Olde Towne Brass
Historic Notes - Yankee Bands In Dixie's Land
These notes are free for you to use for verbal introductions, however, the material may not be reproduced without consent and recognition of the researcher and compiler, Terry Cornett.
When This Cruel War Is Over & Hoist
Up the Flag Q.S. , 1863,
Henry Tucker & Septimus Winner
[1st Brigade Band ]
With words
provided by Charles Carroll Sawyer, “Cruel War” (a.k.a.: Weeping Sad
and Lonely) was one of the most popular tunes on both sides of the
conflict. Over a million copies were sold in 1863, alone. This was the
tune that started certain officers to ban singing in camps due to its
maudlin content. “Hoist” was the official song of the 54th Massachusetts
Colored Troops. The words were by Billy Holmes. This arrangement comes
from the 1st Brigade Band and was the last tune played in their hometown
as they departed for the war.
The inclusion of
the shanty, with its minor mode, results in a very effective medley.
This is the same arrangement as found in the 3rd NH “Port
Royal Band” books
.Winner was from a musical family in that his father was a
violinmaker and his brother, Joseph, was also a composer (The Little
Brown Jug). Septimus was a storekeeper and music teacher in
Philadelphia where he would hear “Whistlin' Dick” Milburn, a Negro boy,
serenading people in the street with his guitar and bird-like warbling.
Some sources also say Winner was a barber. Winner used one of Dick's
melodies for Mockingbird and gave him prominent credit on the
published music. He published it under his mother's name, Alice
Hawthorne. He also gave Dick a job in the store. Lacking foresight,
Winner sold the rights to the song for $5.00 after slow initial sales.
The song sold millions of copies over the next 50 years. Later editions
removed the credit to Milburn.
Faust
Q.S.
(#125), 1859,
Charles François Gounod
(1818 – 1893) / Coon [3rd NH (2nd Brigade- Port Royal) Band
Books]
Gounod was born
into an artistic family. His father was a painter and his mother a
pianist, both well-known in Paris, France. By the age of 20, Charles had
won the Prix de Rome, followed the next year by the Grand Prix de Rome
for his cantatas “Marie Stuart” and “Fernand”, respectively. The opera
based on Goethe's masterpiece, brought Gounod the fame he richly
deserved. However, many doubted the lyrical composer could have created
such a work and years of accusations of forgery followed. Act IV begins
with this resounding march and chorus of soldiers. . It was said that
“Faust” was Abraham Lincoln’s favorite opera and that he attended no
less than three performances of it during his presidency.
Francis Scala, leader of the U.S. Marine band performed
“the Soldier’s Chorus” quite often for the President, who often
requested its playing.
When serenading the president,
the “Soldiers Chorus” was often followed by “Hail to the Chief,” as the
spirited music would always bring Mr. Lincoln to his feet. This
arrangement is by Oscar Coon.
Alpha Quickstep
(Be Kind To The Loved Ones /The Dearest Spot of Earth)
– (#19)
[1st Brigade Band Books]
As a composer of
hymns, Isaac Baker
Woodbury
(1819 – 1858) could proudly say more of his hymns were being sung than
any by his contemporaries during his lifetime. One can occasionally find
some of his hymns in present-day hymnals though they are becoming more
rare. One can still find his tune “SELENA” coupled with Charles Wesley's
“O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done.” “Be Kind,” dates from 1847, when a
great surge of “home” songs was published, and praises the virtue of
love of family and fellow man. Little is known about William Thomas
Wrighton
(1816 – 1880), but the popularity of
The Dearest Spot of Earth to Me Is
Home, Sweet Home must have been tremendous as no fewer than 12
different piano settings exist. The sentiment is similar to that other
“Home, Sweet, Home,” in the desire to return to the comfort of home.
Wrighton also composed Her Bright
Smile Haunts Me Still.
Elfin
Waltz, 1856, Joseph Labitzky
(1802
– 1881)
[1st Brigade Band
Books]
The date quoted is from a collection of Easy Airs arranged for the
Piano-Forte publisher by Winner & Schuster. Obviously the actual
composition date precedes 1856.
