Contributed by Jack Kopstein
Posted with permission from the author Dr. Jill M. Sullivan

My original research started in December 2000. Using historical method and interviews with 79 women military musicians–most octogenarians–I discovered that there were eight U.S. women’s military bands and four drum and bugle corps serving during the war era. All ensembles were conducted by women, six of whom were music teachers before the war. Band members brought a variety of music experience and expertise with them into the military: music degrees, music teaching, professional dance band experience, and school, town, and industry band membership. Most women started their instrumental performing in school bands, and supplemented this instruction with private lessons. Women also remembered participating in other school instrumental activities prior to the war, such as rhythm bands, national band contests, solo and ensemble contests, and college bands. In addition to U.S. women’s military bands, Canada and England utilized women’s bands to serve their female troops. This World War II research led me to find more women’s bands that existed long before and after the war: the Women’s Air Force Band, the 14th Army Band, the Hormel Girls Drum and Bugle Corps, and nineteenth and twentieth century women’s town, military, immigrant, and suffrage bands. This important scholarly pursuit helps fill gaps in instrumental music history and music education by documenting women’s roles as instrumental musicians, music teachers, and conductors for a century in America (1870-1976).

During W.W. II the United States government created women’s reserve units and recruited women to “free a man to fight.” Each military branch enlisted women into separate units from the men and assigned these units catchy acronyms: the Coast Guard SPARS (Semper Paratus, Always Ready), the Army WAAC/WAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps/Women’s Army Corps), the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), and the Marine Corps WR (Women’s Reserve). Women enlisted from all parts of the country and held a variety of jobs, one of which was being a member of a military band.

All branches of the service had women’s bands. The first activated was in 1942 at the WAAC Training Center in Fort Des Moines, Iowa. The following year all other military branches started bands, while the WAAC–later named WAC–added four more to training centers around the country. The WAVES were the only branch of the service that did not have full-time duty status for its women’s military band. At the close of W.W. II, all bands were deactivated except the 400th WAC ASF Band which was renamed the 14th WAC Band in 1947, and lasted through 1976. The following year men were accepted into the band, the name was changed to the 14th Army Band, and a man was assigned as conductor. In addition, the WAC had the only female black band in the history of the United States military, the 404th, located at Fort Des Moines.

Band membership ranged from 28 to 48 players, with a mix of musical backgrounds from high school to college conservatory graduates, music teachers, and professional dance band experience. Women jumped at the opportunity to perform in a military band since performance opportunities for women were rare. Some women reported that they turned down the chance to become officers to be in a band.

All of the ensembles had an assortment of patriotic duties that called for a variety of music. It was essential for each unit to perform concerts, march in reviews and parades, and perform at service clubs with a dance band. In addition, several of the groups had a Dixieland band, a drum and bugle corps, small chamber ensembles, instrumental soloists, vocal soloists, and choral ensembles. While touring the nation, these women helped raise millions of dollars in bonds for the war effort.

ALTISSIMO FEATURE ARTICLE

24 Notes That Tap Deep Emotions
Jari A. Villanueva

Altissimo is proud to present the history of “Taps.” We are pleased to provide this article with the permission of the author, Jari A. Villanueva (pictured below). Please access his website

TAPS
Of all the military bugle calls, none is so easily recognized or more apt to render emotion than the call ‘Taps.’ The melody is both eloquent and haunting and the history of its origin is interesting and somewhat clouded in controversy. In the British Army, a similar call known as ‘Last Post’ has been sounded over soldier’s graves since 1885, but the use of Taps is unique with the United States military, since the call is sounded at funerals, wreath-laying, and memorial services. Up to the Civil War, the infantry call for “Lights Out” was that set down in Silas Casey’s (1801-1882) “Tactics,” which had been borrowed from the French. The music for Taps was changed by Union General Daniel Butterfield for his Brigade (Third Brigade, First Division, Fifth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac) in July, 1862. Daniel Adams Butterfield (31 Oct. 1831-17 July 1901) was born in Utica, New York and graduated from Union College at Schenectady. He was the eastern superintendent of the American Express Company in New York, when the Civil War broke out.

