The early brass band music of the 1850s was made up of cornets and saxhorns that were capable of producing music of great charm and style. Most bands used all brass. Brass instruments withstood the rigors of the outdoors. During and prior to the Civil War, musical training for band musicians occurred at the "School of Practice for U.S.A. Field Musicians" at Governor's Island, New York. Many volunteer regiments recruited bands. Band recruiting was so successful that by the end of 1861, the Union Army had 618 bands and more than 28,000 musicians. The majority of militia bands comprised of highly trained musicians augmented with some lesser trained performers to fill out the sound of the band. From loud field drum that kept everyone in step to sentimental songs that soldiers sang in their free time, music played an extremely important part in the American Civil War.

During the war, the duties of Union bands varied. They performed concerts, parades, reviews, and guard mount ceremonies for encamped troops. They also drummed soldiers out of the Army and performed for funerals and executions. The bands played for troops marching into battle, actually performing concerts in forward positions during the fighting. The martial and patriotic music the bands performed frightened the enemy and rallied soldiers to victory. Bands were stationed at major military hospitals lifting the morale of suffering soldiers. Buglers sounded calls throughout the day. The non-musical duties of bandsmen were primarily medical. They helped set up field hospitals and during and after the fighting, they carried the wounded to hospitals, helped surgeons perform amputations, and discarded limbs.

The bands were well thought of by the soldiers. A soldier of the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment wrote in 1862, "I don't know what we should have done without our band. It is acknowledged by everyone to be the best in the division. Every night about sundown Gilmore gives us a splendid concert, playing selections from the operas and some very pretty marches, quicksteps, waltzes and the like."

Listen to Samples:

To hear a song sample, click on the "Listen ."

TRACK	RUNNING TIME	MP3
1. Hunters' Chorus, from The Rose of Erin (Band)	00:04:38
2. O Summer Night, from Don Pasquale (Band)	00:01:55
3. Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway (Vocal)	00:05:15
4. The Herdsman's Mountain Song (Vocal)	00:03:28
5. Captain Shepherd's Quickstep (Band)	00:04:03
6. Captain Finch's Quickstep (Band)	00:04:49
7. Indiana Polka (Band)	00:02:11
8. Old Memories (Vocal)	00:02:03
9. The Moonbeam Waltzes (Band)	00:07:12
10. La Fontaine (Piano)	00:04:26
11. Upon a Summer's Day (Vocal)	00:02:23
12. Slow March: Midnight! (Band)	00:03:17
13. Scots Wha Hae: Variations (Piano)	00:03:06
14. General Taylor Storming Monterey (Band)	00:03:18
15. Lilly Bell Quickstep (Band)	00:01:59
16. Door Latch Quickstep (Band)	00:03:55
17. The Heart Bow'd Down (Vocal)	00:04:13
18. Why, No One to Love? (Vocal)	00:02:03
19. Free and Easy (Band)	00:04:54
20. 1st Brigade Band - Fantasia (Bonus)	00:00:41
21. 1st Brigade Band - Galathea (Bonus)	00:00:27
22. 1st Brigade Band - Prayer Freischutz (Bonus)	00:00:30

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CONTENTS:

More music was written during the American Civil War than during any other time of national mobilization, yet few songs remain familiar in today's world. If you listen carefully to the Audio CD you will find every possible emotion displayed in the music of the period, from sincere grief and longing to maudlin sentimentality written specifically for commercial reasons.

A range of musical moods are to be heard in this inspiring and yet enchanting CD, from the poignant notes of the piano recital to the gay Polkas and the quicksteps to the graceful waltzes. From the beat of the drummers, to the clarion call of the bugles and the brass to the occasional horn and flute, which give this music its special appeal, we have here a myriad of feelings expressed. Music gentle to the ears, free and easy in spirit, signifying a battle well fought and perhaps won, light and skippy tunes, spirited marching tunes intercepted with a longing for home and the sadder tunes which speak of the ravages of war which even the band had to endure.

This CD takes through the gamut of duties that a solder had to perform, in station and in the battle field. It brings home to us the fact that solders are after all human, with common emotions, longings and desire for success. What is amazing is the sensitivity of the band to these thoughts and emotions which is beautifully brought out in these 22 files on this CD.

For all of those who love to listen to the music from the Civil War period this CD is a delight which will bring you over an hour of good music.

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

When I heard the music of the bands from the Civil War I was transported to another era and remembered my history and all the classics that one has read about the time. It was another world altogether, even though the war lasted nearly a decade, the grace and valor of the people could not be denied. May be I am a die hard romantic but I cannot help being captivated by those times when even musicians accompanied the armies into the battle field, urging and inspiring the soldiers to venture forth into battle and fight for victory alone.

In this day and age when music is played to our solders over the wireless from thousands of miles away, this audio CD, with 22 files or numbers, will help you appreciate that well trained people who made up the Band and went to the war front with only their musical instruments, not guns, just to egg the soldiers on. Performing under fire became commonplace for bands and many performed at the front during battle playing the liveliest airs in their repertory. They too were heroes, though unsung, who helped win the war as General Sheridan rightly remarked while paying tribute to Army bands "Music has done its share, and more than its share, in winning this war."

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"My class in school often does enactments from the Civil War and we have always wondered how to fit the various roles played with the right kind of music. But with the discovery of this CD we need look no further; it depicts every mood of the war, from the somber to the marshal, from the light to the inspired and determined. We love it all, so did the kids in class. Thanks, A2ZCDS."

Customer's Name: Erica King (Brooksville, Florida)