifes, which had become popular with cavalry bands, even in Britain.

“I have now no light task to get my opera (Il Seraglio) arranged for military hand,” wrote Mozart in July 1732 ”You cannot Imagine the difficulty of arranging an opera for military hand, to make it fit for wind instruments without sacrificing any of the effects.” Whatever the difficulties in this task of arranging, Mozart was certainly a master hand at scoring in this domain, a trail which he was to blaze for others, It was just as well perhaps that Mozart came at this particular time to break down the conservative notions of writing in the monotonous vertical treatment of military literature up to that point. In any case, there had been scarcely any recognition of the precise characteristics of individual instruments in pre-Mozart days.  The use of clarinets in his symphonic works and his concerti for clarinet changed the entire perspective for the military band. The employment of the full dimensions of this instrument was one of the most  important catalysts in the development of the wind band . There were other vital changes coming to the military band, for the most part extrinsic, but fortunately the Salzburg master had already settled what was intrinsic before these changes came.

SOUNDS OF WAR

When we read of “Military Music” we instinctively visualize “the pomp and circumstance of glorious war”. It is true that the term strictly belongs to the music of the armed throng but the expression in this sense is almost a misnomer.  It has come to signify any combination of wood-wind, brass and percussion instruments as distinct from the so-called “string band” or orchestra. Indeed, it has been claimed that the phrase “wind band” would be more acceptable because the brass band could also find inclusion under such a label. So be that as it may, the fact remains that the modern military band in its wider significance, was cradled, nurtured and developed to its present perfection under the need and stress of martial array. Yet, strange as it may seem we have no modern history of its development.

Over half a century ago, a well-known army bandmaster J.A.Kappey, pointed out how serious was this flaw in our histories of music. “While historians”, he wrote, “reveled in descriptions of the grandeur of ecclesiastic compositions, of the music of the princely palaces or the royal playhouses, the music of the people has been passed over with almost contemptuous indifference and it seems as if they were, so to say, ashamed to mention the poor cousin who found inspiration in the open air or went ‘a-soldiering’. “Since those days our ideas of the military band have changed materially and its music has, at long last, come into its own. In feudal days, kings and those of a like estate took unto themselves the trumpet’s blast as a royal prerogative and nobody save those of the courtly circle dared to sound the silver, snarling trumpets”. Thus trumpet bands were developed by the elect and courts the world over used their brilliant fanfares, not merely as “sonorous metal blowing martial sounds”, but as a recognized part of regal insignia. The incisive flourish at a King’s oral proclamation became as confirmative an essential as the impressed seal upon an indicted royal decree. Those of lesser social dignity had to be content with the coarser-sounding horn. Needless to say, both of these instruments played an important part in time of war where their potency In conveying signals and in daunting the enemy is often paraded in martial annals.

In castles and fortified towns there were other military musicians who kept watch from towers and blew horns when danger threatened. They were called “Waits” in Britain, a name which still survives in the nocturnal musicians who serenade at Christmas time. It was no different on the Continent, in the Netherlands we read that “die Wachter blaest sines horen”; in Flanders that the Wettes did a like duty; in Germany that the Turmer or tower-men sounded their horns at specific hours, which was precisely the function of the Waits in England.

In the actual military array proper of western Europe, only trumpets and horns were used until the eleventh century, and this is what we see with the Crusaders when they took the field against the Saracens. In the French Romans d’Alexandre (1180) we read of cors, buisnes and grailes.  It was no better with the English, whose valiant king Richard marshaled his warriors to the sounds of the tuba, lituus and buccina.  In the opposing Saracen army there was a much wider range of instruments in the trumpet (nafir), horn (buq), reedpipe (zamr), shawm( surnay), drum (tabl), kettledrum (naqqara), cymbals (sunuj), and bells (jalajil)). Further, their players were organized into a band which played unceasingly during the conflict for tactical purposes. As a result of the impingement of oriental ideas on the occident we find the latter adopting this new use of military music together with such instruments as the anafil, naker, and sonajas, whose very names tell of their Arabic origin.  As we have seen, it was only the king’s trumpets which sounded in battle, but now all kinds of shawms, reedpipes, horns and drums were employed separately as a military band. If the former conveyed the “signs of war”, it was the latter which inflamed the souls of the warriors and created fear in the enemy.

Although Chaucer tells us that there were the instruments in the battle that “blew terrible sounds”, they were also used in combination by wandering minstrels who roamed through the countryside, and could be heard in courtyards and in castles and market squares. It was in the hands of the minstrels that the entire aspects of music changed. They were the first “road bands” touring through many countries picking up exotic musical forms and fresh ideas for lyrics , music, and  rhythms.  Their work was met with a formidable foe in the church and state who became alarmed because their interests were undermined by the newcomers who provided popular music as opposed to secular. Out of this repressive order grew the music Guilds which eventually became the source for the various combinations of trumpeters, minstrel groups and town bands.  In Germany the Guilds were very well supported by patrons. The members were trained in various musical duties and required special diplomas after four years of study to gain acceptance to the Guilds. The minstrel guild system played a very big part in the development of wind music and the wind ensemble.

The princely houses of Europe had very well defined instrumental combinations. For example, King Edward III of England had as his “Musik”, 5 trumpets, 2 clarions, 5 pipes, 3 waits and a drum available for outdoor music. Under Edward IV, court minstrels consisted of thirteen players, trumpets, shawms and small pipes. The trombone (sakbut) made its appearance later in the realm of Henry VII where there were 9 trumpets, and shawms. The trombone was the natural bass instrument for this combination.

A brief review of “Military Music” attests to the influence of the Renaissance in Europe. The rebirth of the classical art of war led to the return of the ancient concept of martial music and the replacement of regal trumpets and leather-lunged minstrels with instrumentalists attached to units of cavalry and infantry. Military textbooks within the period of the Renaissance are abundantly filled with information as to what was required of military musicians.

The Swabian infantry of Maximilian had a drummer and fifer in each company of foot and a trumpeter in each troop of Horse.  In the realm of Francis I of France there were two fifers and 4 tambourines allowed to every thousand men.  In England the allocation was more generous as in 1557 a regiment of foot might have a drum and fife band of twelve players.

There was much in the pomp of war to keep such combinations busy. The playing of marches was a necessity and was described in Garrard’s Art of Warre (1591) when he said “According to the stroke of the drum,…so shall they go, just and even, with a gallant and sumptuous pace, for by doing so they shall be honoured and commended of the lookers on, who shall take wonderful delight to behold them”.  This reference is the first notation on what is known today as a Ceremonial parade. Classical music contained several snippets of military music. The music heard in Jannequin’s Bataille 1515, contained French Cavalry calls. Many of the marches were unpretentious and were simple tunes and airs which had a spirited melody and with the addition of rhythmic figurations made them popular among troops.

The growth of military band music also had an impact on the rise of the town bands in Europe. As early as the fourteenth century the Waits or watch-tower musicians were combining with the pipes to provide entertainment for the citizenry. This led to the pipers being termed “bandsmen” for the town bands and began to include fifes, shawms, cornett and crumhorne  (a double reed instrument ) trombone and drum. A drawing by Durer at Nuremberg of a town band at about 1423 shows a shawm, 2 bombards (very early Tuba) 2 trombones, a fife and a drum.  In the Netherlands  we find 6 to 9 stadspipers.

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Musicians

 

 

Influential  Military Musicians A-Z

 

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A.  Adkins,Hector Ernest b 1885  d 1962. English Military Musician. Held the position of Director of music at Kneller Hall. Was commissioned Lt Colonel His Treatise on Military bands was the foremost publication on military band arranging.

Albert Franz Eduard b 1879 d ? He was born in Kremsier Moravia . He became a bandmaster in Austria and led the Honved Regiment band from 1900 to 1910. In 1910 he was appointed leader of the Infantry Regiment band no 78a post he held until the end of the first World war. His best know work is the Plivelic March

Albrecht Pol b 1874 d 1975  Luxembourg military band musician. Conducted numerous bands during his 50 year career. In 1927 became the conductor of the Garde Grand-Ducale. Retired in 1939 after 50 years as military musician. He composed a large amount of music and wrote over 50 worked for the theater. His march compositions includes the  march Patriae Fidelis - Faithful to Country

Alford Kenneth J b 1881 d 1945  (pseudonym for Frederick Joseph Ricketts) He was the march king of the United Kingdom and served the British military forces for 40 years from 1904 to his retirement in 1944. He was commissioned in the Royal Marines and wrote many of his fine marches while serving in the Marines. His march Colonel Bogey remains an icon in the world of band music

Allen Eugene Womack  b 1927 After a long service  to US military Army bands he became the director of the United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own) in 1976. He has written numerous  fanfares and marches for special occasions. His best known march is All the Way for the 509th Airborne Infantry.

Allier Gabriel b 1863 d 1924 French composer and bandmaster of international fame. Became bandmaster of the 37th Regiment band at Nancy in 1887 . He conducted various other military bands until his retirement. He composed polkas, waltzes and several marches for military band including the most well known French march Le Chant du Depart-The Song of Farewell.

Ambrosch Anton b 1839 d 1886 He was distinguished Austrian bandmaster who led several military bands including the 29th Feldjager-Battalion band from 1859 to 1866. He wrote several marches that very strong parade marches including three Parade marches listed as a,b and c.

Ancliffe Charles b 1880 d 1952 He was Irish born and served in the 2nd Somerset Infantry band and later was admitted to Kneller Hall  winning the gold baton award and graduating in 1900. He was appointed bandmaster at age 20 to the 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers. He became quite well known for his Edwardian style ballroom waltzes. His waltz Nights of Gladness was published in 1912. His best known marches include The Liberators,and Castles of Spain

Altenburg,Johann Casper b ? 1688 d 1761 German trumpeter. He was in action at Malplaquet and remained in the army as trumpeter for 30 years.

Altenburg,Johann Ernst German trumpeter and Organist b 15 June 1734 d. 14 May 1801 He had a long distinguished career in the Army and was a field trumpeter during the seven years war and became more celebrated than his father He wrote a book on the art of military trumpeting Versuch einer Anteitung zur heroisch-musikalischen Trompeter-und Pauker-Kunst.

Angelini Angelo b1885 d 1973. He began the study of the Eb clarinet at age 10 and soon played in the twon band in Fasano Italy. At age 20 he enlisted in the Infantry Regiment band atationed at Bari. He transferred later to the 87th Infantry band at Siena and later in Pisa. He also began studies in Bassoon and cello along with other band instruments. He began to compose music for band and wrote over one hundred titles and later conducted several municipal bands. His most well know march is a symphonic march   entitled Da Guardavalle a Rocella Jonica.

Azzolina Mark b 1925 He was the founder and conductor of the NORAD band in the USA. His background included a stint as music director for the Armed Forces Radio-TV service and he founded the North Atlantic Defense Command band in 1959. The band was the only international multi service band in existence containing musicians from Canada and the  USA. The band performed for  thousands of Canadian and American audiences throughout it’s 20 year colorful existence.

B. Bach Johann Jakob b 1682 d 1722 He was the brother of Johann Sebastian Bach and entered the military service Sweden in 1704 as an oboist. He was present at the battle of Poltava 1709 and later became a court musician at Stockholm. He is said to have written two military marches.

Baker John b 1910 d ?. Born in Hampshire England. He was trained as a flautist at the Royal Military School of Music. In 1926 he joined the Royal East Kent regimental band.. He returned to Kneller Hall for the bandmasters course in 1947 he was appointed Director of Music of the Black Watch band in 1951. He held this post for nine years. He was well known for his adaptations of music for bag pipes and military band. Other works include the Thistle Green Selection and two troops for military band.

Barreca Dominico b1852 d 1922. He was born in Sicily and began the study of brass instruments  with the bandmaster of the local band. In 1872 he joined the Italian Army and served as a soldier, leaving two years later. In 1874 he was enlisted in the army as a musician and played Eb cornet in a infantry band .He began writing music for military band and in 1881 was selected as bandmaster of the 21st Regiment band. He wrote several known works most of which were unpublished with the exception of the march Il campo di Loreto and a few others that were published by Ricordi.

Barsotti Roger (dob not known) He began his career as a flautist and appeared with the Hastings Municipal orchestra. He joined the “Buffs” regiment as a band-boy in 1916 and was soon promoted to band Sgt. He attended the Royal Military School of Music and was appointed bandmaster of the Queen’s Royal Regiment in 1930,a position he held for fifteen years. He retired from the British army in 1946 after 30 years service to take over the Metropolitan Police band of London. He wrote several works for military band including two concert marches, State Pageantry and King’s Colours.

Bashford Rodney b 1917 d 1997 One of most colorful military musicians ever produced in the UK. He joined the Band of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (60th Rifles) in 1932 at the age of 15 and retired after 51 years of service as a Lt Colonel in 1983. He had many honors bestowed upon him including the Order of the British Empire. He was the director of music of The Grenadier Guards band from 1970-1980 and served as Senior Director of Music of the British Army from 1970 to 1974. His arrangements and compositions number in the hundreds.

Benter Charles b 1887 d 1964 He was the  founder of The United Sates navy band and the organizer of the US Navy School of Music and the  first naval musician to attain officer rank. He joined the navy in 1905 as an apprentice musician and served until his retirement in 1942 at numerous postings both at sea and on land. He was a charter member of the American bandmasters association and wrote several compositions for band including Our Navy.  He also wrote and edited the book of National Airs of America

Berg Per b 1897 d 1957 He was a native of Sweden and studied clarinet at an early age entering Swedish military service with the Royal Göta Life Guards band in Stockholm in 1917. He received his first appointment in 1930 as  band director of the 20th Infantry band. later he led a tank Corps band . He remained in the Swedish military service until 1953. In addition to several band arrangements he wrote numerous marches including the very popular Army and  Marine march.

Berger Henry b 1844 d1929 He was born in Potsdam Prussia and entered the the Prussian Army as a musician . He played both Tuba and Double bass. Later he joined the orchestra of Johann Strauss JR and in 1871 he became the bandmaster of the elite Prussian 2nd Life Guards Regimental band.  His fame however was quite unique because he is considered the father of Hawaiian Music. He was selected  by King Kamehamha on the advice of the German Colony in Honolulu as the bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian band . He began his work with the band in 1872 and it was the beginning of a highly successful career as conductor of the court band which was known as the RHB.  Later when Hawaii became annexed to the USA he continued to have an enormous impact on music in the islands writing several songs and playing hundreds of concerts each year.  His birthday of August 4th is observed each year and in 1944 the annual Berger concerts were begun and continue to this day.

Bimboni Giovacchino b 1810 d 1895. He was born in Firenze Italy and  began the study of flute with his father.  Later joined a theatre orchestra  in Perogla. In 1827 Bimboni joined the band of the 2nd Tuscan Regiment. In 1854 he entered service with the grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1846 he performed with Johann Strauss in Vienna. From 1840 to 1866 he was the leader of the National Guard band (1859). He wrote numerous pieces for band including the Concerto Brilliante for Trombone on the Carnival of Venice.

Borg Oscar b 1851 d 1930 He has been referred to as the March King of Norway. His musical education was financed by King Oscar II at the Stockholm Music Conservatory. On his return to Norway in 1872 he was appointed director of the Army band which is known today as the Eastern Region Band. His contract called for him to serve for five years but he remained in service for 50 years retiring as a Lieutenant in 1918. His compositions include the well known Scandinavian march Crown Prince Olaf’s Honor March.

Bowles Richard W b 1918 He served in the  United States Army during the Second World War and directed the 715th US Army band until 1946. His adaptation of the the Old New Orleans favorite When The Saints go Marching In is his most well known contribution to the military band repertoire.

Bourgeois John R b 1934. Born in Louisiana, he attended Loyola University and studied the French-horn, later taking private tuition with several teachers. He joined the US Marine corps in 1956 as a musician and was selected for the US marine band in Washington in 1958. In 1979 he was appointed assistant leader of the Marine band and in 1979 he was made leader of the band. He retired in 1982. He was the recipient of several awards for his contribution to military and civilian band music in the USA. In 1964 he was awarded the prestigious John Philip Sousa American Bandmasters award for excellence which he received at a gala concert in Quebec City, Canada.

Boyer Thornton Barnes b 1858 d 1936 He was born in of Phoenixville Pennsylvania. He studied music at a military Academy and later moved to Keokuk Iowa where he   became a member of the National Guard. He served as the conductor of the 6th Illinois Regiment band and the 50th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment. His most well known compositions include Joyce’s 71st NY Regiment and Sousa’s Triumphal a dedication march in honor of John Philip Sousa.

Branson Taylor b 1880 d 1969. A native of Washington DC  began the study of the violin with Marine Corps band member William Santelmann. He enlisted in the US marines at the age of seventeen and soon became concertmaster of the Marine Orchestra.  He was appointed Leader of the US Marine band in 1927 and retired from the service in 1940 with the rank of Captain. He was a pioneer in instrumental music broadcasting . Most of his marches and music were dedicated to the US Marine corps and included the General Lejune March.

Brendler Charles b 1898 d 1965. He began performing on clarinet at a very early age.  At age 15 he joined the navy; he continued his studies on clarinet. In 1917 he was posted to the Washington Navy Yard band where he became the solo clarinet. He made a steady climb through the ranks of the navy. As soloist with the newly formed Navy band he won acclaim throughout the  USA. In 1938 he was appointed to the position of assistant leader of the US Navy band with the rank of Lieutenant. He retired with forty-nine years service in 1962 with the rank of Commander. He could never erase from his memory the loss of nineteen of his musicians who were lost in a mid air collision over Brazil in 1960.

