ARMY MUSIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 308, 29 December 1934, Page 6

ARMY MUSIC.

HOW IT GREW.

HISTORIC MILITARY BANDS. DUTIES OF EARLY MUSICIANS. The first record of a purely military band comes from France. During his long reign Louis XIV. entrusted Lully with the' organisation of certain military bands which were to form a definite part of the army. Previous to that the officers commanding in the field who wanted music were forced to provide it at their own expense. The instrument* in those days included oboes, bassoons and regimental drums. The first French march for oboes was written by Lully, and a record of the music will be found in Grove's Dictionary. Until the seventeenth century princes on the field of battle were accompanied by trumpeters, who were employed for signalling purposes and for enlivening the dreariness of camp life. These men were always mounted, and trumpet music was considered specially appropriate to the cavalry service. For military bands a new era began with the invention of the clarinet. Recalling the splendid band which came out on H.M.S. Repulse when the Prince of Wales paid hie firet visit to South Africa, there were sixteen clarinets which fulfilled all the functions of violins in a stringed orchestra. From 1703 the development of military music was very rapid.on the Continent. England had. done nothing to further that development in any way, and one of the first authentic English military hands was attached to the Coldstreani Guards. In 1753 the regiment had a hand of eight players, two qboee, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons. History tells us that the Duke of York, wishing to improve the musical service, imported from Germany a full band of 24 players, to which were added three negroes' with tambourines and crescent. In the British Army. In IS3S Germany still led the way, and Wieprecbt, who was the director of all the Prussian Guards' bands, combined them all for the first time in a monster performance at Berlin in honour of the Emperor Nicholas of Russia. Sixteen infantry and 10 cavalry bands took part, 1200 players in all. French military bands were reorganised in 184.") and development in France was rapid. Japan in recent years has been largely influenced by European ideas in the formation of her military bands. During the first 20 years of the Victorian era, military bands in the British Army compared very unfavourably with Continental bands and they were not officially recognised. Bandmasters were usually foreigners. Largely through the interest and endeavours of the Duke of Cambridge, the Royal Military School of Music was established at Kneller Hall, Whitton, Twickenham, in 18f>7. The course of instruction at Kneller Hall included the study of every instrument in military bands and provides in every way a comprehensive and thorough musical training. To-day, British military bands have attained a marvellously high standard of proficiency, and New Zealandera are fortunate to have the opportunity to hear them. Chary Recognition. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, then, it would appear that the War Office was almost charily acknowledging the existence of military barfda, for a General Order issued from the Horse Guards in 1803 states :— "It is His Majesty's pleasure thet in regiments having bands of music, not more than one private soldier for each troop or company shall be permitted to act as musicians, and that one noncommissioned officer shall be allowed to act as master of the band. "These men are to be drilled and instructed in their exercises, and in cm.sc of active service are to fall in with their respective troope or companies com-. plctely armed and accoutred." How the shade of Peter Van Hansen must have smiled with pleasure at this tardy recognition of bandmaster arid players. He it was -who in 1704, by Royal warrant, was given an allowance of 1/0 a day to instruct one man in each company of the Guards in the uae of the fife. Many famous bandmasters have since been associated with the Grenadier Guards, "who have striven to make the band a vital and integral part of the regiment. From the few chronicled records available it is difficult to give details of the obstacles they had to overcome, for in those early days music and the fighting forces were not —ae they are to-day—in complete sympathy. Dan Godfrey. Probably the late Dan Godfrey was one of the most distinguished of the band's conductors, as from 185 C—when he was appointed—he wielded the conductor's baton for 40 years and helped to bring the band up to its pre-eminent position by hie skilful musicianship, and, moreover, he was the first bandmaster in the British Army to receive a commission, being gazetted <ftn honorary second-lieutenant on the occasion of Queen Victoria's jubilee in 1887. The bands of the Household Infantry Regiments, the Coldstreams, Scots, Irish and Welsh and the Grenadiers in turn, are on duty every morning when the King and Queen are in residence at.Buckingham Palace, and at the mounting of the Guards at St. James' Palace. This splendid ceremony attracts visitors from all parts of the world. Major Georjre Miller. L.R.A.M., - the present director of music of the Grenadier Guards Band, had early associations with the Royal Bormig-h of Windsor when he was a chorister in St. George's Chapel. This connection was renewed during tho 14 years lie was a bandmaster of the Life Guards and is maintained both by his present appointment and his residence in the district.