Despite his lack of military experience, he rose quickly in rank. A Colonel in the 12th Regiment of the New York State Militia, he was promoted to Brigadier General and given command of a brigade of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac. The 12th served in the Shenandoah Valley during the Bull Run Campaign. During the Peninsular campaign Butterfield served prominently when during the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, despite an injury, he seized the colors of the 3rd Pennsylvania and rallied the regiment at a critical time in the battle. Years later, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for that act of heroism.

As the story goes, General Butterfield was not pleased with the call for ‘Lights Out,’ feeling that the call was too formal to signal the days end. With the help of the brigade bugler, Oliver Wilcox Norton, Butterfield wroteTaps to honor his men while in camp at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia following the Seven Day’s battle. These battles took place during the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. The call, sounded that night in July, 1862, soon spread to other units of the Union Army and was even used by the Confederates. Taps was made an official bugle call after the war. The highly romantic account of how Butterfield ‘composed’ the call surfaced in 1898 following a magazine article written that summer. The August, 1898 issue of Century Magazine contained an article called “The Trumpet in Camp and Battle” by Gustav Kobbe, a music historian and critic. He was writing about the origin of bugle calls in the Civil War and in reference to Taps, wrote:

“In speaking of our trumpet calls I purposely omitted one with which it seemed most appropriate to close this article, for it is the call which closes the soldier’s day-‘Light’s Out’. “I have not been able to trace this call to any other service. If it seems probable, it was original with Major Seymour, he has given our army the most beautiful of all trumpet-calls”

Kobbe was using as an authority the Army drill manual on infantry tactics prepared by Major General Emory Upton in 1867 (revised in 1874). The bugle calls in the manual were compiled by Major (later General) Truman Seymour of the 5th U.S. Artillery. Taps was called “Lights Out” in these manuals since it was to replace the “Lights Out” disliked by Butterfield.

The title of the call was not changed until later, although other manuals started calling it Taps because most soldiers knew it by that name. Since Seymour was responsible for the music in the Army manual, Kobbe assumed that he had written the call. Kobbe’s inability to find the origin of “Light’s Out” (Taps) prompted a letter from Oliver W. Norton in Chicago who claimed he knew how the call came about and that he was the first to perform it.

Norton wrote: Chicago, August 8, 1898
“I was much interested in reading the article by Mr. Gustav Kobbe, on the Trumpet and Bugle Calls, in the August “Century.” Mr. Kobbe says that he has been unable to trace the origin of the call now used for Taps, or the “Go to sleep”, as it is generally called by the soldiers. As I am unable to give the origin of this call, I think the following statement may be of interest to Mr. Kobbe and your readers. During the early part of the Civil War I was bugler at the Headquarters of Butterfield’s Brigade, Meroll’s Division, Fitz-John Porter’s Corps, Army of the Potomac. Up to July 1862, the Infantry call for Taps was that set down in Casey’s Tactics, which Mr. Kobbe says was borrowed from the French. One day, soon after the seven days’ battles on the Peninsular, when the Army of the Potomac was lying in camp at Harrison’s landing General Daniel Butterfield, then commanding our Brigade, sent for me, and showing me some notes on a staff written in pencil on the back of an envelope, asked me to sound them on my bugle. I did this several times, playing the music as written. He changed it somewhat, lengthening some notes and shortening others, but retaining the melody as he first gave it to me. After getting it to his satisfaction, he directed me to sound that call for Taps thereafter in place of the regulation call. The music was beautiful on that still summer night and was heard far beyond the limits of our Brigade. The next day I was visited by several buglers from neighboring Brigades, asking for copies of the music, which I gladly furnished. I think no general order was issued from army headquarters authorizing the substitution of this for the regulation call, but as each brigade commander exercised his own discretion in such minor matters, the call was gradually taken up through the Army of the Potomac. I have been told that it was carried to the Western Armies by the 11th and 12th Corps when they went to Chattanooga in the fall of 1863, and rapidly made it’s way through those armies. I did not presume to question General Butterfield at the time but from the manner in which the call was given to me, I have no doubt he composed it in his tent at Harrison’s Landing. I think General Butterfield is living at Cold Spring, New York. If you think the matter of sufficient interest and care to write him on the subject, I have no doubt he will confirm my statement.”