Briegel George F b 1890 d 1968. Born in Scranton Pennsylvania he began early studies of the violin. While still in his teens he joined the US Military Academy band at West Point. He became director of the New York Regiment band  from 1914to 1917 and resumed the post from 1920 to 1940. He published many of his own compositions for band including Men O’ the Navy March

Brokenshire James Opie b1865 d 1938 He was born in Cornwall England and moved with his family to Plymouth Pennsylvania. He began his musical education on the organ eventually learning every instrument available. At age 19 he joined the band of the 7th Cavalry at Fort Riley Kansas. Soon after he became the regiment’s bandmaster. He retired form active service in1915 but was recalled to become inspector of music and musical instruments for the US Army. His military career took him to China, Cuba the Philippines Hawaii, England and France. He retired in  1936. His contribution to the military band march repertoire includes The Cavalry Soldier and The Glory of Trumpets

Buckley Lewis J b1947 studied at the Eastman School of Music before entering the United Sates Coast band in 1969. He became trumpet soloist with band and he organized and began conducting Coast Guard band ensembles and was commissioned in 1975 and appointed director of the band.  He developed the band into one of the finest military bands in the USA. He made several recordings and he has written and arranged numerous concert pieces for military band.

Buglione Annibale b 1848 d 1933 Born in Italy he studied violin and cornet eventually emigrating to the US in 1881. He joined the US Army and served in several postings over a thirty year period. He became a bandmaster later in his career of the 4th Coast Artillery band in Fort Monroe Virginia. He retired in 1911. His wrote several marches most of them dedicated to his life in the US military including the marches Legion of Honor and The Fighting Army.

Buglione Godfrey b 1879 d 1934. He began early studies with his father Annibale on Violin and Cornet and followed in his father’s footsteps in military music. He qualified as a bandmaster in 1917 and later was commissioned during World War 1. He took command of the 15th Infantry band in France and served with distinction. Following the war he retired and became the bandmaster of the 159th Regiment National Guard in Oakland California.

Leonard Camplin. Conductor, violinist, oboist, b London 16 Aug 1928; FTCL. He studied at the GSM and the Essen School of Music, Germany, and received private tuition in London and Berlin. After graduating from the RMSM (Kneller Hall) in 1955 he became the British Army’s youngest bandmaster. Camplin arrived in Canada in 1959 as music supervisor in the Sturgis School Unit, Saskatchewan. In 1960 he was successful in gaining a full music credit for music students towards graduation in Saskatchewan schools. He was principal oboe 1959-61 in the Regina Symphony Orchestra. Camplin joined the Canadian Army in 1961 as music director of the Royal Canadian Engineers Band, Regular Force, and subsequently commanded the Canadian Forces Naden and Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Bands. He was appointed music director of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra in 1964 and continued in this position in 1991; under his leadership the orchestra evolved from amateur to professional status. Camplin has conducted in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia, and North America. In 1975, he was appointed music director of the City of Calgary’s centennial celebrations (Century Calgary) and formed and conducted the Century Calgary Symphony Orchestra. Camplin founded and formed the Burnaby Symphony in 1999.He is also the founder and music director of the professional Kelowna Philharmonic Society. Camplin holds the Canadian Forces Decoration and Clasp.

Cappa Carlo Alberto b 1843 d 1893. Born in Alessandria on the island of Sardinia studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music at Asti and on completion of his studies he joined the band of the 6th Lancers on 1st Trombone.  Following a performance of a trombone solo for the crew of the US Navy Frigate The Constitution he was invited to join the ship’s band.  On completion of a two year enlistment he joined the famous Boston Brass band in February 1858. Later he joined the 7th Regiment band under Claudio Grafulla and was with the band throughout the US Civil war.  In 1881 he became the director of the 7th Regiment band and under his direction to fame of the band grew far and wide.  He pioneered the establishment of low pitch for military bands in the USA. His band appeared at numerous fairs and exhibitions throughout both the US and Canada.  He was knighted by the Italian government in 1891.His most well know works include The American Navy March and the Pro Patria Gloria March.

 

Cardon Roland b 1929 B in Ronse Belgium he began clarinet studies and eventually was selected for the Royal Conservatory at Ghent. He began his military career as solo flutist with the 12th Brigade band at Arlon in 1954. In 1957 he was selected to be assistant bandmaster of the 4th division band at Liege and later in 1963 he was appointed to Director of Music of the Belgium Home Military Forces band. In 1972 he began an important series  series of band concerts on  Belgium National Radio.  He became a fixture at the Mons International Music Festival conducting massed bands and writing special music for the occasion. His march Time is Over is the theme of the festival.

Carion Mario b 1927. He was born in Belgium and studied clarinet as well as harmony and history at the Royal Conservatories of Liege and Mons winning numerous awards. He joined the Belgian military as a musician and eventually became bandmaster of several military bands in Aachen,  Cologne and Soest Germany. From 1973 to 1979 he was the director of the Belgian Interior Defense Forces  Band at Arlon. He composed several numbers for military band including Le Bon Vingt and Fanfare and Allegro for band

Carl Karl b 1830 d 1898 Born in Forsheim Germany he began to study instrumental music and eventually joined the 1st Artillery Regiment band in Augsburg. In 1851 he was appointed leader of the trumpet corps of the Augsburg Regiment. He was considered one of the most popular bandmasters in the Bavarian Army. Some of his works include the Hochlander march and Mussinan march

Chernetsky Semyon b 1881 d 1950 (also Sergei and Simeon) He was a gifted young musician who was schooled in the Russian tradition of military music. He joined the army and his musicianship permitted him to become a bandmaster early in his career. He furthered his studies by entering  the Petrograd Music Conservatory (known as Leningrad and St Petersburg) in in 1917. He later became the command inspector for musicians in the Petrograd military district and in 1924 taught conducting to military bandmasters. In 1932 he became the senior director of the newly formed Soviet Army Band. This band which numbered 200 at times remained stationed in Moscow during the war and played numerous concerts at hospitals and military bases. He won several awards for his work with the band. His band gained international prominence through this highly gifted musician. He wrote several marches and special pieces for military band including several patriotic marches such as Salute to Moscow

Chomel Leonce b 1881 d 1935 was a native of  Saint Remy France and his talent was recognized very early in his life and he studied music with various musicians. He entered military service with the 2nd Engineers Regiment in Montpellier with hopes of qualifying as a bandmaster. He eventually was selected as the assistant bandmaster for various bands and finally achieving the position of the 47th Regiment band at St Malo. In 1898 he was assigned his goal of the position of Director of the 31st Regiment in Paris. During World War 1 he was cited three times for his inspiring band work in   won the coveted Croix de Guerre. He was well known for his band transcriptions which were excellent and are still available from major music publishers in France.

Cirenei Luigi b 1881 d 1947. He established his prominence as a musician in early life and studied with composer Pietro Mascagni and received diplomas in advanced composition and in band. In 1911 he won a competition for appointment as a military bandmaster and joined the 89th Infantry band in Genoa.  In 1921 he was transferred to Rome and after stringent examinations became the second director of the  famous CARABINIERI BAND of Rome.  One of the Europe’s most prestigious bands he appeared in concert in cities world wide.  For his work as second leader he was nominated Cavaliere Ufficile of the Italian Crown in 1919.  His most well known composition is Marcia d’Ordinanza del Carabinieri

Clappé Arthur A b 1850 d 1920 He studied at Trinity College and at Kneller hall later becoming a bandmaster of the 60th Rifles. He emigrated to Canada in 1877 and lead the Governor General’s Foot Guards band in Ottawa for seven years. In 1884 he moved to the USA and became bandmaster of the US Military Academy band at West Point. in 1888.  In 1911 he helped to establish the US Army School of Music. His march output was extensive and includes the Dominion Grand March and the parade march Esprit des Corps.

Clarke, Herbert L  b 1867 d 1945 He was cornet soloist and assistant conductor for the Sousa band from 1893 until 1917.  In addition to his position with the Sousa band, Clarke was also employed during his lengthy musical career as solo cornetist with the professional bands of Victor Herbert, Patrick Gilmore, Frederick Innes and Ernest Neyer.  In addition to his notable career as a cornet soloist, Clarke served as conductor of the Reeves American Band (Providence, Rhode Island) the Huntsville (Ontario) Anglo-Canadian Leather Company Band and the Long Beach (California) Municipal Band, a post he held from 1923-1943.

Claus Joseph B b 1833 d 1905 Born in Germany he began to study flute and piano as a child and at age 13 joined his father in England who was bandmaster of the 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales Regiment). He also learned to play clarinet and cornet under his father’s tutelage. At age 19 he received his first appointment as a bandmaster and later was with the 6th Regiment band. He left the British Army in 1871 and emigrated to the USA where he became a respected teacher and orchestra director and bandmaster at the New England Conservatory of Music. He wrote several outstanding marches a turn of the century piece called the Monte Carlo March.

Collins William George b 1815 d 1886 He was born into the Royal Artillery regiment and served the regiment as a musician for fifty years. He began as a boy and eventually enlisted into the Royal Artillery band as a drummer. He studied violin and clarinet. He was a naturally gifted musician and in 1845 he was appointed to the position of bandmaster. He went on to organize and conduct numerous concerts  beginning in 1846 at the Theatre Royal in Woolwich and in London and Brighton. Collins was the first bandmaster in Britain to introduce the saxophone to the  military band.

 

Influential Musicians IJKLM

 

D. Darcy Thomas F JR b195 d 1968. He was the son of a military bandmaster and enlisted as a private in the US Army  in 1912.He eventually rising to the position of assistant bandmaster of the 18th Infantry in 1917. He became the assistant director and solo cornet of the US Army band in Washington from 1924 to 1935 and was appointed  the director in 1935. He retired in 1945. He wrote several notable marches including Flashing Sabres and Vanguard of Victory.

De Arriba, Manuel Gomez b 1904 d 1974. He studied music at an early age with his father who was the respected leader of the Banda Municipal de Madrid. At age 21 he received his first appointment as a bandmaster. In 1939 he was selected as the leader of a Spanish Airforce band. He rose to the rank of Commander in 1950 and was selected as the leader of the renown Spanish Air Force band of Madrid. His career with this band was illustrious as he played concerts world wide and made numerous   recordings. His transcriptions of orchestral worked are of the highest quality.His marches Paso Doble Flores de Mayo and Marcha de Los Granaderos are classic Spanish marches.

Deisenroth Friederich b 1903. Born in Philippstel, Hesse Germany, he studied organ and theory and was nominated for the Prussian Academy of Music in Berlin for which attendance was mandatory for bandmaster candidates. After graduation in 1936 he was posted to the 57th Regiment in Siegan which became one of the finest in the Germany army. Following the war when the Bundeswehr of the Federal Republic of Germany was established he was one of the first bandmasters to enlist.He became the bandmaster of the Artillery School in Idar-Oberstein. In 1961 he was transferred to the post of deputy Inspector of the Ministry defense music corps. He retired in 1965 after 41 years of service. He has written several military band titles much of which has been captured in recordings.

Dohlin Åke b1921 He was accepted in the Navy band in Stockholm Sweden when he was fourteen and later studied at the Royal College of Music from which he graduated in 1948. He was appointed as a conductor in the Swedish military Forces in 1952 first with the Coast Artillery band and later with the Army band at Visby.He was a navy band leader for thirteen years as director of the Navy Band in Karlskrona. His final posting was as chief of the Eastern Region of Music whence he retired in1982. He composed several titles for band including twenty-nine marches his most popular being the March of the Coastal Fleet

Dostal Hermann b 1874 d 1930 He was a member of a musical family which lived Moravian section of Austria (now Slovakia). His followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who were both military musicians. He enlisted as an apprentice musician and after study in Vienna was encouraged by bandmaster and well known musician Franz Lehar to join his band as a harpist. He followed Lehar to Hungary joining the 26th Regimental band in Gyor where he remained until1911 . He was selected as bandmaster to the Hungarian 26th Regiment band. He transferred to the 99th Regiment band in Vienna where he was involved with the historic final guard changing ceremony at the Imperial Palace . He retired in 1918 and was a popular; conductor/composer /arranger in Vienna for several years following the war.

Duijck Guy (Guillaume)b 1927 He began study on oboe and eventually became one the finest players ever developed in Belgium. He was considered to be a virtuoso. In 1947 he joined the Belgian Navy band as well as being selected for the Ghent Opera orchestra. In 1951 he auditioned for bandmaster of the Belgian first brigade remaining in that post for ten  years. From 1960 to 1976 he was the conductor of the Belgian navy leading this well know ensemble in numerous concerts,parades and broadcasts.. His music compositions include symphonies, chamber works . many of his compositions have been recorded and he has become well known throughout Europe because of his adjudication at music festivals.

Dunn Francis Vivian b 1908 d 1996 A third generation to follow in the profession of military music His name has become synonymous with the  highest level of musical integrity and standards in the art of military music. He studied violin at an early age eventually becoming a student of Henry Wood. He became a member of the Queen’s hall Orchestra in 1927 and a founding member of the BBC orchestra in 1930. At the age of twenty-two in 1931 he was appointed Director of Music of the Royal Marines Portsmouth Division and he remained with the RM until his retirement in 1968. In 1953 he was Principal Director of the Royal Marines School of Music. He became a very popular conductor and adjudicator. In 1969 he he had the distinction of being knighted by Queen Elizabeth. He wrote several marches all of which are superb including the most well known Mountbatten March.

F. Fahrbach Phillip 1815 d 1885 He was a contemporary of Jahann Strauss the Father and Joseph Lanner.His musical talent was evident at an early age and he studied violin and flute. He beacme a flautust at age 10 in the Strauss Orchestra and becamea intimate friend of teh Strauss family. His arranging talents became well known as he added many inner parts to Strauss orchestrations. In 1841 he took up the post of bandmaster of the Infantry Regiment No.4(Hoch-und-Deutschmeister) a post he retianed until 1846. He returned to civilian life but aftera family tragedy he returned to the military in 1855 becoming the bandmaster of the Infantry regiment No.14 and was present at the Austro-Prussian campaign in Schleswig-Holstein in1864. The opus list of his works numbers 330 most of which is not performed today.

Ferland Joseph Pierre Armand Ferland b 1926. One of Canada’s most respected musicians he began violin and clarinet at an early age and earned his BA degree at the university of Manitoba in 1947 and won first prize on clarinet at the university of Montreal in 1951.After a short stint in the Ordnance corps band as solo clarinet  e was selected in competition for study at the Royal Military School of Music in   England. He graduated in 1954 and became the director  of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery band and later in 1961 the world renown Royal 22nd Regiment band. He went on to form the Quebec woodwind ensemble.His best known composition is the march Genevieve.

Field Philip Howard dob unknown.A native of Norwalk, Conn he studied clarinet and joined the US Navy as a clarinet instrumentalist in 1956. After graduartion from teh Navy school of Music  he performed with navy bands in Japan, Yorktown Va., and Boston.He directed unit bands on the USS Oriskany and the USS Kearsarge and returned to teh school to become an instructor. Upon promotion to warrant Officer he was appointed director of the Pacific Fleet band in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. He was appointed leader of the US navy band in washington in1989. He wrote several arrangements for both concert and marching bands.

Friedmann Carl Berthold b 1862 d 1952 He was born in Müchlein near Leipzig and became one of the most influential bandmasters and conductors of his era.. His Slavonic Rhapsody is still performed world wide His talent was recognized while he was attending a local high school and he studied theory, piano and violin . As a result of  the widely performed KAISER-FREDERICH march he was admitted to the Royal Academy of music in Berlin. He graduated with honors in 1890 he completed his bandmaster examination and was selected as assistant bandmaster of the Badonian Infantry Regiment 113 in Freiburg. In 1891 he became bandmaster a position he held for the next twenty-one years. His reputation as a composer and conductor became known throughout Germany and also in nearby Switzerland. He retired from the Army in 1912.He continued his musical career for several years and became one of the most distinguished personalities of his time.In 1935 he was honored by the Berlin Academy with the title of Professor. His compositions number over 350 and he much of his music remains in both the orchestral and band repertoires.

Fucik Julius Ernest William b 1872 d 1916. Born into a musical family in Prague Bohemiahe began study on bassoon and later played violin and piano. At age nineteen he entered military service playing bassoon and drums with the 49th Infantry Regimental band. Following a career as bassoonist with the New German Theatre orchestra he and National Theatre orchestra he began work as a military bandmaster with the 86th Regimental band at Sarajeveo and at this time he wrote the famous march ENTRY OF  THE GLADIATORS. Fucik proved to be very much ahead of time as he challenged composers to write meaningful music for military band. He led several bands over his long service in the army including the 92nd Regiment band which played regular concerts in Prague and Berlin. From 1910-1913 he conducted the Terezin military band and retired from the military   service in 1913. He grew to be a extremely prolific composer of both orchestral and band music with nearly 400 works to his credit. His  marches Florentiner and Children of the Regiment remain popular remain his two most popular marches as well as the afore mentioned Entry of the Gladiators.