Battle
Hymn Q.S.
[25th Mass Band
Books]
A rousing
introduction and theme, that almost buries the title tune, is no match
for the simple statement of William Steffe's inspirational melody. The
composer of the opening (probably the arranger) is unknown.
When the Civil War broke out there was no great national
hymn, generally accepted as such. This need of a new national hymn to
meet the new and existing conditions, one that would be the great peace
song, yet the war song of the nation was deeply felt at the very
beginning of the war. At the request of many prominent Union men, a
committee, composed of scholars and statesmen was appointed to select
such a hymn for the use of the homes in the north and the army in the
field.
The committee waited three months for such a song. Twelve hundred
competitors presented their compositions for the prize of $250 for the
music and $250 for the words; but not one of them was accepted. The
committee found that there was no soul-feeling,
no fire of patriotism, running through the songs. Of all the
twelve hundred songs composed in 1861 in competition for the prize of
$500 -- not one is alive today!
But
Julia Ward Howe, then not widely known as a poet, had visited the Army
of the Potomac, and there she saw the commotion of war, the bodies
shattered, the lives sacrificed, and the stress and agony of the
government in its mortal grapple with rebellion. These things lay heavy
on her heart, which throbbed in unison with the great heart of the
nation; an one night in December, in 1861, she sprang from her bed and
wrote the expression of her soul in these words of living power. When
she returned to Boston she showed them to James T. Fields, then editor
of the Atlantic Monthly. He suggested the title, “Battle Hymn of the
Republic”; and published them promptly. In the Atlantic Monthly for
February 1862, the poem is printed on the first page, but the name of
the author is not mentioned; indeed, no names are appended to the table
of contents.
(Notes from Bill Warren)
Centennial Quickstep, 1852, 1862, Claudio S. Grafulla (1810 – 1880) [1st Brigade Band Books]
Before discovering the actual source, this
editor thought the tune may have been written for the centennial
celebration of the Treaty of Paris (1763), which gave England control of
the Wisconsin territory following the French and Indian War. It makes a
nice story connection with the band from Wisconsin.
However, new research has revealed the tune was
written to commemorate the centennial of the Hibernia Engine Co, No. 1,
of Philadelphia (established: 1752 as Hibernia Fire Co.). It came as no
surprise that the composer was the great C.S. Grafulla. The original
piano publication indicates it was played by the Philadelphia Brass Band
at the Centennial Anniversary on February 20, 1852. The Philadelphia
band was actually Beck’s Band, who accompanied the fireman on their
centennial excursion to New York, Boston and elsewhere. To celebrate the
nation’s oldest established fire department, great parades were
organized in several major cities. In NYC, over 25 bands marched in
celebration. Dodworth provided 2 complete bands, and performed in the
orchestra at a honor banquet that evening. A commemorative program lists
5 bands in Boston’s parade. Also on display in those parades was the
latest in fire-fighting technology: the new steam engine pumper,
commissioned by the Hibernians.
This terrific arrangement takes the melody to
more lyrical heights in a 6/8 pattern, as opposed to the original 2/4.
General Birney’s Quick Step,
Alfred Squire [pub: 1870 by Alfred Squire]
Olde Towne Brass is especially fond of
this selection due to its subject, David Bell Birney, second son of
antislavery leader James G. Birney, having been born in Huntsville, AL,
on May 29, 1825 ― Huntsville being the home of OTB. Another happy
coincidence is that his father was born and practiced law in Danville,
KY ― now the home of the annual, Great American Brass Band Festival,
where OTB regularly performs. After serving a term in the Alabama state
legislature, James took the family back to Kentucky, where he helped
organize the Kentucky Anti-Slavery Society, later becoming executive
secretary of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
When the family
moved to Cincinnati, OH, in 1838, James, David and his older brother,
William, made lasting impressions on composer and editor, Alfred Squire.
