The bells of the brass instruments, which ordinarily pointed forward or upward, would sometimes be aimed backward so that they could be heard better by the soldiers marching behind them. Most military bands were dominated by large brass and percussion instrument sections. Because brass instruments and trained musicians were scarcer in the South than in the North, the Confederate Army included fewer (and smaller) bands than did the Union Army. #Shout the battle cry of freedom professionalOccasionally existing bands enlisted as a group, but typically it became too costly to pay these professional bands as the war went on. Regulations stipulated up to 24 musicians a band in practice this number varied greatly. More formal than the fife-and-drum corps, bands were assigned to Army units. Musicians also did whatever was needed-staffed ambulances, tended wounded, and even fought as the war raged on. The bands helped maintain morale and reinforce spirit and resolve. Larger bands performed as commanding officers inspected and addressed the troops they would also present regular concerts and entertain soldiers in camp. #Shout the battle cry of freedom fullDiscuss the ways musical cues could help a large army (think more than 40 classrooms full of people!) with daily activities. Add words to the calls to make each melody easier to remember. Try It!- Develop musical signals for daily events in the classroom like roll call, attention, recess, lunch, and the end of the school day. Use voices, whistling, or simple instruments. You can hear fife melodies alternating with bugle calls, all accompanied by snare and bass drums. Listen to all these instruments in the following track of Civil War–era marching music recorded in 1913. #Shout the battle cry of freedom plusThe Bugle-similar to the trumpet but without keys or valves-a plus for cavalry musicians riding on horseback who needed to keep one hand on the reins! The Fife-a high-pitched wooden flute similar to the piccoloĭrums-snare and bass drums that could be strapped to the neck or back to be carried Instruments played by field musicians included: The drum corps thus became an avenue for teenage (and even younger) boys, hungry for adventure, to join the war. The music also helped organize the movement of the troops (think marching) and even conveyed combat orders to soldiers, who were trained to recognize these commands.Īlthough the minimum age for enlisting soldiers was 18, boys as young as age 12 were allowed to enlist as musicians. Playing in the Fieldįield musicians included the fife-and-drum corps with the marching units and the buglers that accompanied both the cavalry and the infantry. These musicians marked the activities of daily wartime life, including wake up, lights-out, roll call, and drills. Musicians who played official roles in the military can be divided into two categories: field musicians and members of military bands. Soldiers also sang their own music, often at their evening encampments, for comfort and camaraderie. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army, reportedly said, “I don’t believe we can have an army without music.” From marching music to camp songs, from concerts to “Taps,” music moved the armies through daily activities, rallied morale, incited conflict, and defused tensions. Meanwhile, appreciation for performed music was also growing, and with wealthy citizens’ support, concert halls and music societies expanded.Īs more than three million men and boys from the North and the South marched to war in the 1860s, so did America’s music. Education of the growing middle class invariably included music lessons, and the printing of easy sheet music proliferated to meet the demand of parlor musicians. You could often hear fiddles, flutes, banjos, and other easily made instruments in households across the economic spectrum wealthier households might have had a piano both as a musical instrument and as a status symbol. That’s because well before the invention of iPods or even radio, people relied on themselves, their families, and their communities for the music of daily life. There was a great deal of music making everywhere. Laying the groundwork for music’s integral role in the war was America’s rich and expanding musical life in the preceding years. Exploring the conflict’s varied soundtrack, from patriotic marches to haunting ballads, offers a window to the spirit, story, and emotion of a traumatic time in American history. Even so, wars have historically inspired and even required music, and the Civil War (1861–65) was no different. You might not think of a battlefield as a great place to hear music-it has probably never been anyone’s first choice of a concert venue. Band of the 114th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in front of Petersburg, Va., August, 1864.
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