[Trombone-l] Civil War Bands

[thetubameister@adelphia.net]

I suppose I should fess up a little,

Oberlin College had an annual Civil War Band, which we called the Wellington Saxhorn Band, after a surviving period drum from a nearby town.  I ran the band for a couple years, spending a week making the instruments in the President's collection function, then a week of rehearsals and performances.  Great fun.  However, even though we all had OTS saxhorns (over the shoulder), rarely were bands of the time that uniform.  I through in a little ophicleide here and there to break up the homogeneity, but it was a great time none the less.

However, I left that life 14 years ago, so I'm glad y'all are helping me reconnect to this idiom and the great repro bands now around!

J.c.S.

---- bjmchaffie at aol.com wrote: 
> Many years ago while doing some research on Dixieland, I ran across a 
> book in our library which had several pages on Civil War Bands, and it 
> was concluded by the scources of the book that those bands played in 
> front of the marching soldiers, thus the back facing horns.  It did 
> appear in some of the photos that an instrument resembling an 
> ophleclide was also used, but it did not face backwards while played of 
> course.
> 
> The bandsmen were dressed in Soave pants, vests, and blouses.
> 
> The library has been modernised therefore that kind of reference 
> material has been removed.
> 
> beldon wade
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: thetubameister at adelphia.net
> To: Adrian Drover <slide at adios.co.uk>
> Cc: 'trombone-l: server5.samford.edu' <trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>; 
> 'Harry Wootan' <hpw3 at mindspring.com>
> Sent: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 9:26 am
> Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Civil War Bands
> 
> 
> 
> Geeze, Adrian.  You're not supposed to make me laugh that loudly at 
> work, for
> crying out loud!  :-D
> 
> Everyone thinks I've lost it.
> 
> Thanks for my good morning joke; maybe the strategy was to scare hell 
> out of
> your own troops first?
> 
> J.c.
> 
> ---- Adrian Drover <slide at adios.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> >
> > > From: Harry Wootan
> > >
> > >   http://www.otbrass.com/
> > >
> > > You might even be interested in their website just to see their 
> collection
> > > of horns.
> >
> >
> > Looks like all the alto, tenor and bass instruments had backward 
> facing
> > bells.  Not very good planning for scaring the shit out of the enemy.
> > Bagpipes would have been a better choice.
> >
> > A.
> >
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