English-born Squire, immigrated to the US in 1854, and found work in
W.C. Peters publishing house and music store. He enlisted in “H” Company
as a Sergeant and was promoted to Principal Musician in the 153rd Ohio
Infantry. Squire started his own publishing firm in 1870. Many of his
early publications were original songs and arrangements of tunes played
by the bands during the Civil War. This is especially true of his Cornet
Band Olios, Sets I & II.
David Bell Birney practiced law in
Philadelphia from 1856 until the outbreak of the war. Birney joined the
23rd PA and quickly rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He was
promoted to Major General for his leadership at Chancellorsville and
commanded the III Corps at Gettysburg. He was selected by U.S. Grant to
command the X Corps, but fell ill with virulent malaria and passed away
in October 1864.
Wide Awake Quickstep J.A. King – (#6) [1st Brigade Band Books]
J.A. King was a well-known arranger of music for bands in America during the third quarter of the 19th century and leader of the Elmyra Cornet Band prior to the Civil War. The “Wide Awakes” were an early Republican political group that supported the election of Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860. The Wide-Awakes were Unionists that wanted to show that they were alert and ever vigilant in defense of the Federal government in Washington. Another “Wide Awake Quickstep” was composed and published by Max Mayo and performed by Schreiber’s Albany Cornet Band, of Albany, New York.
“This organization, or chain of organizations, known as
“Wide Awakes,” are said to reach already four hundred thousand men,
thoroughly drilled, and ready for any service which their leaders may
demand at their hands. They had their origin in that traditional nest of
traitors, Hartford, Connecticut, and, near the very coast where the blue
lights of the second war of Independence were burnt as signals to a
public enemy, the red torch-lights of Black Republican incendiarism are
lit in the present canvass. There can be no mistaking the meaning of
military organizations, nor does it need any suspicious acuteness to
point a moral to such names as “Zouave Wide Awakes,” and
“Rail-Splitters battalion.” Are there no “Brown Avengers,” or
“Harper's Ferry Raiders” among them? Of the Presidential candidates
three are agreed that a State has no right to secede, and on that
issue occupy the same platform; and the “Wide Awakes” have their
authority for believing that in the event of secession of Alabama or
South Carolina it will be not only a pretext but a duty to march into
Southern territory. Let the first armed invader, whether a Federal
minion or an abolition drilled incendiary, who violates the sanctity of
her territory, find her citizens not only wide awake, but prepared to
meet him.” Richmond
Enquirer, Friday, September 28, 1860: page 1, column 5
Sophia Waltz,
18--,
Johann Strauss (1825 – 1899) op. 185 [1st
Brigade Band Books]
The correct title is “Sophie.”
This popular aria is undoubtedly the most recognizable in all opera, due to its being featured in a series of Looney Tunes and other cartoon features. The image of the robust Figaro, Seville’s barber and resident “jack-of-all-trades” (or factotum), can only be rivaled by that of the insatiable Falstaff (from those other operas). Figaro is hired by Count Almaviva to come up with a scheme whereby he could marry Rosina, ward of Dr. Bartolo who also wishes to marry her. In his aria, Figaro develops a plan to sneak the Count in under disguise as a sick soldier. After several thwarted attempts and facing arrest as kidnappers, the count reveals his identity and his marriage to Rosina is applauded by all but Dr. Bartolo, who must be satisfied with receiving her dowry, instead.
An interesting side note is that Rossini’s production was met with hostility and considered sacrilege, as Giovanni Paiseillo’s production, 40 years earlier, was heralded as a masterpiece. However, after the first performance, audiences realized the superiority of Rossini’s version. A solo cornet version of Paiseillo’s “Hope Told a Flat’ring Tale” can be found in the Olde Towne Brass collection.
Bonnie
Jean Q.S.
,
1856, Charles Osborne
[1st Brigade Band Books]
All original sheet music show the title as Bonny Jean. Two different tunes and lyric sets have been found; however, The Osborne version is correct here. With lyrics written by George Linley, several editions were released. The song was quite popular with Gen. JEB Stuart and his musical entourage.