-Oliver W. Norton

The editor did write to Butterfield as suggested by Norton. In answer to the inquiry from the editor of the “Century”, General Butterfield writing from “Cragside”, Cold Spring, under the date of August 31, 1898 he wrote:

“I recall, in my dim memory, the substantial truth of the statement made by Norton, of the 83rd Pa., about bugle calls. His letter gives the impression that I personally wrote the notes for the call. The facts are, that at the time I could sound calls on the bugle as a necessary part of military knowledge and instruction for an officer commanding a regiment or brigade. I had acquired this as a regimental commander. I had composed a call for my brigade, to precede any calls, indicating that such were calls, or orders, for my brigade alone. This was of very great use and effect on the march and in battle. It enabled me to cause my whole command, at times, in march, covering over a mile on the road, all to halt instantly, and lie down, and all arise and start at the same moment; to forward in line of battle, simultaneously, in action and charge etc. It saves fatigue. The men rather liked their call and began to sing my name to it. It was three notes and a catch. I can not write a note of music, but have gotten my wife to write it from my whistling it to her, and enclose it. The men would sing, “Dan, Dan, Dan, Butterfield, Butterfield” to the notes when a call came. Later, in battle, or in some trying circumstances or an advance of difficulties, they sometimes sang, “Damn, Damn, Damn, Butterfield, Butterfield”. The call of Taps did not seem to be as smooth, melodious and musical as it should be, and I called in some one who could write music, and practiced a change in the call of Taps until I had it suit my ear, and then, as Norton writes, got it to my taste without being able to write music or knowing the technical name of any note, but, simply by ear, arranged it as Norton describes. I did not recall him in connection with it, but his story is substantially correct. Will you do me the favor to send Norton a copy of this letter by your typewriter? I have none.”
-Daniel Butterfield

On the surface, this seems to be the true history of the origin of Taps. Indeed, the many articles written about Taps cite this story as the beginning of Butterfield’s association with the call. Certainly, Butterfield never went out of his way to claim credit for its composition and it wasn’t until the Century article that the origin came to light. There are however, significant differences in Butterfield’s and Norton’s stories. Norton says that the music given to him by Butterfield that night was written down on an envelope while Butterfield wrote that he could not read or write music! Also, Butterfield’s words seem to suggest that he was not composing a melody in Norton’s presence, but actually arranging or revising an existing one. As a commander of a brigade, he knew of the bugle calls needed to relay troop commands. All officers of the time were required to know the calls and were expected to be able to play the bugle. Butterfield was no different he could play the bugle but could not read music. As a colonel of the12th N.Y. Regiment, before the war, he had ordered his men to be thoroughly familiar with calls and drills. never went out of his way to claim credit for its composition and it wasn’t until the Century article that the origin came to light. There are however, significant differences in Butterfield’s and Norton’s stories. Norton says that the music given to him by Butterfield that night was written down on an envelope while Butterfield wrote that he could not read or write music! Also, Butterfield’s words seem to suggest that he was not composing a melody in Norton’s presence, but actually arranging or revising an existing one. As a commander of a brigade, he knew of the bugle calls needed to relay troop commands. All officers of the time were required to know the calls and were expected to be able to play the bugle. Butterfield was no different he could play the bugle but could not read music. As a colonel of the12th N.Y. Regiment, before the war, he had ordered his men to be thoroughly familiar with calls and drills.

What could account for the variation in stories? My research shows that Butterfield did not compose Taps but actually revised an earlier bugle call. This sounds blasphemous to many, but the fact is that Taps existed in an early version of the call Tattoo. As a signal for end of the day, armies have used Tattoo to signal troops to prepare them for bedtime roll call. The call was used to notify the soldiers to cease the evening’s drinking and return to their garrisons. It was sounded an hour before the final call of the day to extinguish all fires and lights. This early version is found in three manuals the Winfield Scott (1786-1866) manual of 1835, the Samuel Cooper (1798-1876) manual of 1836 and the William Gilham (1819?-1872) manual of 1861. This call referred to as the Scott Tattoo was in use from 1835-1860. A second version of tattoo came into use just before the Civil War and was in use throughout war replacing the Scott Tattoo. The fact that Norton says that Butterfield “composed” Taps cannot be questioned. He was relaying the facts as he remembered them. His conclusion that Butterfield wrote Taps can be explained by the presence of the second Tattoo. It was most likely that the second Tattoo, followed by “Extinguish Lights”, (the first eight measures of today’s Tattoo), was sounded by Norton during the course of the war.