 

Furst Geog b 1870 d 1936 His father was the local bandmaster In a small town southwest of Nuremberg. He received his initial training from his father  and at eighteen entered The Nuremberg Municipal School of Music. In 1889 he joined the Royal Bavarian Life Regiment band in Munich as the Eb Trumpeter. he was selected  in 1895 for bandmaster training at the Royal Academy of Music in Munich. In 1902 he was appointed to assistant director of the 5th Bavarian Infantry Regiment in Bamberg.In 1911hw was transferred to Munich as Senior bandmaster of the Royal Regiment.Under his leadership the reputation of the band grew his name became well known throughout Germany,Rumania,Serbia and Macedonia. In 1920 he was placed in command of the 19th Bavarian Regiment band and held this post until his retirement in1935.He wrote several marches,overtures and songs. His most well known march is the Badonviller-Bandenweiller march but his Drei Märche fur Blamusik is still performed and recorded.

G. Gasia Louis b 1898 d 1950. Born in Belgium he studied at the Royal Brussels Conservatory. In 1938 he was appointed bandmaster of the 3rd Regiment of the Line. In 1947 he was appointed the first bandmaster of the newly created Belgian Navy band. He retired in in1949. He wrote several marches overtures and other works for band including the March of the Belgian navy

Gayfer James McDonald b 1916 d 1997. A native of Toronto he graduated with B.Mus. degree from the University of Toronto in1941. He joined the Canadian Army Militia   when war broke out in 1939 and played clarinet in the  Canadian Corps of Signals band overseas. He was selected to attend the bandmasters course at Kneller Hall in 1945. On completion he returned to Canada in 1947 . He served in a variety of postings and became director of Music of the Canadian Infantry Battalion band(later the Canadian Guards) 1951-1961. He was Musical Training Officer at the Canadian Forces School of Music from 1961-1966. He had a distinguished career in the military rounded out by his highly successful compositions for band and orchestra. He wrote several marches including Canada Overseas and Silver and Green.His concert march for the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1953  titles Royal Visit remains one of the most extraordinary concert pieces ever written for military band.

Gebauer Francois Rene b 1773 d 1845 brother of  Michael Joseph  he was born in Versailles of German parents. He studied bassoon and beginning in 1788 he was a member of the band of the Swiss Guard in Versailles and in 1790 he joined the band of the National Guard with his brother.. He later played in Imperial Chapel orchestra and the theater orchestra.He wrote several compositions most of which is held by the Paris Museum of fine Arts. Some of the material includes six marches and Pas Redoubles.

Gebauer Michael Joseph b 1763 d 1812 A French musician of German parentage he   joined the service of Franceand his  birthplace is unknown.. He studied both violin  and oboe and joined the National Guard band in 1790. In 1794 to 1802 he was professor of music at the Paris   Conservatoire . He also became the bandmaster of the Consular Guard an early post revolutionary military band. He was also oboist in the Imperial Chapel. He died as a consequence of the Russian campaign which he had taken part. He wrote a number of   marches and fanfares which were performed at Fetes celebrating the French revolution. later family members became well known in France as performers and composers.

Godfrey Charles b 1790 d 1863 The first in a long line of  English military bandmasters and conductors he was a drummer in the First Royal Surrey Militia. In 1813 he joined the Coldstream Guards and transferred to the bassoon.. In 1825 he was appointed bandmaster of the band a position he held for several years. He edited the Jullien’s Journal which began in 1847 and he helped to incorporate several magnificent transcriptions and arrangements into this numbered series of military band music. Of his five sons three became outstanding military musicians in the British Army.

Godfrey Daniel(Known as Dan) b1831 d 1903 son of the preceding. He entered the Royal Academy of Music as a student and eventually became professor of flute in 1847. In 1856 he was appointed bandmaster of the Grenadier Guards and held this position until 1896. He was the first bandmaster since the American Revolution to take his band to the USA  for the World Peace Jubilee 1872    which was organized by Patrick Gilmore in Boston. Godfrey retired in 1896 and organized his own band. In 1887 he was the first commissioned officer in British military bands and which bore with it the designation Director of Music.His contribution to the military band parade repertoire was extensive and included Guards,Hilda and Mabel inspection music.

Godfrey Adolphuis Frederick b 1837 d 1882. brother of the preceding. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Music and entered the Coldstream Guards in 1856 and in 1863 he succeeded his father as bandmaster of theta regimental band.. His arrangements and transcriptions were superb and in many cases very much ahead of his time.His various arrangements which were entitled Reminiscences became standard military band fare. His contribution in the area of  classical potpourri contributed to the emersion of military band outdoor and concert performance popularity.

Godfrey Charles b 1839 d 1919 brother of the preceding. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Music and began his musical career as a clarinetist in Jullien’s orchestra in 1853.He changed career direction in 1859 when he was selected as bandmaster of the Scots Fusilier Guards. he left that regiment in 1868 for the Royal Horse Guards band   where he became a commissioned Director in 1899. He was professor of military music at the Royal College of Music . He was a major contributor to the Orpeus Army Military Band Journal which reveals a outstanding ability in band arranging and transcriptions.

Godfrey Dan Stuart b 1893 d 1935 cousin of  Charles. He was educated at the Royal College of Music and enlisted in the Coldstream Guards in order to qualify for military bandmastership. He served in World War 1 and later became associated with the British Broadcasting System where he was a  pioneer in military band broadcasts.

Gossip Brian Albert b 1934 He served with the Imperial Black Watch band as a National Serviceman and was trained on oboe and saxophone. In 1956 he emigrated to Canada and furthered his musical studies eventually joining the Canadian Reserve Navy as a bandsman saxophone. In 1958 he was accepted for the principal saxophonist with the Royal Canadian Regiment band and was a featured soloist with this band . In 1971 he was selected in competition for bandmaster training at the Canadian Forces School of music. In 1974 he was posted to the Central Band of the Canadian Forces in Ottawa. He became one of the staff arrangers and began writing numerous marches for the Canadian Forces. In 1983 he was appointed assistant direcor of he Prinecss Patricias Light I nfantry band and wrote several outstanding arrangements for this band.He retired  in 1988 after serving as the Chief Warrant Officer of the Canadian Forces School of Music. He continued his association with the  military as a Cadet officer and became a very popular clinician and arranger for this organization. He has written numerous marches for band and several have been recorded. His most outstanding  marches include March St Laurent and March Thunderbird.

Graham Arthur b 1875 d 1947 He became a bandboy in the 15th Hussars at age fourteen and received his musical training as a pupil at the Royal School of Music, Kneller Hall, on clarinet. He advanced to the rank of Sergeant with the Hussars and in 1901 was selected for bandmaster training also at Kneller hall. He graduated in 1903 and was appointed bandmaster of the 1st Battalion The York and Lancaster Regiment with the rank of Warrant Officer. He served for many years in India and was the bandmaster for the presentation of colors by the Prince of Wales. he retired in 1921. He carried on his fine record of musicianship by conducting several concert bands and orchestras including the Queen’s Variety theatre in Castleford. He wrote several highly acclaimed marches for band. His march The Champion and Hampton Court are his most well known compositions.

 

Grundstrom Per Gustaf Adolph b 1886 d 1975 He enlisted as an apprentice musician at age 13 in the world Renown Life Guards band in Stockholm Sweden.. He continued his studies on violin and various band instruments and graduated in 1906 from the Royal College of Music with a diploma of music director.He began his career as a bandmaster with the Royal Halland Regiment band and in 1912 he was promoted to the position of Director of Music. He gained experience conducting both orchestras and choirs. He eventually became the director of the Life Guards band and retired in 1944. He received many honors and several outstanding marches including the well known Swedish march General Cederschiöld.

Gungl Joseph b 1810 d 1889 He was a Austrian born musician who began his career in the Army in the Fourth Regiment of Artillery as an oboist. He was selected in competition as bandmaster of the same regimental band 1842. He made several European tours with his regimental band playing mostly his own compositions. He left the military to establish his own band for a tour of North America,. On his return he was appointed the Music Director to the King of Austria and  later in 1859 was appointed bandmaster of the Emperor’s service in Prussia.. Gungle wrote numerous waltzes and marches  and his Hungarian March Opus 1 was one in a long line of military marches  he added to the band repertoire

H. Haachti Rauno Erik dob unknown He began his military career at the Military Music School in Helsinki where he studied clarinet and saxophone.. He was assigned to the band of the of Armour Battalion in 1947. He gained steady promotion and in 1967 he graduated from the the Sibelius Academy and was granteda commission in the Finnish Army and appointed to Director of Music. From 1971 to 1990 he conducted and commanded the Military band of Lapland rising to teh rank of Major. In 1990 he was selected as the Chief Conductor of Music and pomoted to teh rank of Lt Colonel and was transferred to the headquarters of the Finnish Defence Forces in Helsinki. At the time of his retirement in 1994 he was in charge of all bands in Finland.

Hanssen Johannes b 1874 d 1967 He became one of Norway’s most active and influential bandmasters and started music at age ten eventually learning trumpet and entering the Second Brigade band in Oslo on baritone. He was selected as bandmaster of the Oslo Military staff band and remained in this post from 1926 to 1934. he was also bandmaster of this band from 1945 to 1946. He had a varied career  both as a military and civilian musician and wrote several marches for concert band including the evergreen and popular march Valdres which was written between 1901-1904.

Haase Ferdinand b 1788 d 1851.Born in Silesia he enlisted in the French Army in 1810. He marched with Napolean and provided music during Napolean’s march on Moscow. His talent was noted by teh Grand Duke Constantine and  he helped the youndg musician to obtaina solid musical education. When the Grand Duke was placed in charge of the Polish Army he selected Haase to be in charge of military music. earlier he had written the Preobrazhensky march and it now became an instant sensation  and was adopted by the regiment with the same name. later it was assimilated into the Prussian Army collection(a.m.1.30) Following teh Grand Dukes arrival in Warsaw two more Guards Regiments were raised prompting Haase to write another march for the Volhynia Guards Jager Regiment.Later he was posted to Russia to help organize the and he was appointed to be commandant of the military school of music. In 1845 he composed  an album of military music and he arranged numerous workd for band. He organized joint concerst of Prussian and Russian bands. His arrangements and compositions for band was extensive and he arranged several national anthems including God save the Tsar.

 

Hautvast Willy (Wilhelmus) b 1932 He began his study of music with his father learning clarinet and saxophone. He studied at the Maastricht Conservatory and in 1951 he enlisted in the Royal Netherlands Air Force and from 1952 to 1975 was solo clarinet with that band. He left military serve in 1975 to accept the position of teacher and bandmaster at the Nijmagen Music School.He has written several concert band numbers and many of his arrangements and transcriptions have been published. His march Fly Past is dedicated to the pilots of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Henrion Richard b 1854 d 1940 . He decided on career as a military musician very early in his life and after serious study  on the organ at  the Joanniskirche in Madeburg he completed the requirements to become an army bandmaster at Brandenburg. He served with the 64th Regiment in Prenzlau and in 1881 he joined the 2nd Grenadier Regiment at Stettin where he remained for the rest of his army career. He composed over 260 works for band orchestra, and he was a specialist in fanfare marches. His music was often included in compilations of German and Austrian marches and the Fehrbelliner Reitermarsch-or Fahrbellin Cavalry march appears in no less than 20 different books of military marches.

Hicks Lawrence b 1913 d 1997 He joined the 1st Battalion of the Cameroinians as a bandboy aged fourteen in 1926. He was selected to attend Kneller Hall and graduated in 1938 and was appointed bandmaster of the 2nd battalion the Black Watch. During the war years he was attached to the Canadian Army asa bandmaster of the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps band serving in Belgium and the Netherlands. His dairy of the band’s work still resides in the Canadian Directorate of History in Ottawa. In addition he arranged   several numbers for Canadian bands during the war. In 1951 he resigned from the British Army and joined the Austrian Air Force band. Under his direction the RAAF band playeda leading roleat the 1956 Olympic games at Melbourne. He was responsible for scoring and arranging 70 national anthems for this occasion. He retired in 1968 and organized a ladies concert band

Howard George Sallade b 1903 d 1995. He had a very extensive career as a musician, teacher and director prior to joining the US Army in 1942.He began his military career teaching music to American troops in Greenland,Iceland Newfoundland and Labrador . In 1944 he transferred to the Army Air Corps (later the US Air Force) where he was ordered to to “form the best damn band in the  world” by General HH hap Arnold.He held auditions and selected 100 musicians out of 1500 that appeared.In addition  to the comprehensive performance schedule by the band he established the  USAF bandsmen school of music and introduced the commissioned officer status for all Air Force band directors. He retired in 1963 and became the director of the Metropolitan Police band of Washington DC. He received numerous awards for his contribution to both military and civilian band music in America. He wrote some published marches including The Afalfa Club and High Honor.

Howe James H b 1917 Born in Durham England he began playing cornet and piano at age nine and in 1933 he joined the Regimental band of the Royal Scots as a bandboy. He became a prisoner of war in 1940 and organized a prisoner of war dance orchestra. Following the war he attended the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall. In 1949 he was appointed bandmaster of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He was selected to the Highland Brigade Junior Musicians Unit at Aberdeen in 1958. In 1959 he became the Director of Music of the Scots Guards band and Senior Director of Music of the Household Division from 1970 to 1974. He was made a member of the order  British Empire and also received the Award for Service to Military Music.Most of his works are for brass band but his march Pentland Hills is also for military band and is one of the finest in the concert band repertoire.

 HuntClifford (Onufry). Administrator, trumpeter, band conductor, b Hamilton, Ont, 20 Jul 1917, d Burlington, Ont, 13 Jan 2003. He began trumpet lessons at seven when he joined his father’s Salvation Army band, and studied piano with Graham Godfrey. He toured North America, Great Britain, and continental Europe as a solo trumpeter and was a soloist 1940-2 with the RCAF Band. He was music director 1942-3 for the Camp Borden Band and was sent overseas in 1944 when that organization became the Canadian Bomber Group Band, travelling from quarters at Harrogate to give concerts and assist at ceremonies in England. He was music director of the regular Air Force Band 1946-60 and supervisor of music for all Canadian air force bands 1960-4. From 1964, when the headquarters and commands of the Canadian armed forces were integrated, until 1968, when the unification of the three services was completed, Hunt supervised 220 bands, comprising 1000 full-time musicians and some 5000 reserve-force volunteers. He was made a lieutenant-colonel in 1966. Hunt directed the RCAF Concert Band on the recording Top Brass (Radio-Canada International 256).

Hunt conducted the Ottawa Civic Symphony Orchestra in 1965. On his retirement from the armed forces in 1968 he became manager of the music department of the CNE and music director of the senior program (adult recreation) for the city of Burlington. In 1969 he became director of grandstand shows at the CNE, continuing on a part-time basis after his retirement in 1982. Also in 1969 he became managing director of the Canadian Bureau for the Advancement of Music. In 1974 he was an adjudicator for the International Music Festival in Vienna. He was executive director 1973-8 of the Kiwanis Music Festival. Hunt served 1954-5 and 1959-61 as president of the CBA, 1971-2 as president of the American Bandmasters Association, and in 1973 as vice-president and 1977-8 as president of the FCMF. Between 1980 and 1988 he conducted a band composed of Canadian and US high-school students on six tours of Europe and the USA, and in 1990 he received the Sudler Medal of the Order of Merit from the Sousa Foundation of Chicago in recognition of his outstanding contribution to bands and band music. Hunt conducted the Burlington Concert Band until 1998. He held the CBA’s National Band Award (1994), and was an honorary life member of that organization. He was also a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.

 

Husadel Hans Felix b 1897 d 1964 He was involved in military music and bands during both wars. He studied French horn and piano and attended the Berlin Academy of Music. He graduated asa bandmaster and bacme leader of the Fourteenth Regimental band in 1928. in 1935 he was given the responsibilty of organizing bands for the newly formed Air Force. as well asa newly formed branch of the Wehrmacht. From 1935 to 1945 he also taught at the Berlin Music Academy. He was part of the group of band leaders who provided music for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He introduced several innovation to the performance of both civilian and military bands by adding alto,bass and contrabass clarinets, ,and baritone saxophones as well asa whole range of brass instruments. He remained in charge of Air Force bands during the World War 2 and later became the director of the famous Berlin Philharmonic band. He wrote a number of highly regarded compositions for band including the march Berlin Post and his march named for the  memory of the Red Baron Richthofen Fighter Wing-Favoriten.

 

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Influential Musicians. JKLM

 

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J Jaeger Cecil Harry (Jiggs) b 1913 d 1970. He began life in an orphanage and learned cornet in the institution. He enlisted as a band boy in 1927 in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He attended Kneller Hall as a pupil in 1931 and returned in 1936 as a student bandmaster. In 1937 he appeared as part of the Trumpet fanfare team for the Coronation of George VI. He graduated from Kneller hall and was awarded several honors for composition and arranging. Because of the war he was unable to have an appointment as a bandmaster and as a result returned to his old regiment where he was given the honorary title of BUGLE MAJOR. He began further study and in 1949 he was awarded a Bachelor of Music at Durham University. . He finally did get an appointment of bandmaster of the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars in 1942 and remained with them until 1944. In 1949 after receiving his BA degree he was appointed as Director of Music of the Irish Guards band and he was promoted to Captain. He toured the world with the band and also become a household name with numerous recordings of the band. He appeared in a movie the ‘Ipcress File’ . He had an enormous following among British military musicians because of his colorful style. In 1963 he became the Senior Director of Music of the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for several state ceremonial titles including the music for the funeral of Winston Churchill. He retired from the Irish Guards band  in 1968 after a month long tour of Canada. While in Canada he performed a concert in London Ontario for which over 10,000 persons attended. He was the conductor and organizer for several massive military band displays in both England and the continent. Two of his most well compositions include the march Canada on the March and the Commonwealth on the March.