Dixie (#56) w/ Reels 1-3,
1864, Emmett and L.L. Sanburn
“Tecumseh's Q.S.”
[1st Brigade Band Books]
Dixie,
although associated with the Confederacy, was present, in one form or
another, in every Union Band Book, having been a favorite of President
Lincoln and just one Hell of a good tune. When the 3rd Wisconsin
reorganized as the 1st Brigade Band, their first assignment was
Huntsville, AL.— staging area for Sherman's campaign to Atlanta. . The
second melody presented is an old fife and drum tune known as “Post’s
Quickstep.” During the Civil War, the tune was revived by L. L Sanburn
and published under the titled “Tecumseh’s Quick Step.” The combination
of Dixie and the quickstep honoring William Tecumseh Sherman was,
indeed, an irony. Of course, the song could have been about the American
Indian chief that fought the U.S. during the War of 1812, instead.
One of the
most familiar and popular tunes of all time,
Dixie's Land (or
Dixie) was subjected to many
lyrical parodies, including one by Brig. Gen. Albert Pike, whose War
Song of Dixie called “Southrons to Arms.” Emmett's “walk-around” was
being performed in Chicago where Abraham Lincoln, then attorney for the
Illinois Central Railroad in the “Sand-Bar” litigation, stood, applauded
violently, and shouted, “Let's have it again! Let's have it again!”
Lincoln requested the tune frequently after he was elected and had it
performed immediately upon hearing of Lee's surrender proclaiming it
“captured” and, once again, the whole Nation's property. Mrs. John Wood,
a New Orleans actress, has been credited with the South's introduction
to the tune when Carlo Patti, music director of the Variety Theatre,
used it in a musical production of John Brougham's Pocahontas.
There the tune accompanied a march and drill routine of 40 women dressed
as Zouaves. It was so successful it had to be repeated 7 times. This
“martial” use of the tune carried over to the soldiers when a quickstep
version was arranged for Louisiana regiments.
Conflicting
stories surround Mr. Hermann Arnold’s acquisition of the tune, but what
is known is that he arranged the tune as a quickstep for the inaugural
parade of Jefferson Davis, February 18, 1861. Arnold claimed to have
heard Emmett perform the tune at the New Montgomery Theater, when John
Wilkes Booth starred at its opening. Arnold transcribed the tune onto
the wallpaper of the theater, and later arranged it for his band. That
segment of wallpaper is now housed in the Alabama Department of Archives
and History Building, in Montgomery. However, in a 1924 interview, Mr.
Arnold said that the tune was an old German song, and that after showing
Emmett the tune; Emmett added words and published it as his own.
Though many
composers claimed to have written Dixie, none were successful in
their challenge. This is not to say Emmett merely “pulled the song from
thin air.” He later made conflicting statements as to its origin,
stating it was an old circus tune or even a nursery song. It is very
likely he heard it, or something quite similar, as a child in Knox
County, Ohio. That was also the home of the Snowden Family Band, a
family of free blacks, who supplemented their income by giving concerts
throughout the region. Two sons, Ben and Lew, continued performing into
the 1900s. Their common headstone is inscribed: “They taught ‘Dixie’ to
Dan Emmett.”
The great
Italian patriot, Giuseppe Garibaldi, was born in 1807 to a country
overrun by France and Austria. By age 25, he was organizing rebellions
against foreign oppression, whether in his Italian homeland or others,
such as Brazil and Uruguay.
Garibaldi's popularity, his
skill at rousing the masses, and his military exploits are all credited
with making the unification of Italy possible. At the outbreak of the
American Civil War, Garibaldi volunteered his services to President
Abraham Lincoln and was invited to serve as a major general.
Garibaldi declined, stating he would only accept command of the entire
Union Army, and only on condition that slavery would definitely be
abolished, and the offer was quietly withdrawn.Garibaldi had actually
exiled in New York City, in 1850.