It seems possible that these two calls were sounded to end the soldier’s day on both sides during the war. It must, therefore, be evident that Norton did not know the early Tattoo, or he would have immediately recognized it that evening in Butterfield’s tent. If you review the events of that evening, Norton came into Butterfield’s tent and played notes that were already written down on an envelope. Then Butterfield “changed it somewhat, lengthening some notes and shortening others, but retaining the melody as he first gave it to me.” If you compare that statement while looking at the present day Taps you will see that this is exactly what happened to turn the early (Scott) Tattoo in Taps. Butterfield as stated above, was a Colonel before the War and in General Order No. 1 issued by him on December 7, 1859 had the order: “The Officer’s and non-commissioned Officers are expected to be thoroughly familiar with the first thirty pages, Vol. 1,of Scott’s Tactics, and ready to answer any questions in regard to the same previous to the drill above ordered” Scott’s Tactics include the bugle calls that Butterfield must have known and used. If Butterfield was using Scott’s Tactics for drills-then it is feasible that he would have used the calls as set in the manual. Lastly, it is hard to believe that Butterfield could have composed anything that July in the aftermath of the Seven Days battles which saw the Union Army of the Potomac mangled by Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Over twenty six thousand casualties were suffered on both sides. Butterfield had lost over 600 of his men on June 27th at the battle of Gaines Mill and had himself been wounded. In the midst of the heat, humidity, mud, mosquitoes, dysentery, typhoid and general wretchedness of camp life in that early July, it is hard to imagine being able to write anything. In the interest of historical accuracy, it should be noted that it is not General Butterfield who composed Taps, rather that he revised an earlier call into the present day bugle call we know as Taps. This is not meant to take credit away from him. It is only to put things in a correct historic manner.

Following the Peninsular Campaign, Butterfield served at 2nd Bull Run, Antietam and at Marye’s Heights in the Battle of Fredericksburg. Through political connections and his ability for administration he became a Major General and served as chief of staff of the Union Army of the Potomac under Generals Joseph Hooker and George Meade. He was wounded at Gettysburg and then reassigned to the Western Theater. By wars end, he was brevetted a brigadier general and stayed in the army after the Civil War, serving as superintendent of the army’s recruiting service in New in New York City and colonel of the 5th Infantry In 1870. After resigning from the military, Butterfield went back to work with the American Express Company. He was in charge of a number of special public ceremonies, including General William Tecumseh Sherman’s funeral in 1889. Besides his association with Taps, Butterfield also designed the system of Corps Badges, which were distinctive shapes of color cloth sewn on to uniforms to distinguish units. Butterfield died in 1901. His tomb is the most ornate in the cemetery at West Point despite the fact that he never attended. There is also a monument to Butterfield in New York City near Grant’s Tomb. There is nothing on either monument that mentions Taps or Butterfield’s association with the call. Taps was sounded at his funeral.

How did it become associated with funerals? The earliest official reference to the mandatory use of Taps at military funeral ceremonies is found in the U.S. Army Infantry Drill Regulations for 1891, although it had doubtless been used unofficially long before that time, under it’s former designation “Extinguish Lights.” The first use of Taps at a funeral was during the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia. Captain John C. Tidball of Battery A, 2nd Artillery ordered it played for the burial of a cannoneer killed in action. Since the enemy was close, and worried that the traditional 3 volleys would renew fighting, Tidball had the bugler sound Taps as a tribute to the fallen man. The custom, thus originated, was taken up throughout the Army of the Potomac, and finally confirmed by orders. This first sounding of Taps at a military funeral is commemorated in a stained glass window at The Chapel of the Centurion (The Old Post Chapel) at Fort Monroe, Virginia. The window, made by R. Geissler of New York, was dedicated in 1958 and shows a bugler and a flagstaff at half mast. The window design is based on a painting by Sidney King. In that picture a drummer boy stands beside the bugler. The grandson of that drummer boy purchased Berkeley Plantation where Harrison’s Landing is located.