Johnson Albin I b 1915. Born in Michigan he studied at the Ernest Williams Conservatory and later at the US Army bandleaders school. He became the solo cornetist of the US Army band in Washington from 1936 to 1939. He left the Army from 1939 but in 1941 but returned at the advent of war. He was appointed a US army band leader and in 1949 became the director of training at the Army European band training school where he also led the faculty in radio broadcasts and in concerts. In 1949 he joined the faculty of the Special Services School in Fort Monmouth NJ and later when the school moved at Fort Lee Virginia in 1950. He wrote several unpublished works for band including It’s The Army  march and Pride of The Lakers March.

 

Jonusas Bronius b 1899 d 1978 . He was born in Lithuania. He studied at the conservatory in Riga and the state conservatory at Kaunas from 1938 to  1942 performing  on trumpet. After completing his initial musical training in 1921 he was the director of the Regimental band of the Eighth Infantry and held this position until 1937, while also continuing his studies. In 1937 he was appointed the conductor of the Kaunas Police banda quasi military organization. He became very well know because of his association with both the military and Police bands. His transcriptions of several works by Russian and Lithuanian composers are still being performed in those countries. He wrote several dazzling marches for military and concert band particularly his series of Lithuanian Freedom marches which were recorded in 1963. He emigrated to the USA in 1959 and is his work is still immensely popular in a now free Lithuania. His march Trumpets are Sounding remains as one of the world’s greatest marches.

Jucci, Carmine b 1892 d 1974. He was an Italian born military musician who studied with Magnani and at the St Celia Conservatory in Rome.. He was very active as a clarinetist with numerous orchestras and eventually became director of the band of the 8th Italian Regiment from 1939 to 1945. In 1945 he was appointed the director of the band of the Armed Forces of  San Marino. He composed a march for this band called the March of the Armed Forces of Marinio.

Judd John L (Sammy) b 1903 d 1980. He enlisted as a band boy in the Royal Inniskillin Fusiliers in 1917. He was trained on clarinet and oboe and eventually specialized in oboe.. He served with the band in various postings following World War I in India, Iraq and Northern Ireland. He was selected for bandmaster training in 1927 at Kneller Hall. In 1930 he was appointed bandmaster of the 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry. In 1942 he transferred to Royal Signals Corps band and was commissioned in 1947 and appointed the Director of Music in 1947. He retired from the army in 1962 having served over 44 years.

K Kappey Jacob A (Will) b? He graduated from Kneller hall and was appointed bandmaster of the 48th Regiment band in 1848. From 1857 to 1892 he was the director of the Royal marines band at Plymouth. He was the editor of the Boosey band Journals for several years. He wrote and arranged well over 50 numbers for band and the most enduring march is The Old Guard Quick march

Katayama Masami b 1928 He became a navy bandsman before W.W.II and in 1951 was appointed as assistant bandmaster of the Self Defense navy band. He was later Commander of the band and retired in 1971. He was the professor of music at the Aikoku Junior College before his retirement in 1980. His march Wakaaudo was commissioned by the All Japan band Association in 1962.

Kawasaki Masami b 1924. He enlisted in the Japanese navy in 1932 studying clarinet and saxophone. He soon advanced through the ranks and was stationed with the Imperial Navy band in in Tokyo. He was selected to attend an advanced course at the Tokyo academy of Music and on graduation was promoted to bandmaster. He served with the  Navy band through the war years and when the Japanese forces were disbanded from 1945 to 1951 he performed with the Tokyo Philharmonic orchestra. When the new Navy band was organized in 1951 he was appointed assistant leader, and later succeed the eminent Minoru Takayama as conductor of the renown Maritime Self Defense Force  band in 1962. He retired from that post in 1967 and also served as a regional district bands supervisor. He composed several marches including the Maritime Self Defense Force March and the Festival of the Century.

Kelly Albert Edward b 1914 . Born in London, where his father was a member of the Grenadier Guards band he received his first  lessons from his father and enlisted in the Dragoon Guards as a Junior Bandsman at the age of fourteen in 1928. His ambition to be selected for the Royal Military School of Music was sidetracked by the outbreak of World War II and he served as a soldier in the Dragoon Guards and was wounded  in the Normandy invasion in 1944. He was invalided back to England and after the war he completed the requirements at the Royal Military School of Music and served as bandmaster of the Royal Sussex Regiment and in 1958 he was commissioned as a Director of Music with the Royal Sussex Regiment. He left the army in 1961 and served in the British Civil service until 1979. His most well known and popular march was Arromanches and he also wrote the march Arnhem a march he wrote while serving in 1956 in Korea.

Keler-Bela Adabert b 1820 d 1882. He born in Hungary and after several tries in different vocations began the study of music at age 25. He studied in Vienna and eventually became the leader of Gung’l's band and the arranger and composer.. In 1855 he went to Vienna in 1855 and became a bandmaster. In 1856 he was named bandmaster of the 10th Infantry regiment band in Vienna. In 1860 he left the military to form his own orchestra  but when that venture proved unsuccessful he returned to the   military being appointed 2nd Nassau Infantry band in Wiesbaden from 1863 to 1866. He later led the Wiesbaden Spa orchestra. He wrote several light and easy numbers for both the band and orchestra repertoire. He is mostly remembered for his overtures and   wrote Lustspiell Overture for band (originally) and transcribed the French Comedy   Overture for band as well as several other well known overtures, waltzes and marches..

Kenney Horatio Arthur b 1919 d 1969 He enlisted as a band boy in the Somerset Light Infantry band in 1934 and specialized on the Trombone. He was selected for studies at Kneller hall in 1945 and on graduation was appointed to the 1st Battalion Oxfordshire and Buffs Infantry as bandmaster in 1949.He received many awards while attending Kneller Hall including the gold medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. In 1960 he was named director of Music of the Royal Artillery Plymouth band. A year later he became the director of the Alamein Royal Tank band and in 1962 he was elevated to the Brigade of Guards and named director of the Welsh Guards band. he was promoted in 1968 to the rank of major he retired from the army in 1969. His wrote at least 9 numbers for military band including the march Cardiff Castle a slow march and the arrangement of the God Bless the Prince of Wales slow march.

Komzak Karel b1850 d 1905.He was a member of a well known and musicians. Karel (also known as Karl or Carl) began studies with his father and later studied violin with a succession of teachers. In 1867 he joined the Austrian 11th Infantry band. Two years later he became the bandmaster of the Seventh Infantry band in Innsbruck. In 1884 he was appointed bandmaster of the 84th Regiment band in Vienna.. He later became well known in North America conducting his famous Vienna Farben orchestra. He spent the last few years of his life in Baden . He was a prolific composer of military marches four of which remain popular even to this day. Archduke Albert, Kaiser Joseph, Vienna (Vinsobona) an the 84th Regiment March .

Kopstein Jack b 1934  He began clarinet studies at age 8 and later   studied clarinet  and saxophone at the Teal studios and Wayne University   in Detroit. He was selected for the Ford Motor company band in Windsor and in 1953 he joined the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve. He attended summer camps and in 1958 was selected in audition for the Royal Canadian Regiment band. He played clarinet with the London (Ontario) Symphony and the London Chamber Orchestra. In 1970 he was selected for bandmaster training at the Canadian Forces School of Music and graduated in 1971.. In 1974 he was posted to the Canadian Forces Central band in Ottawa and in 1979 became the assistant director of music. In 1981 he was the leader for the arrival of several heads of state. he held similar  posts with the  PPCLI band in Calgary and the Vimy band in Kingston. He retired from the military in 1988. His march With Equal Pace is the special services march for Base Gagetown NB. He is the site partner for the Heritage of Military bands of the World and the editor of the Millennium Project(300 years of Military music1700-2000).He has written numerous articles on military bands in Canada.

Kral Johann Nepomuck b 1839 d 1896His father was a bandmaster and he followed in his footsteps. He became a military bandmaster in Amsterdam at the age of 20. In 1862 he became the director of the 13th Regiment band in Budapest. A few years later he was transferred with the band to Vienna and the band became very popular in that city. During his remaining military career he was given the job of improving other military bands in the district. From 1874 to 1878 he was conductor of the 20th Infantry Regiment band. He also was director of the 36th until 1872 and the 17th Infantry band. His final military assignment was with the 23rd Regiment band in Budapest. He wrote several marches including the Austrian Defile march  and Danube Greetings a march better known and more popular in North America.

Küffner Joseph b1776 d 1856 He was a German bandmaster and composer who began the study of violin and became a member of the Wurzburg Chapel from 1797. When the town fell in 1802 he became the military bandmaster of the Bavarian Regiment band where he reorganized the band and modernized the music and instrumentation. He wrote several pieces for military band including an overture to his own opera Spurn und Sharp.

L. Laro Johannus(Joop) b 1927 d 1992He inherited his interest and ability from his father and grandfather who were both bandmasters. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of music at the Hague receiving diplomas on clarinet, piano and conducting in 1952. From 1945 to 1953 he was a member of the Marine band of the Royal Netherlands navy. He  was a very versatile musician playing both clarinet and violin and piano for concert, string and dance bands. In 1953 he became the conductor of the Johan Willem Friso band of the Netherlands Army Corps. In 1964 he returned as the director the marine band with the rank of Major. In 1973 he was appointed the Command Inspector of military bands. He was eventually promoted to the rank of Colonel. He was well known as he toured with the Marines throughout Europe, Scandinavia, and North America . He retired in 1986. He established a International reputation for his the number and quality of recordings in which he conducted his own works and those of other composers. The marine ban recordings have reached several million and mostly due to the extensive repertoire on the recordings. He has written numerous works for band and his most well known marches are Nulli Cedo Never Yield, his Intrada Festivo is a superb example of his enormous composition skills.

Latann Carl b 1840 d 1888. He joined the military service of the German Confederation as a musician and eventually advanced to the position of bandmaster of the Prussian Navy band in 1872.He remained in this  position as leader until his discharge in 1884. At that time he became the director of a military band in Nijmegan Netherlands. The band he led in the Prussian Navy eventually became the German Navy band and is the forerunner of the present day Navy band at Willelmshaven which was formed in 1952.Much of Latann’s work reveals his concert band experience. many of his compositions are still available and in particular his Fest Overture, march Frei Weg (All Clear) which is number 137 in the German Armies Second March book and the British military favorite Light of Foot.

Latey Keith P b1896 d 1987 he began his musical studies with his father and learned the French Horn and cornet very early. At age 15 he joined the US Army and furthered his studies in several different post bands. He learned all of the various instruments of the military band .He was stationed at several military establishments in WW1 and following the war in 1933 he qualified as a bandmaster with the 168th Infantry until 1942. He served with the 744th Air Force in 1944- 45 as bandmaster and the 13th Army National Guard from 1945 to 1955. He participated in the Allied invasion of North Africa  and his band were involved in the Kasserine Pass battle and three of his bandsman were killed. He was In a British hospital at the time. He spent most of his life in the military bands of the United States and wrote over 50 works including several military marches for US Forces the most well known being the 34th Division march and Trombone Treat.

Laty Claude b 1887 d 1970 He studied at the local conservatory in his home town of Marseille winning numerous awards. In 1907 he enlisted in the French Army as and passed the sous-chef de musique examination in 1910. He was assigned to the 46th Infantry in Paris in August of 1914. He was awarded a medal for wounds received while gallantly playing La Marsellaise at Vauqois. He was promoted to the rank of chef de musique and directed several bands in France. In 1932 he was the director of the 46th Regiment band. In 1935 he was asked to organize the French Air Force band. He auditioned and selected the musicians and completed the project in 1936. He was promoted to the rank of major in 1939 and retired from the Air Force after the 1940 Armistice. His know works include Impressions de Provence and Marche pour Sainte Cecile.

Lehnhardt Julius b 1837 d 1913. He was the son of a well known German bandmaster and he and his bothers Gustav, Franz all became professional musicians. Julius followed his father’s example and joined the military in the 2nd Guard Regiment band. He became well known for his compositions and remained with the band from 1867 till 1899. He was touted as Germany’s greatest march writer and he wrote several commemorative marches including the march Guard of Honor in 1900and the Call of the Flag a stirring march written for they unification of Germany in 1871.

Leinonen Juhani (Jussi). He is a native of Finland and became a military musician after  he studied at the Military School of music and Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He entered military service as  tubist, drum major and conductor. He became the Drum Major of the Finnish Conscripts band. He has composed several numbers for military band including Meripoikkatte mars (Seaman march) and The Hamina March (Ylos Tmpyoista).

Leonhardt Andreas b 1800 d 1866. Born in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) he became one of Austria’s most important bandmasters. He became a musician in the 2nd Regimental band in Vienna at age eighteen and began the formal study of music. After posting to Naples Italy he began study at the Royal Conservatory in that city. In 1822 he was appointed Regimental bandmaster and later went for further study in Prague becoming the bandmaster of the 55th Regiment band. In 1829 he returned to Italy and conducted the 27th band at Pad ova . He conducted the 27th band until 1846 and organized several musical extravaganzas. He was appointed the commander of all Austrian bands in 1851 and held this post until 1853. He was responsible for the standardization of all Austrian military bands and developing regulations for bands. He also modernized the pension system for military bandmasters. Before his passing in 1866 he laid the ground work for the excellence of Austrian band music and benefits for musicians. His march writing was brilliant and he provided numerous regimental marches. The march Alexander is an example of his quality work. The German Army march books still contain the march and it is a quick march at m=114 as opposed to earlier marches known as präsentiermarsche (slow march).

Liesenfield Paul b1908 d 1985. Born in Marseille he studied at the Paris Conservatory and eventually enlisted in the French Army and became the assistant bandmaster of the 26th Regiment. He left the army in 1947 and enlisted in the French Air Force in Algiers. He was promoted to bandmaster 3rd class and was appointed to the Paris Air Force band  in 1955. In 1955 he was selected as director of music of the Air Force band and served in that capacity until 1962. He later was promoted to Command Inspector of Air Force bands . He retired in 1971. He wrote several marches for band including Pavilion Haut (The Air Force march) and the Royal Revue march.

Linden Fred b 1839 d 1891. Born in Holland he emigrated to Canada in 1849 and eventually became a resident of the USA. He became a bandmaster during the US Civil war   He studied saxophone and eventually became a member of  Gilmore’ band. He was selected as leader of the US Army regular forces and took over duties and bandmaster of the David’s Island band. In 1887 he was named leader of the Military Academy band at West Point. He wrote A Salute to West Point and US Regulation Calls quickstep.

Loboda Samuel b 1916 d 1977. Born in Pennsylvania he joined the US army in 1941 as a infantryman and graduated as Warrant Officer from the US Army School of Music in 1943.He began the study of music in school learning the viola, bass and clarinet and saxophone. He graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. degree in 1936. At the end of the war he was appointed the assistant leader of the Army band in Washington DC. During his association with the band he formed the United States Army Chorus. He remained with the band  from 1964 to 1976 as leader and commander. He wrote over 600 musical works and appeared on TV and on the radio. He garnered numerous awards and his best known marches are Screaming Eagles, The 101st Airborne and the Newspaper boys.

Lureman Herman Thomas b 1890 d 1965. He was born in the Netherlands and received early training on piano and trombone. He joined the  local militia band and from1911 to 1923 played trombone in the 11th Dutch Infantry Regiment band in Nijmegan. In 1923 he moved to the 5th Infantry regiment band in Amersfoort as a baritone player and was promoted to bandmaster in 1940. He retired from the military in 1949. He composed band music under the pseudonym Paul Herhorn. His compositions were of the highest quality with the Concordia and Groot Amsterdam being two of his finest marches. He wrote over 75 works for band including16 overtures.

 M.  Mackenzie-Rogan John b 1852 d 1932. He became known as the dean of military music in Britain and began his career as a 15 year old band boy in the 11th Regiment in 1867. In 1880 he was enrolled in the bandmaster course at the Royal Military School of music. In 1882 he was selected as bandmaster of the Royal West Surrey Regiment band. In 1896 he became the director of the world famous Coldstream Guards band During his tenure as the band’s director the establishment more than doubled from thirty-two to sixty-four.. In 1903 the band became the first British band to tour North America and he presented several concerts at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto where more than 70,000 people heard the twice a day concerts. He became the first director from the Brigade of Guards to be commissioned in the British army in 1907. He continued to receive promotions and in 1920 became a Lt. Colonel. He traveled extensively with the band visiting Canada again Africa, Burma and during World war 1 to France,   Belgium and Italy. He retired in 1920 after 43 years military service. In addition to his numerous transcriptions and arrangements for band he composed the highly acclaimed march Bond of Friendship which is unquestionably one of finest lyrical marches ever written.

Maillot Jean b 1911 d 1988 He studied flute at the Paris Conservatory and was awarded several prizes. He joined the French Army in at age 18 and won a competition for bandmasters and was appointed the  leader of the 11th Regiment band in Metz. He served with the Free French in England during the war and in 1945 he joined the French Air Force and became the conductor of bands in Algiers and Dijon. In 1948 he was appointed director of the Musiques des Equipages de la Flotte9The Marine band) at Toulon. He composed two symphonies and several other works for band including the march Fonenay and march Armee-Jeunesse.