During the Austro-Sardinian War of 1859, Luigi Mercantini composed the
Hymn of Garibaldi, which was set to music by Oliveri. A version was
published in America, with new words by Pasquale Rondinella, entitled
“All Forward,” to benefit wounded Union soldiers.
This
march version differs slightly from the original publication, and is
accompanied by the “Yellow Rose of Texas.”
Gentle
Annie ,
Stephen Foster
Washington Greys,
1849, Claudio S. Grafulla (1810 –
1880) [4th NH,
Manchester Cornet Band Books]
Dedicated to
the 8th Regiment, New York National Guard, the “Washington Greys,” this
is still popular with today’s bands. Grafulla was a prolific composer of
military and popular music as well as a pre-eminent conductor of bands.
Moving from his homeland of Minorca, Spain to America in 1838, Grafulla
quickly established his reputation playing in Ned Lothian’s New York
Brass Band, which was attached to the 7th Regiment New York
State Militia. He had attained national prominence by 1850, and band
books of the mid to late 1800s (including Union and Confederate bands
during the Civil War) were filled with numerous charts. Grafulla formed
his own 48-piece band (complete with woodwinds and trombones), which was
known, erroneously, as the 7th Regiment Band. This band did
accompany the 7th Regiment in the war, but only for 3 months
– returning home to support the effort through benefit concerts.
Grafulla led the band until his death from pneumonia, at age 68.
Grafulla was unmarried and left no heirs.
By age 21, Irish-born Patrick Gilmore was already
leader of the Boston Brigade Band. At the start of the Civil War, he was
leader of the 24th Mass. Regt. Band. A few years later he was
made Bandmaster of the entire U.S. Army. Though his career flourished
after the war, he will always be remembered for one tune, which he
borrowed from his Irish homeland, When Johnny Comes Marching Home.
This is an arrangement of the tune as it was originally
published, under the title, The Soldier's Return.
This arrangement
is from the books of the 1st Brigade Band of Brodhead, Wisconsin. This
unit organized as the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regt. Band in 1861 but was
decommissioned by the Federal government in 1862 in an effort to curb
costs. The band re-organized in early 1864 as the 1st Brigade Band, 3rd
Division, 15th Army Corps. This was Gen. Sherman's Division
and the band accompanied him on his “march to the sea.” Their first
assignment was in Huntsville, Alabama (this writer's home). The band was
on furlough during Sherman's burning of Atlanta, but rejoined the
Division shortly thereafter. Root's “Battle Cry” was the definitive
rally song for the Union and though the phrase “rally 'round the flag”
appears in the song it should not be confused with another popular song:
“Rally 'Round the Flag.” “Kingdom Coming” is a delightful comic song
describing the sudden disappearance of the master everyone called
“Cap'n” and the changes on the plantation after the threat of Union
occupation.
The Battle Cry of Freedom, 1862 George Frederick Root (1820 – 1895) [piano: Root & Cady]
Root was
already a leading music educator and editor when he joined his brother
and Chauncey Cady at their publishing firm and began producing some of
the most memorable songs of the 1800's. This rallying song sparked great
fervor and spurred-on many men in battle, North and South. As with most
popular songs, words were often altered to fit the singer, so that a
powerful pro-Union song could be sung with as much zeal by any
Confederate sympathizer. In his biography, Root claims to have been
inspired by Lincoln's second call for troops and wrote the words and
music in only a few hours and performed it at a huge rally on July 24,
1862 with the ink barely dry.
Publisher
George Root recognized a masterpiece when he saw it and set out some of
the most elaborate promotion this song, culminating with the
introduction by Christy's Minstrels prior to its release. The song's
success was immediate and overwhelming. Though Work had never witnessed
first-hand the slavery situation in the South, he was familiar as his
father was active in the Underground Railroad and their home was a
“station.” Despite its view, the song was extremely popular in the
South. When Blackmar published the song in Augusta, the cover boasted
“As Sung by the First Tennessee Opera Troupe,” which was actually the
company’s glee club. The song was reportedly sung by Negro troops as
they marched into Richmond April 3, 1865.
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