The site where Taps was born is also commemorated. In this case by a monument located on the grounds of Berkeley Plantation. This monument to Taps was erected by the Virginia American Legion and dedicated on July 4, 1969. The site is also rich in history, for the Harrison’s of Berkeley Plantation included Benjamin Harrison and William Henry Harrison-both presidents of the United States and one a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It must be pointed out that other stories of the origin of Taps exist. A popular one is that of a Northern boy who was killed fighting for the south. His father, Robert Ellison a Captain in the Union Army, came upon his son’s body on the battlefield and found the notes to Taps in a pocket of the dead boy’s Confederate uniform. When Union General Daniel Sickles heard the story he had the notes sounded at the boy’s funeral. There is no evidence to back up the story or the existence of Captain Ellison. As with many other customs, the 24 notes that that comprise this solemn tradition began and continues to this day and although Butterfield merely revised an earlier bugle call, his role in producing those 24 notes gives him a place in the history of music as well as the history of war.

Jari A. Villanueva is a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force Band at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington DC. A graduate of Peabody Conservatory and Kent State University, he is currently working on an exhibit to be opened at Arlington National Cemetery and research on what will hopefully result in a work entitled “Day is Done, The History of Bugle Calls in The United States With Particular Attention To Taps.”

Community Music from the Golden Heart of Alaska
CONCERT BANDS IN THE LAST FRONTIER

Contributed by Jack Kopstein
Edited by Krista Slinkard

Today’s Fairbanks Community Band is part of a long tradition in Fairbanks history. Fairbanks bands have existed almost continuously from the near the beginning of the 20th century, but names and dates are subject to dispute; it all depends on whose memory you consult. Despite changing names, conductors, and even type of music played, the bands of Fairbanks’ past inspired the Fairbanks Community Band to be what it is today.

The band that is known today has a heritage of many different beginnings as the years went by. Earliest records document a town brass band in 1905 with nine members directed by Charles Westley. According to a concert brochure dated in the 1950s, a 10-piece Cowboy Band was organized in 1909. Then, in 1914, William Gobracht, a very tough instructor with a heavy German accent according to Chuck Grey, organized and directed a band of 18 members. In 1920, V.F. Jake Jacobs took over leadership of the band until 1945. The band was in a hiatus until 1948 when it was taken over by Kenneth Lauritzen, who invited William Gobracht, who by this time was likely in his 80’s, back to conduct some of the rehearsals and a concert or two. Two years later in 1950, Eva Myhre took over as conductor of the community band, which finally had to disband in 1952 due to the Korean War.

In 1956 Tom Brady started the University Civic band comprising university students and community members, but no one remembers for just how long this particular phase of the band’s past stuck around. From 1959 through 1961, Bob Boko ran a community Band with Jack O’Connor. In 1961 Jack left the state and Bob Boko took over the reins of the Lathrop High School Band Program. His departure marked the end of the community band program in Fairbanks until the fall of 1994 when George Wiese, Band Director of West Valley High School, and Donald Hildie, Band Director of Lathrop High School, saw a need for a community band. They approached Tracy Gibbons, who was the director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Wind Ensemble, to see if he would have the time to conduct a community band as well. When he agreed to conduct, the three of them went to an attorney to draw up a set of by-laws for the band and to apply for non-profit status.

In 1997, Gibbons left the University of Alaska, vacating his position as conductor, and the Board of Directors asked then-retired band director Boko if he would reprise his role from the early 1960s and take over the job as conductor. When Boko retired from the band in the spring of 2004, the Board called on Hildie, the now retired Lathrop High band director, to assume his position. Hildie agreed and took the job of conductor/music director for the community band in the fall of 2004.

After a two-year run as conductor, Don retired from the band after a farewell concert on October 22, 2006 and the baton passed to Ann Musco, a faculty member in the UAF Music Department and conductor of the UAF Wind Symphony. Ann was the director of music and conductor of the concert band until the summer of 2007, when she passed the baton on to Roger Ridenour.

The following summer, Roger, expecting to be transferred out of state, resigned as director and was replaced by Wendy Ward, a music teacher in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. At the present time, Wendy is still director of the Concert Band, and is an active member of the Jazz Band, where she plays alto saxophone.