Makwarth Ludwig b 1864 d 1943(real name Ludwig Marquard Rasmussen) A Danish military musician who led the 8th Regiment band in Aarhus. He was a very capable conductor and a fine arranger. In 1911 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and transferred to the band of the 7th Regiment in Slagelse. He wrote a number of light compositions as well as opera and operetta. His march Slagelse Tappenstreg, became a very popular march in Europe and was recorded by several military bands in Europe.

Mantia, Simone. b 1873 d ?  Extraordinary Euphonium and Trombone player, he came to America in 1890 at the age of 17.  He played Trombone with the Brooklyn Opera House Orchestra when quite young.  He joined the Sousa band in 1896 and had a solid reputation as the best euphonium player in the world.  When Arthur Pryor left the Sousa band to start his own band, Mantia left with him.  He was Trombonist for the Metropolitan Opera for 37 Years; the last twelve of which he was Orchestra manager.  He played with the “Band of America” from its inception until just before his death

Martin Herbie b 1937 An Irish musician he studied saxophone and trumpet and joined the Royal Air Force Music Services in 1956. He had a long career as a bandsman and arranger and reached the rank of Band Sgt. with the Central Band of the RAF. He retired in 1985. He wrote several band numbers including a Hurling Match which won an award in 1983. His march Butcher Radar is a stirring march written in a modern style.

Martin Jacques b 1898 d 1982. Martin was a prolific composer of band music who joined French military at a young age and was selected for musical training. He passed the bandmasters examinations and was assigned to the band of the 7th Line Regiment. He later became the Inspector of military music for the French Army. His most well known band compositions include The Liberte Overture and the fantasy Fleurs de Nice.

Mas Quiles Juan b 1921 He was born in Liria Spain and began the study of the flute and by age eleven was the first flute in the Banda Primitiva. He continued his studies in Valencia until the Spanish Civil war in 1936. At age 19 he entered Spanish military service as a musician. After study with several eminent military conductors he was made a member of the Military conductors association in 1946He conducted bands at Seville from 1946 to 1956 and the military Divisionary  band of Valencia. He became the director of the Valencia symphony and retired from the army in 1982. Several of his marches have approved by the Spanish Ministry of the Army and he in 1973 he was awarded a prize for his music for military ceremonies. His parade march Sounds of Triumph and paso-doble Vince Gerado are his two most well known works.

Mayan Jean Joseph b 1875 d 1953 One of the premier military musicians of France he was born in Avignon. He graduated with first prizes in violin and harmony from the Marseille Academy of Music. later he studied counter-point and fugue at the Paris Conservatory. In 1911 he was appointed the director of the French Marine band at Toulon and from 1919 to 1924 conducted a Marine band in Toulon. His transcriptions of orchestral works and various show music is found in most of the band music libraries in France. His navy march Marche des Cols Bleus and concert march Solennelle are exquisite examples of his artistry as a composer and arranger.

Mertens Fernand  b 1872 d 1957 Born in Louvain Belgium he joined the Belgian army after graduation from the Royal Conservatory of music in Ghent. He enlisted in the Army as a musician at age 18. In 1897 he moved to Luxembourg and joined the military band of Luxembourg. In 1909  he became the conductor of the band. He retired from active service in 1937. He wrote 19 marches including a march still performed in Luxembourg   entitles Benelux and another which is equally as popular Jeanne D’Arc march.

Miller George John  b 1827 d 1886 He was the son of a British Army soldier and studied music at the Duke of York’s school. He was accepted as a cornetist with the Grenadiers Guards band in 1842 and in 1854 he joined the Royal Bucks Militia. He performed admirably with this outstanding band. In 1858 he left to join the Royal Irish Rifles band as the bandmaster. He started the band from scratch and made great strides in building the reputation of the band. In 1864 he was appointed bandmaster of the 63rd Regiment of the line The band were posted to Canada and were an instant success performing for various dinners dances and concerts. He also developed a subscription concert series in Halifax which became the sensation in a city starved for entertainment. On his return to the United Kingdom his appointment as bandmaster was terminated  because the   British Army had ruled that only graduates of the Royal Military School of Music were permitted the appointment of bandmaster. He refused to undergo studies and as a result he was dismissed. His contribution to military music both in Britain and in Canada cannot be discounted however and his influence on the future of Canadian Bands had a far reaching effect.

Miller, George b 1853-1919 (Son of the preceding).  Born in Pimlico he had a very distinguished career.  Enlisted with the band of the 16th Foot (Bedfordshire Regiment).  Attended The Royal Military School of Music 1873-1875 during which time he served as organist and choirmaster for the Whitton Parish Church.  He served as Bandmaster of the 16th Foot (Bedfordshire Regiment) 1875-1880, Bandmaster, Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1880-1884 and Bandmaster, Royal Marines, Portsmouth 1884-1917. During his 33 years with the Marines his band and orchestra gained world-wide acclaim.  He received his MusBach. in 1892, composed choral, orchestral and band works and was editor for the ‘Novello Band Journal’.  He authored “The Military Band” in 1912 and died in 1919.

Miller  George John b 1877 d 1960 (grandson of the former) Born in India, he began the study of instrumental music under his father’s tutelage and later was a soloist with the Children’s Chapel Royal choir. He studied in Berlin from 1893 to 1896 and then enrolled at Kneller Hall in 1896. On graduation in 1898 he was posted to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry band and served in India, Ceylon and South Africa. He was recalled to England and reorganized the Royal Garrison Artillery band at Plymouth. In 1908 he was transferred to the 1st Life Guards and organized the band into where it could function as either a orchestra or a band. He served a six month period in France during W.W.I. He was named the Director of Music to the coveted Grenadier Guards band and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel in his 22 years service retiring in 1942 after 46 years of military service. He composed the march Galathea published by Boosey and Hawkes©.

Miller William b 1816 d 1901 (No relation to the above) Affectionately known as ‘Billy the Bugler’ he began life In a army environment as his father was a soldier. It was noticed that he had a aptitude for music and at nine years old became a band boy in the 84th Regiment. He later transferred to the Rifle Brigade. He developed an ability to play and perform on every instrument in the band and in 1842 he was appointed the band-Sergeant of the 1st Battalion in Malta. He was one of the first proponents of the post horn gallop a fiery number played on the keyless post horn. He became a prominent name and character in the British Army circles and later served in Canada and Ireland. He wrote several arrangements of marches for the British army not the least of which was the venerable favorite I’m Ninety-Five and another favorite the Huntsmen Chorus from Der Freischutz.

Mitchell Anthony A b 1917. He spent 32 years in the US navy bands and the last six as conductor of the United States navy band. He was a native of Clearfield Pennsylvania. He began early studies of the saxophone and later added the clarinet/ In 1936 he joined the navy, graduating from the Navy School of music. He was accepted in audition for the Naval series top band in 1938. He was very versatile and played both traditional and jazz forms eventually becoming leader of the dance band and as solo clarinet in the concert band. He was named 3rd leader of the US Navy band in 1956,assistant leader in 1960 and with the retirement of Commander Charles Brendler in 1962 he became the Commander and leader of the band. He developed several different concert series for the band including the “lollipop” and “outreach” series in Washington. He retired from the navy in 1968. His march the John F Kennedy Center was premiered in 1964 to commemorate the opening of the center in Washington.

Moerenhout Jos b 1909 d 1985. One of Belgium’s most important military composers and conductors he was born in a Brussels superb and became interested in music at a n early age. He wrote his first composition at age nine and played clarinet in a band at Laken. At age eighteen he entered the Royal Conservatory of Brussels for the study of clarinet and composition. In 1929 he joined the band of the 8th Regiment of the Line as a clarinetist. In 1939 he qualified as a military  bandmaster and was appointed the assistant conductor of the 1st Infantry brigade stationed in Norway. During World War II he was interned a prisoner of war camp in Germany. After the war he was the bandmaster of the 65th Infantry Brigade band at Cologne and later the 7th Infantry Brigade band at Aachen. In 1951 he was promoted Captain and transferred to Antwerp to conduct the 11th Brigade band. He served as commander of all bandmasters for several months beginning in 1954. In 1955 he returned to bandmaster status with the 2nd Division band in Antwerp. He retired from military service in 1960. He composed several marches for military band including the march Mercator as well as several concert band pieces.

Moreau Constant b 1891 d 1975. He was born in Mons and studied at the Mons conservatory of Music. In 1914 he joined the army as a military musician and went into battle with the 2nd Rifles. In 1917 he was appointed as bandmaster of the 23rd Regiment of the line. He continued his studies after the was and in 1923 he became the conductor of the band of the 3rd Regiment in Ostend. He wrote 26 marches including a march which made its way into the Canadian band repertoire March pour un Centenaire.

Mostad Erling b 1913 d 1966. He was born into a family of musicians in Trondhiem Norway. He joined the Norwegian military in 1934 as a musician and remained in the Throndelag Region band until the band was disbanded by the Germans in 1940. After the war he returned to the band as a clarinetist and remained in the band until the time of his death. His DR3′s Honnormarj is one of Norway’s most well know and performed military marches.

Muhlberger Karl b 1857 d 1944.Born in Austria he studied at the Vienna Conservatory and in 1882 joined the band of Infantry Regiment 28 which was led by Karl Komzak jr. In 1885 he moved to the band of Infantry nr 4 the Hoch und Deutchmeister band. He qualified for bandmaster and from 1898 to 1918 he led the band of the Tiroler Kaiser-Jager-Regiment Nr1 in Innusbruck, He was considered one of the leading Austro-Hungarian bandmasters. His band’s were selected to perform for the Emperor. After World WAR I he retired and led a civilian band made up of retired military musicians. He wrote several marches including the well known Regiment der Tiroler Kaiserjager march and the Kriegslieder marsch.

 

Influential Musicians NOPRST

 

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N. Novacek Rudolph b 1860 d 1929 He was born in Yugoslavia and joined the 11th Infantry regiment in 1879 playing in the military string orchestra under the baton of Karel Komzack. He joined the Infantry band number 74 in Pilsen in 1880. He succeeded Komzack as leader of the 74th Regiment band in 1885. During his tenure as bandmaster he wrote numerous compositions including the Castaldo March which became the regiments official march. His military career ended in 1890 and continued to write music for military band throughout his life.

Olsen Ole b 1850 d 1927. He attended the Leipzig Academy Music in Germany and on his return to his native Norway he became the conductor of a local community band in Oslo. In 1884 he was appointed the director of the 2nd Brigade band. In 1899 he became the superintendent of all Army bands in Norway. He traveled extensively around Norway researching folk music and interviewing army buglers . He then developed several marches and calls from his resources. He retired from the Norwegian army in 1919. His works are rarely played today but he did provide some great material for Norwegian heritage including the Honor March and Fanfare. he also composed three operas and music for orchestra and male choir

O’Neill Charles b1882 d1964. He was born in Scotland and studied organ and cornet in England emigrating to Boston in 1901. In 1903 he joined the newly formed Royal Canadian Horse Artillery band in Kingston Ont. In 1907 he was selected to attend Kneller Hall and on his graduation he replaced George Vezina as director of the Royal Canadian garrison Artillery band in Quebec City. He added to his laurels by graduating from McGill University in 1914 with a Doctor of Music in 1924. He was promoted to Captain in 1919 and in 1924 was appointed as Director of Music of the newly formed Royal 22nd Regiment band. Under his leadership the band became a world class organization performing throughout Canada and the USA. The band appeared on numerous occasions on the cross Canada network of the Canadian Broadcasting system. He was guest conductor for several band and orchestra concerts in the USA and in Canada. He retired from the Army in 1937 and he taught at the University of Wisconsin and at the State Teachers College in Potsdam New York. He wrote several compositions for band including the Souvenir de Québec. He wrote several marches for band including the RCMP march past and the march the Emblem. His march Mon Ami remains one of the most popular marches ever written in Canada.

Ord-Hume, James b 1864 d 1932. He was the second son of a British Army bandmaster He and his brothers all became military musicians. He joined the North Staffordshire Regiment in 1875 at age 12 and his first task was to guard the band room., He began to hone his composing skills while occupied in this job. He soon developed into a first class cornet player and eventually received an invitation to join the Royal Scots Grays  Regiment band when he was sixteen. In 1889 he left the army to pursue a career in composition and also became the military band editor of the Boosey and Hawkes journals in 1913. He was the co-author with Alfred Zeally of the book Famous Bands of the British Empire. He wrote over 200 marches for military band including The BB and CF (British bandsman and Contest Field) the march Brilliant is a excellent example of good march writing. He arranged a dazzling array of regimental marches some of which are still in use today including the march Soldiers of the Queen.

Østby Klaus b 1865 d 1945 born in Norway he joined a military band at an early age. He studied clarinet but as was the custom in European bands he also had to master the bugle to play military calls and the parade drum.  He spent a great deal of time studying several band instruments and also became a piano student. He was transferred to the military band in Oslo in about 1890 and not long afterward became interested in the work of Salvation army bands eventually becoming a leader. In 1904 he was selected to help organize Salvation army bands in Scandinavia. During the war he continued his work in Sweden. He wrote several military marches as well as marches for the Salvation army his best known work is the Kabelvåg March a march commemorating rough seas.

Pando Giuseppe(Joe) b 1931 He born in Italy and studied both accordion and clarinet. He came to Canada in 1952 and enlisted in the Canadian Army and was posted to the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps band in Montreal. later he transferred to the Royal Canadian Artillery band also in Montreal. He was selected for bandmaster training at the Canadian Forces School of Music in 1974 and on graduation was promoted to the rank of Master warrant Officer and posted to the Stadacona band in Halifax. He wrote several marches for the Canadian Forces and several arrangements for military band including music from the movie the God Father. His most well known marches include the Confederation march and the Quebec march

Parès Gabriel b 1860 d 1934. His father was the solo clarinet of the Garde-Républicaine band in Paris. It was under his influence that the younger Pares   began the study of cornet at age 7. He was a an outstanding student and gained first prize in both cornet and harmony at the Paris Conservatory.  He enlisted in the Artillery Regiment band at Vincenses in 1880. He later won a competition for an assistant bandmaster position in the Army, serving in that capacity with the 74th Regiment band in Rouen for two years.  In 1882 he became the bandmaster of the 69th Regiment band in Toulon.  In 1883 he became the director of the Navy band in Toulon . Within  ten years he had assumed the leadership of the world famous Garde-Républican band  in Paris. Under his direction the band toured both Europe and North America appearing at the St Louis World’s Fair in 1904. Perès retired from the band in 1911 but later in 1917 was asked to return and conducted the band in a tour of 100 American cities.  He composed and arranged over 150 numbers for military band and received an enormous number of honors and citations. His most well known march Le Grognard-The Veteran is a turn of the century march which salutes the French Armed Forces.  Pares was a personal friend of John Philip Sousa and met with him on several occasions.

Parlow Albert b 1824 d 1888 A German composer and bandmaster he became director of the first German marine band in 1852. He traveled extensively with this band . For many years he played at the Baden-Baden health resort . He traveled with the marine band on several occasions  to Paris and at a band tournament in Lyons he won first prize. When playing Paris he is said to have serenaded Napoleon. He was awarded an Iron Cross in 1872. Many of his compositions  become very popular including the well known Anvil Polka. He was bandmaster of the 34th regiment band for over 35 years. He wrote numerous polkas and gallops and the most well known of his marches was the Napoleon march.

Pauspertl  Karl b 1897 d 1963 Born in Serbia he studied music in Vienna. From 1916 to 1918 he led the band of the Austrian Infantry number 57 and eventually became the director of the world renown Vienna Hoch and Deutschmeister Regiment band. In addition to several original compositions he arranged numerous works of Austrian masters for band. Some of his works include the Hella  overture and the Jubilamus overture.

Pecsi (Prichystal) Joseph b 1874 d 1958 He began music studies as a youth on organ and trombone. He became fascinated with band music and joined the 2nd Regiment band in Vienna in 1892. He then   joined the  Hungarian 61st Regiment band in 1895 which was stationed in Vienna When this regiment moved in   order to remain in Vienna he joined the 3rd Tyrolean Imperial Rifles in 1899.In 1901 he joined the Infantry Regiment Carl I, King of Rumania until to collapse of the empire. In 1905 he moved to Hungary with the Regiment and in the same year was promoted to regimental drum major. This was a position of  considerable responsibility and he was also appointed as assistant bandmaster. In 1907 he was selected by the officers of the regiment as bandmaster. At this time Budapest was the home garrison for seven regimental bands and the competition demanded that the bands perform at a very high standard. He also became a adjudicator on a board which selected marches for the German Militia. He served throughout World war I and eventually became a Hungarian citizen taking the name Pecsi. He led his band in numerous concerts and following the war he formed a cavalry band in the communist regime of Hungary of 1919. His other post war duties included a stint as bandmaster of the 5th Regiment at Sopron and he retained this position until 1928 retiring as a major from the military. He wrote and arranged an enormous amount of music for military band including a symphonic poem The Danube Legend and numerous marches with Pro Patria being the most well known.

