The Origins of the United States Army Band
Military Band Traditions from Colonial through Revolutionary America
Aug 18, 2009
What is a parade without a band? Indeed, what is a military parade without a military band? Musical instruments have been an essential part of the United States military since Colonial times, but it was in the early years of Colonial and Revolutionary America that the United States Army Band grew from its infancy.
The Band in Colonial America
Carrying traditions with them from Britain, the colonists in America also brought the understanding of the importance of musical rhythm in military drills. The Colony of Virginia was the first to establish the use of instruments with militia drills. In 1633, the colony’s militia first marched drills to the beat of drums, and while all free white males were required to serve in the Virginia militia and provide their own arms and supplies, the drummers received pay and played on publicly purchased instruments.
The first documented band in the American colonies was not coincidentally a military band. In 1653, the New Hampshire militia possessed a small band of fifteen hautbois (oboes) and two drums.
Likewise, when Pennsylvania colonists formed regiments under Colonel Benjamin Franklin in 1747, it was less than ten years later, in 1756, that more than one thousand Pennsylvanian militiamen marched to the accompaniment of fifes and hautbois. This marks the first occurrence of the military band in America.
A majority of the ninety-five Colonial infantry regiments in the years 1755-1783 had bands attached. Most regiments possessed a band of six to eight men who played oboes, horns, clarinets and bassoons. However, these bands were different from the fife and drum corps used to signal movements in the field; the six to eight piece band in each regiment was ceremonial in nature.
In 1729, Josiah Flagg organized the first military band performance at Faneuil Hall in Boston. From this time, many concert halls in the large cities of New York and Philadelphia were filled by audiences for military band performances.
Military Musicians in the American Revolution
Musicians were present on the battlefield from the very start. Minutemen companies regularly drilled to the beat of the drum, and a drummer and bugler were present at Lexington and Concord. A fife and drum corps played in celebration of Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys’ success at Fort Ticonderoga on 10 May 1775. Military bands also played at rallies to encourage patriotic feeling and support for the Americans.
During the Revolution, at least seven Continental regiments were known to have bands, and two were able to maintain their bands from the start of the Revolution to the finish: the third and forth regiments.
A resolution passed by the Continental Congress on 14 June 1775 dictated the structure of companies for the colonies of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland to include specific numbers of not only officers and non-commissioned officers, but it also called for one drummer and one trumpeter in each company.
Likewise, General George Washington ordered the training of musicians to improve the quality of musicianship, which thusly improved drilling capabilities. He even assigned a chief drum major and chief fife major to oversee the progression and instruction of military musicians.
With the publication of his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States on 29 March 1779, Baron Friedrich von Steuben improved the regulation of the military band by proscribing specific locations for drums and fifes in formations and by standardizing the drum and bugle calls and signals used in battle.
The Army Band at the End of the American Revolution
As the American Revolution wore on, the amount of able men to fight against the British diminished and all but two army bands were disassembled. In 1781, musicians ceased to strictly fill their musical role. Instead, soldiers who happened to be musicians carried muskets first and drums second.
When independence was gained and the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783, the United States Army disbanded almost entirely, with a comparatively small band left at West Point for ceremonial reasons. Militia bands, however, carried on the tradition of musical celebrations and General Washington was met by many of these militia bands when he toured various locations at the Revolution’s end.
The Army Band continues today in various locations the world over, providing ceremonial services and boosting morale stateside and overseas. The heritage of their work is due to the early militia traditions of Colonial and Revolutionary America.
Source:
A History of U.S. Army Bands. Edition D. Norfolk: U.S. Army Element, School of Music, October 2005.
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