The Fairbanks Community Band is a non-profit organization for the presentation and support of rehearsals and concerts. Their members are adult musicians who want to continue performing as a lifelong avocation and to support the musical development of members of the local community. Participants are all volunteers and come from a wide variety of roles within the community. Most of the members received their early training in public school music programs, and some continued to study music through college or in the military. A number of members are active or retired music teachers looking for a creative outlet to play their instruments as well as lead their school groups in music education

The concert band (sometimes called a wind symphony or symphonic band) includes about 55 people who play woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments. Their performances are drawn from the full range of the concert repertoire from marches to symphonies to popular compositions both old and new. The group meets from September through May and plays four concerts each year in a local auditorium at the Park Arts Center. The band does not charge admission for public concerts. Donations are welcome. Both bands present concerts, either separately, together, or with other groups. In the off-season, the band splits into smaller versions including a concert band and a jazz band.

The Concert Band is active from May through July, mostly playing concerts outdoors. The outdoor repertoire features music more suitable for that environment than the indoor performance repertoire, but may include some of the same pieces. Outdoor performances are informal. Audiences often move about during concerts. Kids, pets, and families are especially welcomed as are picnic lunches or snacks.

The Jazz Band is structured as a traditional Big Band. This is a group of about 16 performers, typically including 5 saxophones, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, bass, and drums. A vocalist or a guitar may be added to the basic group. The Big Band is modeled after the popular bands of the jazz and swing eras, many of which continue today. The history of big band music is rich and diverse. The music includes many forms of dance music and several varieties of jazz. The band often features vocal or instrumental solos by band members or guest artists.

Both bands play for community events and in support of non-profit organizations and are also available for hire for private events and special occasions. The Bands play occasional concerts and appear with other local performance groups, and they occasionally join with the Concert Band for a combined concert. Fees for performances are used to expand our libraries and to purchase and maintain our performance equipment.

During the summer, the bands play several outdoor concerts including the Wednesday evening concerts program at Golden Heart Plaza in downtown Fairbanks. They are a regular participant in the annual Golden Days Parade, the midnight sun festival, community walks and other celebrations. One or both groups usually play at the fair in August.

In addition to the concert schedule, the Concert Band provides music for graduation ceremonies of the Adult Learning Programs of Alaska, and other small schools which cannot provide their own music. We are proud to provide this community service to enhance the experience of students completing their high school education.

Because of their high involvement with the local community, and because we happen to think Alaska is pretty cool, we are proud to present the Fairbanks Community Band from Fairbanks, Alaska, as the Altissimo! Community Band Spotlight for the Month of May 2010.

For more information on this band, please visit their website here.

If you know of a band or are in a band you’d like to see featured in our Spotlight, please email Krista at krista@militarymusic.com.

An Air Force Band album has hit the charts! Congrats to SMSgt Joe Jackson and the USAF Airmen of Note on this exciting accomplishment!! “Cool Yule” is available on iTunes from Altissimo here.

The following announcement was posted on the USAF Band’s website (view original post here).

“Cool Yule Climbs the Charts!”
by Master Sgt. Brian McCurdy
The USAF Band

1/31/2010 – BOLLING AFB, D.C. — In January, “Cool Yule”, the latest release from the Airmen of Note, climbed to number 2 on the jazz chart of JazzWeek. JazzWeek is the definitive Jazz and Smooth Jazz national radio airplay chart–a weekly report of the top fifty Jazz and Smooth Jazz recordings played on radio stations across the United States and Canada.

Senior Master Sgt. Joe Jackson, the Music Director of the Airmen of Note, was overwhelmed with the massive appeal of the recording. “The public and media response to ‘Cool Yule’ has exceeded our expectations, and has exceeded any of The Air Force Band CD projects any of us here in the Note have been involved with,” he said.

To hear what all of the buzz is about, you can download two of the tunes from “Cool Yule” from our website. “Up on the Housetop” (arranged by Master Sgt. Alan Baylock), and “Auld Lang Cha Cha Cha” (arranged by Sgt. Jackson) are currently available. While you’re there, you can navigate other downloads available from The USAF Band.

Congratulations to the Airmen of Note on this terrific accomplishment!