Pennacchio Giovanni b 1878 d 1979 He was born in Naples and began a very early musical career. By 19 he became the director of the 77th Infantry Regiment as a second Lieutenant. In 1908 he helped to compile new regulations for military bands in Italy. He transcribed a great number of works for military band. He also wrote several orchestral compositions. Much of his music has disappeared his March Militaiire – Marte marcia militaire is only known work still available from a publisher.

Piefke Gottfreid b 1815 d 1884 He was considered one of the most outstanding figures in the world of military music. He was born in Poland and began his career in the8th Life Grenadiers Regiment band at Frankfort  at age 20 in 1835 and made excellent progress. In 1838 he was sent to Berlin to study at the Royal Academy of Music where he remained until 1843. After returning to his regiment he continued his studies and became very proficient on all the instruments of the military band. In 1844 he was awarded the Royal Director of Music Degree and named bandmaster of the 8th Life Grenadiers a position he held until 1884. In 1852 his band was moved to Berlin joining six other military bands and four trumpet corps. Piefke’s record of achievement with his forty-piece band was well known in Berlin during this period. He undertook several reforms which had been introduced by Wilhelm Wieprecht. He was considered the perfect bandmaster   and he composed numerous works for military band In 1865 he was appointed the Supervisor of Music for all bands of the 3rd Army Corps. He received numerous commendations including one from Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck in 1869.He never retired from the service and died while a member of the army in 1884.His energetic marches were part of his enormous contribution to military music and the most well know and revered were Der Königrätzer and Preussens Gloria (The Glory of Prussia) with the latter being  one of the finest dramatic marches ever written for band.

Pope Douglas Alexander b 1904. He was born on the Isle of Wight and attended St Alban’s School and Kneller hall as a pupil. From 1928 to 1930 he was a member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment and following his graduation from the bandmasters course at Kneller Hall he was the leader of the 1st battalion the Black Watch Regiment band. He was the Director of Music of the Royal Military Academy band at Sand Hurst from 1939 to 1943and the Royal Army Service Corps band from 1943 to 1944.. In 1944 he became the leader of the world renown Cold stream Guards band. The band toured America in 1960 and played to capacity audiences. He retired from the Army in 1963 with the rank of Colonel. Following his retirement he was the retired officer musical   director of the Junior Musicians wing at the Guards depot and the Professor of Instrumentation at Kneller hall.  His work in the field of recordings of the Coldstream Guards was extensive. The recording titled Overtures On Parade was his crowning achievement and it is still one of the finest recordings ever made of a military band playing great overtures. In addition he was a excellent arranger and transcribed several overtures for band. His most well known composition is the   fantasy Nightfall in Camp which is performed for tattoos, searchlight festivals and music festivals around the world.

Prévost Arthur b 1888 d 1967. Considered to be one of the finest band arrangers of this century. He was born in Tournai and began studies on clarinet entering the service  of the 1st  Regiment of Grenadiers in 1906. He also played with the Mint Theatre orchestra. In 1910 he was appointed bandmaster of the 11th Infantry Brigade band and artistic director of the Royal band at Patâturges. In 1913 he directed the band of the 2nd Carabiniers, and during the world war he played bass clarinet in an orchestra formed behind the Belgium front lines. In 1918 he assumed leadership of the well respected and world renown Band of the Belgian Guides. Following the war the band took several triumphal tours including  a trip to North America where the band played in twenty cities and was feted by the President of the United States Herbert Hoover in 1929. In 1932 he became the artistic director of the Belgian Sound Studio. During the war the band remained together although they were a civilian group for the duration. He retired from military service in 1945. His transcriptions remain the bulwark of European libraries. He was asked by several composers to arrange their works for band. He also wrote several original works for band His 6/87 march Marche de la Gendarmeries Nationale Belge remains his most enduring and dazzling marches.

Pryor, Arthur. b 1870 d 1942.  He was once one of America’s most important musical figures.  He was renowned as the world’s greatest Trombonist, a celebrated conductor and the composer of some of the most popular tunes of the early 1900′s.  Pryor was a pioneering phonograph recording artist, an educator and a founding father of several major musical organizations.  Indeed, during the height of his career (and many years after), Arthur Pryor’s reputation and influence in the music business rivaled that of John Philip Sousa.  Learn more at Paragon’s website.

Radeck Ferdinand b 1828 d 1903. He was born in Spandau and very early in life sought a position in Prussian army bands. He was extremely diligent in both the musical applications and in administration and in 1854 was appointed bandmaster of the 6th Grenadier Regiment band in Posen (now Poland) For much of his military career he was bandmaster and administrator in the garrison  of Goblets. He wrote several quality marches and his most well known march is Fridericus Rex Grenadiermarsch which is no 136 in book II of German Regimental marches.

Resta Francis Eugene b 1894 d 1968 Born in Italy he proved to be one of Americas finest military musicians. He began his career in Gloria del Colle on clarinet and piano and he made very swift advancement. He came to the US in 1911 and performed  in orchestras, musical halls and in hotels. He entered the military during World War I presenting duo concerts on piano with Percy Grainger.. He remained in the army following the war and attended the bandmasters school at Governor’s Island New York and also studied at the Julliard School of Music. He graduated from both schools  in 1920 and he then began a fourteen year sojourn in various posts of bandmaster in the US, Panama and Hawaii. In 1934 he was chosen from 485 applicants as the Leader of the US Military Academy band at West Point. He led this band in recordings, concerts and the band also appeared in several movies of West Point. He remained with the West Point band as principal director for 24 years and retired with the rank of Colonel. Resta composed several songs and marches and his Graduation March is still used for commencement exercises at West Point

Rhodes Samuel b 1900 d 1977 He completed forty-four years of military service in the British Army. Both feared and respected he was a giant among the cadre of the military musicians in Britain. He was both in Rochdale in 1900 and learned to play cornet in the brass bands of his community. He began his military career by joining the 2nd Seaforth Highlanders as a boy musician at age 15. Following seven years service he was selected for bandmaster training at Kneller Hall in 1923 performing on both cornet and String bass. He graduated in 1926 and was chosen bandmaster of the 1st Royal Scots. In 1935 he was selected to be bandmaster of the Royal Artillery Mounted band at Aldershot and remained in this post until 1938. In 1938 he was promoted to Lieutenant and appointed Director of Music of the Scots Guards band which remains one of the pre-eminent bands in the world today. In 1955 the band under Rhodes made a triumphal tour of the US  and Canada visiting fifty cities in sixty-five days. He retired with the rank of Lt Colonel in 1959. His career spanned five decades. His best known compositions and marches include the slow march Golden Spurs and the march Lothian.

Ridewood Reginal Clifford b 1907 d 1942 A very gifted composer and conductor who no doubt left a lasting legacy on British military music. He was born in York, England and at fourteen enlisted as a band boy in the 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment. He gained entrance as a pupil to Kneller Hall in 1931 and returned to his unit in 1932 in Gibraltar. In1934 he was selected to undergo bandmaster training at the Royal Military School of Music. He undertook three roles when he began his bandmaster studies. He was the school music librarian , student and also played in the student band.,. He traveled to Canada in 1934 and appeared with the Kneller hall  band at the prestigious Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. He graduated in 1936 and was appointed bandmaster of the 4th Own Queen’s Hussars. He was commissioned in 1938 and became director of Music of the Royal Armored Corps. In 1942 he toured extensively both rehearsing, writing and conducting numerous shows for the troops. His schedule was extremely exhausting and because of a series of mishaps including the death of his daughter he was given a medical discharge from the service.  He passed away in July of 1942 . Ridewood was a  very talented musician who failed to profit from his many arrangements and compositions. . He was credited however with at least two great marches  the Queen’s Own and Convoy.

Rosenkranz Anton b 1827 d 1888 One of the most renown Austro-Hungarian bandmasters he received his early training at the Prague Conservatory of music. He began his work as a bandmaster in 1847 with the band of the Prague Citizen’s Corps. In 1848 he was selected as the first bandmaster of the 2nd Styrian Volunteer corps band and remained with band until 1849. In 1850 he assumed command of the 39th Infantry Regiment “Dom Miguel”. He was frequently located in Vienna during his tenure with band and had ample opportunity to participate in the cultural life of that city. He had several highly successful commitments with his band including outstanding performances during the Emperor’s Tour of 1857. In 1859 he transferred to the 80th Regiment band. He remained with his unit until his death in 1888. During his career he wrote several well known military marches and numerous band arrangements. His marches the highly popular 76er Regiment and the 80th Regiment march were stirring examples of his march writing mastery.

Rozo Jose Contreras b 1894 d 1959 He was a Columbian bandmaster and composer. During his military career he learned to play flute, clarinet and saxophone. He taught music for several years and then in 1924 was sent to Rome where he became qualified as a military bandmaster. On his return to Columbia he was appointed bandmaster of his old regiment and eventually became the director of the national band of Bogatá which he helped to reorganize in 1934. He was also the Inspector General of Military bands in Columbia. He undertook several tours through Latin America with his band and he retired in in 1946. One of his orchestral numbers was broadcast by the BBC Orchestra under Adrian Bolt in 1942. He wrote several regimental marches including a well known Infantry march.

Rydberg Sam b 1885 d 1956 He was known as Sweden’s MARCH KING because of his electrifying marches. He enlisted as drummer boy in the army in 1898 in the Royal Södermanland Regiment. He also was trained on trumpet and the cello. In 1906 he was transferred to the band of the Royal Engineers in Stockholm. He began further studies at the Royal College of music and in 1926 after attaining very high marks in bandmaster examinations he became qualified as a military music director. He was appointed the director of the Royal Engineers from 1932 to 1935 after which time he retired from military service. During his career he wrote for the Swedish broadcasting service. He wrote several orchestral numbers and over seventy marches, of which ten have been adopted for regimental use. His best known work for band was the march On Guard composed in 1945.

Safranek Vincent Frank b 1867 d 1955 He was born in Bohemia but came to the US at an early age. He studied at the Conservatory of Music in Prague and on his return after graduation he became interested in military music and he applied for a bandmaster position and was selected for training and then sent to the 25th Infantry band at Ft Missoula, Montana. He developed some advanced ideas in the concept of the military band and added such instruments as alto and bass clarinets, oboes, French horns and flugelhorns to his band. Many of the military band arrangements were designed for brass bands with extra reed parts. As a result of his work in combing and balancing the instrumentation of the military band Safranek became the chief band arranger for the Carl Fischer publishing house. He made an enormous contribution to the band repertoires including marches, overtures and novelty numbers. He composed two very popular suites for band the Atlantis and Don Quixote suites. He served for 30 years as a  US Army bandmaster and retired in 1930 from the army. Although many of his arrangements have disappeared from the band repertoire his International Peace march medley and Master Melodies remain as classic band works.

 

Saitoh Takanobu b 1924. He enrolled in the composition curriculum of the Tokyo National Academy of Music in 1943. In that same year he transferred to the Army band of Toyama school. as a trainee graduating in 1947. He June of that year he joined the Japan Self-Defense Force band and later served as the conductor of the Central Air Force band until his retirement as colonel in 1976He conducted the Metropolitan Police band until march of 1986. His marches mostly have followed the western influence. His titles suggest   amore    exotic flavor but as are influenced by western tonality. His two most well known marches Blue Impulse and Gleaming Crown of Victory are both modern and very listen able.

Santelmann William F (Bill) b 1902 d 1984 He began music studies on the violin at age six. He studied at two major American Universities, and on graduating he was auditioned and selected by the Cleveland Symphony however he found a strong attachment to the US military and was selected in audition by the US Marine band  on euphonium. He spent many years with this band as a member and leader from 1940 to 1955 and his total service with the band when he retired in 72 was 32 years .His best known work was the march From Eagle to Star march written in 1945.

Santelmann William Henry Christian b 1863 d 1932 father of the preceding. He was born in Germany and started on the violin at a very young age. He entered military service at age 18 enlisting as a volunteer in the band of the 134th Regiment in Leipzig. He continued his studies and eventually emigrated to the US and became a violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He then joined the US Marines band as first violinist and baritone player in the Washington based band. He served with the marine band for 8 years before directing his own band  and a the Columbia theatre orchestras. In 1898 he was called back to the US Marines as the conductor and under his direction the band doubled in size to over 60 and as a result he also added an orchestra to the band. During his tenure every applicant for entry in band had to play both on a stringed instrument as well as a military band instrument. This approach gained much favor with both the public and the military.. He was the leader of the Marine band for 29 years and participated in many prominent, national and international events. He retired from his position in 1927. He wrote several marches and Waltzes the most popular of which is the National Capitol Centennial march of 1908 and the Admiral Dewey march.

Saro Heinrich b 1827 d 1891He played trombone in several bands and orchestras before joining the German Army with the band of the 11th Grenadiers in Breslau in 1847. In 1856 he was promoted to the rank of assistant leader. From 1859 to 1887 he led the world renown Kaiser Franz Garde Grenadier Regiment band. He composed and arranged several pieces for band including the Grand Military Tattoo one of the most well known  military fantasies ever written. He toured America in 1892 and appeared in numerous concerts with his band.

Saverino Louis b 1915 He is a veteran of twenty-five years in the United States Marine band. He has numerous accomplishments including restoration and collection of rare string bass instruments and he is a gifted composer. He  has composed several orchestral numbers and at least twenty-six marches. He was born in Windber Pennsylvania and studied with his father a musician and barber. He began to perform on the Sousaphone and completed courses at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and won a scholarship to the prestigious Eastman School of Music at Rochester New York. He graduated as a tuba major in 1938 and enlisted in the United States Marine band in 1939. He became proficient on String bass and the Bass Clarinet. He has been rated during his career as one of the great tubists and string bass players of his time. He developed into a fine jazz musician as well as a classical musician. In 1964 he retired from the Marines and continued performing in Jazz groups in Washington DC. Several of his marches for band  have been published and the most important of his compositions include The Leathernecks, March of the Woman Marines and Pride of the Corps.

Sawerthal Joseph Rudolph b 1819 d 1893 brother of Hugo Zavertal and uncle of Ladislao Zavertal. He was born in Austria and studied at the Prague Conservatory of Music and after graduation was appointed bandmaster of the 6th Cuirassiers. He became very well known for his musical associations and also made a study of Austrian band music. In 1845 he assumed leadership of the Infantry Regiment 53. He reorganized this band into a very fine ensemble and the band was involved in the Italian campaign from 1849-1849. He became the leader of the 60 piece Austrian Navy band at Trieste in 1850 and once again developed this band into a top grade band. In 1868 he was invited to become bandmaster of 4th Kings Own Regiment band. In 1871 he became bandmaster of the Royal Engineers at Chatham. He was very successful as a bandmaster in Britain and was called upon to adjudicate at music festivals. He retired from the British Army in 1890 and returned to his native Austria. During his musical career he wrote several marches including a Funeral march and the Elegy on the Death of the Emperor.

Scala Frances Maria b 1920 d 1903. He began music studies at the Naples Conservatory. In 1841 he enlisted in the US Navy as a third-class musician however left the Navy in 1842. In 1842 he joined the US Marine Corps as a musician and eventually rose to the rank of Pipe-major or leader of the Drum and Fife band. later in 1859 he became the director of the US Marine band in Washington. The position of Leader was created in 1862 and he was the first to hold this position. He retired from the marine band as a Warrant Officer in 1871. He wrote nearly 50 compositions for military band including two of which were quite prominent in American history-President Grant and President Lincoln’s Inauguration marches.

Sebor Karl b 1843 d 1903 He entered the Prague conservatory of Music in in 1844 when only 11 years old . He was considered to be a child prodigy and many of his works were played while he was a student at the Conservatory. He became a substitute conductor for both orchestras and theatre orchestras. He also worked under the auspices of Anton Dvorak at the National Opera. While living in Prague he composed 4 operas. In 1871 he enlisted in the army and was appointed director of the band of the Infantry number 34.The band moved from their normal location in Lemberg to Vienna in 1874 and he his band became noted for their excellent performances. Johann Strauss remarked that he never heard his waltzes played better than by Sebor’s band. He left the 34th band and transferred to the 89th Infantry band from 1885 to 1887. In 1888 he succeeded the illustrious Karel Kozak I as leader of the band of the Regiment 88 in Prague and retired in 1890 remaining in Prague to write and lead the Prague Grenadiers band a group of former military musicians. He wrote several sparkling marches some of which are still performed today and they include Ungarischer march, Plevna march and the Jovanovic march.

Sellenick, Adolphe b 1816 d 1893. He was born in France and studied with his father who was bassoonist in a French Army band. Sellenick began to study violin and later switched to cornet. He performed with the Strasbourg theatre orchestra and directed a National Guard band in Strasbourg. In 1853 he became the leader of the 2nd Regiment Voltigeurs band in Paris and eventually was selected as leader for the 2nd Legion Republicaine band. In 1873 this band under his direction became the world renown Garde Republicaine band. Most of his works have almost disappeared in France but his March Indienne and fantasy Retreat of the Tarters can be found in several band catalogues. His march Le Voltigeur was arranged and renamed for the Les Voltiguers de Quebec by Joseph Vezina.

Setoguchi Tokichi b 1868 d 1941He was one of the most influential bandmasters and military band composers in Japan. He joined the navy band in 1882 and later became the leader and held that position until his retirement in 1917. In 1907 he led the band in a European tour playing in 16 countries and accompanied Prince Yoshito to London in 1910 for the coronation. He was instrumental in developing Japaanese military bands to a very high standard and he was the most honored military musician in Japan prior to World war II. He wrote a number of marches for band but his March Gunkan remains the his most beloved and finest work.

 

Silva Caetano A b 1868 d 1920 He began his musical studies at the convent in San Lorenzo  and played cornet as well as studying composition. He later switched to French horn. He moved to Buenos Aires and became a bandmaster of a series of army bands including the 7th,11th,3rd,9th,6th,and 15th Infantry Regiment band. He moved several times particularly across the Pampa of Argentina He organized several community bands and military bands across Argentina. He help promote military band music in Agentina and his composition the San Lorenzo march remains a favorite in that country. Composed in 1899 it was recorded by the John Philip Sousa band in 1909.

Schneider Georg Abraham b 1770 d 1839 He was one of family of well known and respected German musicians. He became proficient on oboe and horn and performed in a Hessian regiment band. He also played in court orchestras of Darmstadt, Schwerin, Rheinsberg and Berlin. In 1812 he undertook of theatrical conductor and also led several military bands at Reval and Berlin. In 1816 and again 1820 he became the Kapellmeister of the court opera and leader for Army bands of the realm. He had a rare knowledge of musical instruments and wrote a large number of orchestral works as well as for military band. His symphonies and concertos were all transcribed for the wind band. His marches which are now extinct were mostly based on the Harmonie Musique concept.

Sebor Karel b 1843 d 1903 He was a Czech bandmaster. He failed to conclude his musical studies at the Prague Conservatory however he went on to develop a many sided career in music in 1871 he assumed leadership of the Infantry band no.34   bandmaster. In 1885 he became bandmaster of the 89th Regiment band. In 1888 he succeeded Karel Komzak I as leader of the band of Infantry Regiment 88 in Prague He retired in  in Prague in 1894 and became the bandmaster of the Prague Grenadiers as a civilian. During his lifetime he wrote a good deal of music for the Czech opera and as well several military band numbers including four Hungarian marches, the Plevna march and the Jovanovic march.

Shore Mathias b? d 1700 A trumpeter who eventually became a King’s Trumpeter. In 1687 he was appointed to the post of Sergeant-Trumpeter to the Royal Household. He was a performer of Purcell’s day.

Shore William b ?d 1707 Brother of the preceding and also a trumpeter and King’s Trumpeter. He accompanied William III to Holland in the period 1690-91. He served with the Life Guards as Trumpet major. He appeared on numerous occasions with his brother to sound arrivals of plenipotentiaries and eventually succeeded his brother as Sergeant Trumpeter. His most famous work was the March Prince Eugene’s march into Italy.

Shore John b 1662 d 1752 He was the third family member to distinguish himself as a King’s Trumpeter and was a member of the King’s band of music in 1695. In 1699 he was a member of the a band of seven whom played for the arrivals of European Royalty. He replaced his uncle William Shore in 1707 as Sergeant Trumpeter and became the most celebrated trumpeter of his time. Numerous trumpet obbligato were written for him including several by Purcell. Shore’s trumpet tune which was famous in it’s day is attributed to him .

Slatter John b 1864 d 1954 Born in England he played euphonium and trombone and in 1882 he joined the Life Guards band. He emigrated to the US in 1886 and  was hired by the Victor Herbert orchestra. In 1896 he came to Canada and became the leader of the 48th Highlanders band in Toronto a post he held until his retirement in 1946. Slatter became the most well known and respected military band musician in Canada. He was the director of bands, buglers and music for the Canadian army during World War I. He was a charter member of the Canadian and American bandmasters association and led the 48th Highlanders on numerous tours to America and to Europe. He wrote numerous arrangements for military band including a Scottish medley called The Bonnie Brier Bush and a patriotic march Under the British Flag. He organized book Patriotic band book which contains several Canadian Forces marches and anthems is still being marketed.

Snell Joseph Francois b 1793 d 1861He began early musical training on violin and eventually studied at the Paris Conservatory He became a violinist in the Vaudeville theatre. In 1813 he returned to his native Brussels and became the director of the bandmasters school of the Netherlands in 1828 and inspector of Army bands in 1829. In 1831 he was appointed as conductor of the Royal Society Grande harmonie (The Royal band). In 1837 he was made head of the of music of the Civic Guard. He wrote numerous compositions for orchestra and band and the most well known of his military compositions was a concert march Les Barricades.

Sousa John Philip b 1854 d 1932 Much has been written about this American legend but his greatest contribution to the heritage of military bands is that above all of his achievements he was a patriot. He began his musical career in Washington DC with several teachers. He studied violin and was equally at home on the flute, piano, cornet, baritone, trombone and piano. His father was a trombonist in the Marine band and he was permitted to sit in with the band at age of eleven. At age 13 he became a apprentice musician in the Marines . He left to perform in various theatre orchestras but in 1880 he was called upon to become the leader of the US Marines band. He held this position for 12 years and through his marches and compositions as well as arrangements brought the Marines to the highest  standard ever reached by any military band in America. By the time he left to form his own band in 1892 his name had become a household word. Sousa’s career in the military did not end because he returned in 1917 to organize the bands at the Great Lakes Naval Training station, a job he did for one US dollar and for which he was granted the exalted rank of Lieutenant senior grade. Sousa had a outstanding career both as a military and civilian musician and his marches continue to flourish worldwide. The number of recordings of his works exceed well over a thousand units and his entire works are part of the Robert Hoe collection recorded by the US Marine band. Most of his marches have a flag waving quality and military precision is replicated in several of his compositions including The Gallant Seventh, Glory of the Yankee Navy, Sabre and Spurs, Raiders of the Flag, The Us Field Artillery March. The Black Horse Troop.

Derek Stannard b 1929 He began studies on trumpet at an early age with his father Ted Stannard who was a vaudeville musician. At age 17 he was selected for the Hallé orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli. He joined the Irish Guards band in 1949 as part of his National Service. He emigrated to Canada in 1952 joining the RCAF Tactical Air Command band in Edmonton. In 1958 he transferred to the Lord Strathcona Horse band. In 1960 he was selected for bandmaster training at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller hall graduating with honors in 1963. He was commissioned as Lieutenant and posted to the Royal Canadian Regiment band in London Ontario. a post he held with distinction. In 1969 he was appointed associate director of the Norad band in Colorado Springs Colorado. In 1972 he became the Director of Music of the Central band of the Canadian Forces in Ottawa. His works for band include a composition for Concert band called Suite For Band written in 1961.He is presently (1999)the director of the Boca Raton Concert Orchestra.

Stanley Leo b 1885 d 1966 This was the psudonym of Randolph Robjent Ricketts and he was the brother of eminent British march composer Kenneth J Alford(FJ Ricketts). Stanley however developed into one of the world’s most prolific march writers. He was born in east London and began the study of French horn at an  early age. He was attracted to military life and at age 15, enlisting in the 2nd 28th Royal Irish Regiment and was accepted at Kneller hall as a pupil in 1901. In 1910 he was selected for bandmaster training and graduated with several prizes including the Memorial medal from the Company of Worshipful Musicians. He was selected as bandmaster of the 2nd Essex Regiment in 1913 and saw service in Malta, Turkey, India and during World war 1 in France. He remained in various posts until his retirement in 1925. He became the civilian conductor of the Band of the Royal Signals an unofficial band withal professional director. He retired from this position in 1938. He wrote several sterling marches and several other works for band under his pen name of Leo Stanley. His most popular marches are Alamein, The Contemptibles, slow marches  Pageantry and Colours.

Starke Hermann b 1870 d ca.1920 He wrote nearly 800 works for band most of which has disappeared from the scene. He was reportedly an non commissioned officer in the German Army with Infantry regiment band no. 168 in 1900. Most of his work was published just prior and during the First World war. Three of his works including the marches Bavarda, Light Cavalry and With Sword and Lance are still under copyright by Boosey-Hawkes of London with the latter being the most successful of his works.

Stauffer Donald W b 1919 He studied music at an early age and gained his Masters degree from the Eastman School of Music on Tuba and String Bass in 1942. He performed with the Rochester Philharmonic and Civic orchestras. In 1942 he joined the US Navy band in Washington DC. In 1956 he became Leader of the New York Naval base Band and in 1958 became the Head of Academic training at the Naval School of  Music. In 1960 he was posted to the US Navy band as the third Leader and he was promoted to Lieutenant Junior grade in 1963. He held various other postings in the mid 1960′s including    leader of the Atlantic Fleet band at Norfolk Virginia. In 1968 he reached the pinnacle of his career by being appointed leader of the US navy band. In 1970 he was promoted to the rank of Commander. He received several honors during during his sterling career including the Service Commendation medal. His crowning achievement with the band was the completion of the 15 albums of march music for the Heritage of the March series sponsored by Robert Hoe. He composed several works for band as well as numerous articles related to the wind band. His most important work for band is the march named in honor of President John F Kennedy and dedicated to the naval air craft carrier the U.S.S. Kennedy march.

Stieberitz Ernst b 1877 d 1945 He was a well known and respected conductor in Germany who gained prominence between the wars. His importance as a march composer equals that of Franz von Blon, Hermann Blankenburg, arl Tieke and Paul Linke.He began his musical career as a flautist, and entered military service in 1896 when he was eighteen. He was assigned to the 8th Rhenish Infantry band. In 1899 he was transferred to the Danzig Infantry band. In 1902 he was sent to study at the Royal Academy of Music in Berlin. He completed the bandmasters course in three years and at age of only twenty-nine became the bandmaster of the Danzig Infantry band. The list of the band shows that the musicians were very proficient on both band and orchestral instruments. During First World war most musicians were involved in  war time duties. Following the war Stieberitz returned to his prewar employment as director of the Danzig 128th  Infantry band. The city of Danzig was declared a free city and all of the German Troops departed including the band. However he was given the direction of the State Police band This band which was totally military in structure became one of the finest ever organized in the German Republics. Steiberitz  had developed into a superb leader and showman. As the dark clouds of war rose again Stieberitz continued to play concerts and for his work he was promoted to the rank of major. He was killed during a Russian bombing raid on Danzig in 1945. He wrote numerous works for the concert and parade band including sixty marches. His arrangements of orchestral works were of extremely high standard. Two of his marches remain very prominent today and demonstrate his enormous legacy to the military band repertoire. They are It is Sunday, (Sonntag ist’s) and Under the Star of the Guard (Unter dem Gardestern).

Streck Peter b 1797 d 1864 He was a Bavarian bandmaster and he was the supervisor of seven military bands stationed in Munich. His concerts in the Munich ” Glaspalast” were sensational. and he was appointed the senior bandmaster in 1851. He composed several titles for military band. Several of his works for band were written in a series of related titles including the Jager march for Bavarian Army marches and the Munchen march for city marches.

Suma Yosaku b 1907 He has made a tremendous contribution to military music in Japan. He graduated first from the military band class at the Toyoma School of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1926. He became the principal trombonist of the Army School band. In 1939 he was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer and assigned as assistant director of music at the Japanese Army Headquarters in Hong Kong. later he was promoted 2nd Lieutenant and director of music of the 2nd Command band of Asia. Following the war with the bands inactivated he played trombone in the NHK Symphony. In 1950 when the army bands were  reorganized under the Self  Defense programmed he established the Central Army band of the Ground Forces as a world class ensemble. He also supervised several other band . He was appointed the director of music for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He retired in 1963 with the rank of Colonel and taught at the Musashino Music Academy in Tokyo. He has composed over 200 works for military band and his march Blue Sky remains as a superb example of his command of instrumentation and a wonderful feel for western idioms.

Takayama Minorou b 1907 d 1964. He began military service as a band boy in 1923 on cornet in the Yokosuka Naval Depot band. He later studied violin and theory at the Tokyo Academy of Music. He made steady progress and was posted to the Navy band of Tokyo and eventually after he had completed his studies he was commissioned and promoted to the rank of sub-lieutenant with title of Fleet bandmaster. He served for several years as conductor and executive officer of the Imperial navy band. Following the war when Japanese navy bands were reactivated he was appointed the director of the Japanese Coast Guard band which was renamed in 1954 the Maritime Self Defense Force band. His work in selecting and training musicians for the navy was of a very high standard and under his leadership the maritime band began traveling abroad and visited the USA, Hawaii and several Asian countries. He retired with the rank of Captain (Navy) in 1961. He had a tremendous  influence on naval military band music in Japan which had a general impact on wind band music . His recordings of band music in Japan are very highly regarded as superb renditions of his own compositions and those of other Japanese and western composers. He wrote and arranged a number of works for band including the well known march Japanese Naval Craft (Akebono)

Tanzer Sepp b 1907 d 1983. One of Europe’s most well known and gifted musicians Tanzer was born  in Austria. His outstanding musical ability was recognized ata very early age and he began studies on clarinet with eminent teachers. At the age of 12 he could perform nearly all of the known repertoire for clarinet and his skills as a instrumentalist were well  known. At age 19 he began a career as solo clarinet with the 12th Trolean Mountain troop. He continued his studies and learned both conducting an theory. In 1930 he also became he  conductor of the Innsbruck-Wilten band . Following his retirement from the military forces he became the permanent conductor the band and  during the 1964 and 1977 Olympics gained international publicity for the band. He developed an enormous amount of wind band literature and under his leadership the Tyrolean wind band became world renowned. He composed over 150 works for band including preludes, fantasies, marches and suites. His most popular march is the march Red-White-Blue a march which honors the colors of Austria

Teike Carl b 1864 d 1922.He is considered to be  one of the pre-eminent composers of his generation and his works remain extremely popular despite the fact that he has been gone from the scene for  over 75 years. He was born in a   small town in Prussia and began his musical career on the French Horn at age fourteen. In addition as part of his studies he learned the string bass. In 1883 he joined the 123rd King Karl Regiment band in Ulm. He was able to supplement his meager military earnings by playing in the local theatre orchestra and began to compose march music, the first of which was On the Banks of the Danube march. He was however disappointed in his bandmaster’s lack of appreciation for his most famous composition Old Comrades march which the bandmaster indifferently advised Teike to throw the manuscript into the fire. Following his bitter experience, he resigned from the army and became a policeman with various postings in Ulm and Potsdam. In 1909 he moved to Landsberg which is now in Poland. He took a position with the post office department and continued to write marches for military band. He wrote over 100 marches in his lifetime and at least 20 concert numbers consisting of waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and Rhinelander’s. In addition to the Old Comrades march he wrote the well known Graf Zeppelin march and the march Staunch and True. Although these marches remain at the top of the list in recording and performance it has been said that every march he wrote was magnificent and there is world wide concurrence in that observation.

 

Influential Musicians UVWXYZ

 

Uhlir Jan b 1894 d 1970 He joined the army in Bohemia in 1911 becoming a member of the Infantry Regiment No.1. He was taken prisoner by the Russians in World war I and eventually became the bandmaster of the 12th Czech regiments stationed in Russia. He returned home in 1918 and became bandmaster in various locations including Prague. He also took time to study at the Prague Conservatory of Music. On his graduation he was named Commandant of the Military School of Music. later he was inspector of Czechoslovakian military bands and taught instrumentation at the Prague Conservatory. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1958. He wrote an enormous amount of material for band including 34 marches,10 Intermezzos 6 Waltzes,6 Polkas and 8 other works. His march Radost is his most well known work and was recorded by several bands in Czechoslovakia,

Unrath Carl Ludwig b 1828 d 1908. He was orphaned at birth but went on to become one of Germany’s most well known and popular composers of military marches. He became an apprentice bandsman at age 15 and entered the 4th Wurtemberg Regiment playing clarinet with the band for four years. In 1847 he was promoted to the band of the First Brigade. In 1848 he was selected for conservatory training. He was appointed bandmaster of the 14th regiment band in Ulm in 1850 at age twenty-two. He remained as bandmaster with this band until 1872. He had a distinguished war record serving with his regiment in the Seven Weeks war of 1870 and later in 1870-71 his regiment helped to overthrow the French Empire. He retired in 1878 and undertook a civilian occupation with the war ministry. He wrote approximately 100 marches and his works became known both in Europe and North America. His King Charles march is still performed and recorded  in North America and has been programmed by several US and Canadian service bands. His march  Pass in Review (Defiler) became staple for several Canadian Army bands following visits and postings to Germany in the 1950′s.His melodic compositions are among the most well scored music in the history of military music.

Urbanec Rudolph b 1907 d 1976 He had a very early interest in music and was able   to learn violin under his own guidance. He attended the Military School of Music in Prague from 1924 to 1926 majoring in violin and baritone. In 1926 he joined the Czech Infantry Regiment band 35 at Pilsen. He also continued his studies at the Local Music School. In 1933 he left military service to perform with several civilian orchestras. From 1934 to 1936 he attended the Prague Conservatory and on graduation  was accepted as an  bandmaster in the Czech Army. His first appointment was as director of the Regiment 17 band and when broke out he left to forma band in Iran. He later led bands in Israel and eventually made his way to England. Following the war he returned to Prague and led the band of the Castle Guard and on retirement was music editor and manager and chief editor of the State Music Publishing House. He led the Supraphone concert band who made several recordings of concert band music. His known works consist of  nine pieces three of which were marches including, Catherine March, The Peoples Army, and Wave Flag of Ours.

Van Der Glas, Jan Roelof b 1879 d 1972. At age six he began studies on the piano. Later at age 16 was selected for service in the Dutch Army Staff band stationed at Assesn. He proved to be a quick learner and the band conductor encouraged him to continue his studies. He learned to perform on French Horn, euphonium and cornet. In 1923 he was appointed director of the 5th Regiment Staff band stationed in Amersfoort. His band made a steady improvement under his direction and gained wide acceptance. He retired from the army in 1939. He composed a number of works for band which included several marches some of which were later recorded by the Royal marines Band of the Netherlands Navy.

Van Leeuwen Adrianus Cornelius b 1887 d  1962 born in the Netherlands he joined the 8th Regiment band as a young man in 1903 where he received his training both in theory and as an instrumentalist.  He learned flugelhorn and eventually became a senior musician. later became a assistant leader of several military bands before qualifying as a bandmaster in 1936. He wrote several works for band and his most well known compositions include the Dutch Army march and March Heroique.

 

Vezina Joseph b 1849 d 1924  He was known as the father of Military bands in Canada. He was a very highly respected teacher and composer as well as an outstanding conductor. He was born in Quebec City and studied with the eminent composer Calixa Lavalleé who wrote O Canada. He was however a self  taught musician who had a natural flair for music. He learned organ and many of the wind instruments of the band., He became a baritone player in the 9th Battalion of the Quebec Rifles and remained with that band from 1869 to 1879. In 1898 he became the bandmaster of the first permanent band in Canada, the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery band. He also formed several civilian bands in Quebec city. He was responsible for organizing all of the musical events for the 300th anniversary of Quebec in 1908. Although he never actually joined the military forces of Canada serving as a civilian bandmaster on the civil service list he was considered one of Canada’s top military musicians. He wrote a vast amount of music for band and orchestra most of which remains unpublished. His most enduring work was the Marche de Parade -Parade March.

Villeneuve Charles A b 1930 He began an early career at the Quebec Conservatory of music . He joined the Royal 22nd band in 1952 as an oboist. In 1957 he was selected to attend Kneller hall in England on the bandmaster course. While at the school he became a member of the London Wind ensemble. He graduated in 1960 and on his return to Canada he was appointed as director of the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps band in Montreal.  On the amalgamation of the Canadian Forces in 1968 he became leader of the Royal Canadian Artillery band in Montreal. In August 1978 he was selected as the director of the famous  R22nd Regiment band in Quebec City (commonly known as the Van-Doo’s) with the rank of Major. In 1980 he was promoted to Lt Colonel and became the supervisor of music for the Canadian Forces. He retired in 1984 and continued to serve as music coordinator for the Army cadets in the Quebec region . His most popular composition was La Belle Equipe -The Fine Team.

Voigt Friedrich Wilhelm b 1833 d 1894 He was born in Koblenz and received his initial training with his father. His talent was quite noticeable and he was sent to the local 30th regiment band at age 16. He furthered his studies at the Rheinishe Music school in Cologne from 1851to 1853.He was given a royal commission to study with August Wilhelm Bach at the Royal Academy of fine Arts in Berlin. He continued his work both as a performer on violin and as a composer winning numerous awards. He was recommended by William Wieprecht the supervisor of all German bands to become bandmaster of the 1st Regiment Foot Guards in Potsdam. He remained in this position from 1857 to 1887 He eventually was selected to become the supervisor for all German bands in 1887 to 1890. He retired in 1890 . In 1892 he led the combined bands of the German Army in a concert of music by Richard Wagner and this work was acknowledged by Wagner when he sent a portrait to Voigt. He wrote over 100 works many of which were for military band, including the exciting and unique march the German Emperor’s Guards (Die deutsche Kaisergarde)

W. Wake Wilhelm b 1864 d 1944 He was born in Bohemia and studied at the Prague Conservatory from 1879 to 1882. He entered military service in 1882 joining the Infantry Regiment band no.74. He left the army and became a music director in the town of Brixen. Later in 1894 he was appointed the musical director of the Infantry Regiment band the famous Hoch and Deutchmeister band. Under his direction the band gained wide acclaim often referred to as the philharmonic in uniform. He led this band until 1918. He retired after the collapse of the monarchy and began to write seriously for both orchestra and concert band. His march Thundering Cannons is his most well known and thrilling works for band.

Wagner Josef Franz b 1856 d 1908 He was born in Vienna and in his short lifetime became the march king of Austria. He studied at the Royal Military Institute in Kaschau and following military duty in the army n 1878 he was appointed bandmaster of the Royal 47th Infantry Regiment band. He remained in that post until 1892 he was appointed bandmaster of the 49th Infantry band which had several stations including Krems, Brünn and Vienna. He retired from the army in 1899 and began devoting more time to writing. Over 250 of his works were published and his opus numbers exceed 400 for total compositions. He wrote numerous marches, waltzes, concertos, and songs. His music has been recorded by several eminent bands including the Sepots Guards and the US Naval Academy band. One of his most widely acclaimed and popular marches was the Tyrolean Woodchopper march, Napolean march and his march Under the Double Eagle remains a universal favorite.

Wagnes Eduard b 1863 d 1936 Born in Graz Austria he began study of the piano and French horn at an early age. In 1878 he began a professional career by touring with the orchestra of Eduard Strauss. He served in the army from 1882 to 1885 with the 27th Regiment band of the Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1890 he became the bandmaster of the Uniformed citizens corps of Graz. In 1895 he moved to Yugoslavia to become the bandmaster of the 2nd Bosnia-Herzegovina Infantry Regiment. He did wear a uniform but like many bandmasters of the time was a civil servant. He remained as bandmaster with this band until 1919. He wrote over 300 compositions including operettas, forty waltzes and 100 marches as well as several other compositions. His most well known and beloved march is The Bosnians are Coming.

Whitcom, Kenneth George  b 1926 was born in Battle Creek Michigan and attended Central High School in that city. Considered to be a superb natural musician he was selected for service with the United States Military Academy band at West Point in 1946 where he performed on clarinet and saxophone and was the chief arranger and assistant bandmaster. While at West Point he wrote a march called The Jubilee march under the pseudonym George Kenny. He later became the band master of the 30th Army band overseas in Germany. Following his retirement from the army in 1966 he became one of Americas top arrangers and composers . He arranged all of the music for the opening of the Epcot Center at Disney-World in 1982 and continues to play an active part at Disney-World each year. Besides Jubilee he wrote the concert march Coat of Arms.

White, William C b 1882 d 1964 He was a long serving American military musician, with 41 years service. He began musical studies at age 12 on violin, clarinet and saxophone. In 1907 he joined the US Army as a member of the 19th Coastal Artillery band at Fort Banks. He also had an opportunity to continue his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music graduating in 1911. His next appointment in the Army was as adjutant of the Army School of Music in Governor’s Island New York. He graduated as bandmaster in 1914 and was appointed as the Assistant Principal of the Army Music School in Washington and later became the Principal. During peacetime he had several military postings including Hawaii in 1928 and in New York and Washington. When war broke out in 1941 he again assumed the leadership of the US Army School of Music in Washington training musicians for military units. In 1946 he was appointed the director of the 321st Army band and he retired in 1948 with the rank of Chief warrant Officer.. He composed 8 marches all published by the Fischer Company the most well known is The General’s march 1932

Whiting Chester Earl b 1901 d 1985 Born near the city of Boston Mass he began the study of music by learning clarinet and saxophone. later he also played trombone and drums. In 1915 he joined the local National Guard band . He later attended Boston College and the New England Conservatory of Music. From 1924 to 1940 he was the director of the 110th Massachusetts National Guards band. During the early part of the war he was chief of bands of the 26th Yankee Division and earned the Bronze Star on New Caledonia for helping to raise the morale of the troops. He was sent back to the US at the end of the war to form the 1st Combat Infantry Corps band and traveled across the US helping to sell war bonds. In 1946 he organized the United States Ground Forces band which eventually was renamed the Army Field band. This band traveled extensively playing concerts in every corner of America and in Europe as well as in Canada.  He retired from the army in 1960.   Most of his marches were composed while he was serving in the Pacific Theatre of combat and a few have been published including  Americal Division and Minnesota State Fair written after the war in 1949.

Widner, Ivar Fredrik b 1891 d 1973 Born in Sweden he began to study cornet at an an early age. At age fourteen he joined the band of the Royal Västmanland Regiment.  In 1909 he was accepted for study at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and graduated in 1915. In 1916 he became the Director of Music of the band of the Royal Norbotten Regiment. From 1923 to 1932 he was the director of the Hälsinge Regiment band with the rank of Captain.  He was selected as the Director of Music of the prestigious Royal Navy band from 1932 to 1947. He retired in 1947.  He presented very popular concerts at the Skansen, the open air museum in Stockholm. He was awarded the Royal Order of Vasa for his service to Sweden. He wrote over 100 works including 30 marches, several waltzes. His most well known marches were Swedish Signal March No 1 and Our Navy.

Widqvist  Magnus Viktor b 1881 d 1952 Born in Stockholm he began early studies of music on violin and tuba.. He joined the army at age 17 with the Royal Engineers band In 1918 after several years of serious study he was appointed as director of the Royal Engineers band in Boden. He later was transferred to the Royal Engineers band in Karlsborg. He retired from the army in 1925. He returned to civilian life and earned a reputation as a professional violinist. He composed a number of light concert pieces for both orchestra and band his most well known numbers for military band were the marches Queen of Malaren and Under the Blue and Yellow Flag.

Wieprecht, Wilhelm b 1802 d 1872 He was one of most influential military musicians of his age.. He developed the instrumentation for various types of bands in Germany and Prussia and through his leadership the military band gained vast prominence and acceptance throughout the world. His work in the development of piston brass instruments heralded the advent of the valve trumpets, horns, tubas and euphoniums. He reorganized 30 infantry bands and ten cavalry bands in Germany and by 1838 he became the director of the band of the Berlin Guide. He was born into a family of military musicians. He learned violin and oboe from his father later learning clarinet and trumpet. He studied with musicians of the Royal Orchestra of  Bernberg. He was encouraged by Carl Maria Von Weber and eventually joined the Royal Orchestra. He began work on cavalry marches and composed several marches for the German Army. By 1838 he was the civilian instructor of military bands of Berlin. Several of his marches and compositions are in the repertoire of today’s bands in Europe. He is said to have transcribed all of the symphonies of Beethoven for military band and several pieces of Mozart. He gained international prominence in1867 by winning first prize at the celebrated Paris Band Festival. His futuristic approach to band music and his conducting style was brought to the attention of composers, Franz Liszt, Giaccomo Meyerbeer and Gasparo Spontini who admired both his bands and his novel symphonic conducting style. His marches Dessauer, Parade march and the Festival of the White Rose remain as a testament to his compositional technique and his knowledge of band scoring.

Willcocks, George Henry b 1899 d 1962 He joined the 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers as a bandsman Bb Cornet and later was transferred to the 1st Battalion. In 1920 he was selected for training at Kneller hall and on graduation in 1924  become the bandmaster of the 2nd battalion South Wales Borderers. In 1937 he was selected as bandmaster  of the  Royal Artillery band at Salisbury Plain. In 1938 he was appointed Director of Music of the Irish Guards band and received his Queen’s Commission. He retired from service in 1949 and became closely associated with the British Brass band movement.  The most well known of his marches include the Youth Triumphant and the Spirit of Freedom March.

Winterbottom, Frank b 1861 d 1930 His transcriptions and arrangements of works for military and concert band remain as a shining example of  works for band. He began his musical career on cello and after a short career in several residential orchestras he was appointed professor of music at Dulwich College in England. In 1890 he joined the Royal Marine band service and was appointed Director of Music of the Royal Marine band at Chatham. He remained in this position until 1910 when he was appointed instructor of band instruments at Kneller hall. Over 300 of his works were published by Boosey or Chappell. His Transcription of Capriccio Espagnol and hundreds of other arrangements  remain as a tribute to his enormous ability in the field of band scoring.

Wornes, William Thomas (Major) b 1940  He started his career with the British army as a Band-boy studying the Flute.  He attended the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall and studied under R. J.  Boddington.  He emigrated to Canada in 1964 as a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons Band.  He performed as principal Flute for the New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra and toured frequently with the New Brunswick Woodwind Quintet.  He served subsequently with the Vimy Band under Capt. Ken Moore and The Royal Canadian Artillery band under Major Charles Villeneuve.  He was selected for training as a Director of Music in 1979 and after extensive training, was commissioned as Director of Music in 1980.  He served as a training officer at the Canadian Forces School of Music and promoted to Captain.  In 1984 he took over the Vimy Band as Director and later, the Artillery Band.  He was promoted to Major in 1990 and appointed Commandant of the Canadian Forces School of Music.  After retirement in 1992, he served for a further three years as Inspector of all Reserve Force bands across Canada.

Y. Young, Alfred b 1900 d 1975.Born in England he began studies of piano with his father. At age six he began violin lessons  and became part of the music scene in Colchester, England. At age 13 in 1913 he enlisted in the army as an under age member of the Durham Light Infantry. In 1919 he went with his band to Russia as part of the Russian Expeditionary Force. His playing skills were very much in demand and he was a featured performer in concerts by the Durham Light Infantry band .In 1921 his unit was transferred to India. He studied for the entrance examination to the Royal Military School of Music and in 1924 he was accepted for bandmaster training .  He graduated in 1927 and was appointed as bandmaster of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry band . He remained with this band until 1938 until he was appointed the first bandmaster of the Royal Army Service Corps band . he held this post until 1942 touring widely and giving numerous concerts. He was appointed director of music of the Royal Engineers band in 1942 and while on tour with the band in 1944 contracted malaria. He retired and eventually became the professor of instrumentation at Kneller Hall from 1959 to 1966. He is still considered to have been one of most underrated composer in Britain. During the war he wrote directed and arranged the highly successful radio and life concert series “Band Review”,  “Calling all Services” and “Stars in Battledress”. He composed a considerable amount of music during his lifetime including well known marches such as Boots and Saddles, Sovereign’s Escort and the superb march the Matador. He also composed under the pseudonym Earl Brigham.

Zaverthal Laislaus b 1849 d 1942 He was Italian by birth and studied at the Conservatory of Milan. He made his first appearance as a conductor in Milan and following this appearance he was selected as the conductor of the Milan Theatre Orchestra. In 1865 he emigrated to Scotland settling in Glasgow. He became the civilian director of the 11th Foot Regiment in 1872 and in 1881 he was appointed the director of the Royal Artillery band . He remained in this post until 1907. His work with the Artillery band and orchestra gained him international plaudits. His concerts became the highlight of the London concert season. He was one of the first conductors in Britain to take the music of the military band to the people when he began to play outdoor concerts in the summer months in the sea-side cities. His work gained him recognition by British Royalty and he received numerous awards including the Victorian Order of Britain. He was one of the first military band directors to require that musicians have a dual skill in both military band and orchestral instruments thus making the organization of the Artillery band very versatile. The most well known of his works for band included the stirring grand march Queen Victoria and  the 76th Italian Regiment march.

 

Zehle, Wilhelm b 1876 d 1956 Born in what was known as Prussia he began music studies in Magdeburg in 1895 at age nineteen. He eventually joined the Royal German Mobile 2nd Sea battalion at Wilhelmshaven as a military bandsman. He was very talented cornet and trumpet player and soon became the band soloist. In 1900 his battalion was ordered to China to help quell the boxer rebellion and was part of the joint invasion forces from Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. Shortly before sailing the band leader became ill and Zehle was appointed in his place . Following his service in China he began writing the suite “Sounds of Peking”: which was later published. On his return to Germany he resumed his role as solo trumpet, He left military service in 1903 taking the position of Administrator at the Civil Port Authority in Wilhelmshaven. He won the prestigious march composition contest sponsored by Hawkes and Son with the march Viscount Nelson in 1900, Army and marine in 1901, Wellington in 1906 and Trafalgar in 1908.He had a great influence on future composers with his strong melodic and harmonic structure of his marches. He was an enormous talent and his marches are still performed around the world. The Wellington march is considered his tour de Force in marches. Many of his marches are still being recorded by major bands world wide.

Zita, Frantisek b 1880 d 1946 Born in Austria he joined the military service as a band boy with the 3rd Bosnian Infantry Regiment. He was able to learn several instruments   including violin, tenor horn and euphonium. The band conductor at this time was the eminent composer Franz Lehar. On Lehar’s recommendation he was accepted into the Budapest Musical Academy. In 1902 he became the Drum Major of the Infantry Regiment 97 band at Trieste. In 1911 he became the band leader. His most famous period was from 1919 to 1921 when he led the 2nd garrison band  and the Infantry Regiment 43rd band at Brno (1921-36). He was a very proficient conductor and he helped to raise the standard of his bands by introducing symphonic and operatic transcriptions into his repertoire. He retired in 1936 and left behind 11 works for band. He wrote eight marches for band some of which are still being performed in Hungary today.

Zimmerman, Charles A b 1862 d 1916 He had a long and distinguished career as bandmaster at the US Naval Academy from 1887 until 1916. He is best remembered for the march Anchors Aweigh. He began  musical studies with his father who was a musician in the Naval Academy band.  At age 20 he attended the Peabody Institution, Baltimore majoring in instrumental music, becoming a skilled pianist and learning several instruments.  He became leader on the Naval Academy band in 1887. He gained national recognition by leading the Academy band orchestra and was offered the post of director of the US Marines band when Sousa retired in  1892. He remained a beloved campus figure at the Academy until his death in 1916.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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