This interesting article is proof that you never know what you’ll find at the flea market!

A Note about the author, Lt. Justin Thompson: He is an officer serving with the Canadian Forces 4th Air Defense Regiment. He is an artillery officer. This story is very fascinating and has a great deal of human interest.

Vinyl Essay
By Lt Justin Thomson
Canadian Forces Gagetown, NB

Contributed by Jack Kopstein

To Joe and Martha Thatcher, that Sunday morning started off like any other. For the past year now they had spent every Sunday morning at the flea market, in the same corner every week, selling their relics, old VHS tapes, and a large collection of novels. Joe loads the car and takes one last look around the house. He spies the small stack of vinyl records, dusty in the corner. With hesitation he asks his wife, “Should we bring the vinyl?”

Flea markets are often synonymous with large collections of junk. At first glance, I’m inclined to agree: to my left a middle aged woman is selling a candle holder with two German shepherds dancing around the candle; one of the dogs has only one eye remaining. There is a man in the back with a stunning collection of tins and buttons, with a stack of random National Geographic magazines dating back to August, 1972. Right in front of me an elderly couple are selling what seems to be a lifetime supply of romance novels, a stack of Disney VHS tapes, and a box of vinyl records. It’s the stack of vinyl that catches my eye and draws me over.

A month before this trip I purchased a brand-new record player from the local mall. It’s something I’ve always wanted to have. For a long time I’ve had a deep appreciation for music. My father has been a radio announcer for 25 years, and over time I’ve learned to play a variety of musical instruments. Even though records were phased out by cassette tapes, and made even more irrelevant with the introduction of CDs and mp3s, there is something about the sound of music on vinyl that I just love. In just a few short weeks I’ve managed to build a decent collection of my favourites: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, and lots of classical. This particular trip to the flea market has me looking for Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Although Thriller was my main objective, I always keep an eye out for the obscure, as any good collector does. Last week at the flea market I found a priceless gem, an album entitled How to Train Your Dog. I sometimes wonder if I’m abnormal for picking up a lot of what I do, but then I’m reminded of one of my neighbours, who is so devoted to her gardening that she’ll cover half her lawn with umbrellas when it rains to keep her beautiful flower arrangements dry. I take comfort knowing I’m just as crazy as my neighbours.

I start leafing through the elderly couple’s small collection. A few records are catching my eye, and I start setting them aside. Most of it is Christmas-related, the Charlie Brown Christmas story for example. As I’m nearing the end of their collection, I discover the inspiration for this essay.

Tucked away behind an album of great duets by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn (which I also picked up) is an album titled, THE GUNS – A Centennial Tribute to the Royal Canadian Artillery. It’s the only military related vinyl in their collection. I pull it out and start to look it over. Pulling it out, I see that it’s in great condition, no scratches. I wonder if it’s ever been played. The elderly gentleman at the table finishes with a customer and notices I’ve pulled a few records aside. “The records are a dollar each,” he tells me. Putting on my best poker face I pay him for the vinyl’s, trying to disguise my excitement. I’m afraid he’ll notice my tremendous interest and like a good economist, jack the price up. Lucky for me he doesn’t pick up on my paranoia, and I hurry home to hear the results of my dollar well spent.
When I get home I head right for my record player. A quick glance at the back of the album cover reveals the fifteen tracks that make up the vinyl. My knowledge of the songs was limited. I’ve been to a few mess dinners before and seen the lyrics for “Screw Guns” on some of the menus. I recall that I’d heard a young vice PMC lead a choir of mess dinner attendees in the singing of that same song at one particular mess dinner, allowing everyone to indulge in a much needed fifteen minute bathroom break afterwards. As I further examine the record I am impressed with the artwork design that was chosen to contain the vinyl. The front cover is a simple pattern of the artillery’s colors, with the insignia in the center. The inside cover is decorated with a 2-part print of four artillerymen standing by what appears to be a firing an M105. The text in the corner is a description of the artillery memorial located on the historical “Major’s Hill Park” in Ottawa. Along with the track listing, the back cover is decorated with artwork of an artilleryman in ceremonial dress about to fire a cannon. Canadian Parliament is seen in the background. The back also states that the vinyl was recorded by the Royal Canadian Artillery Band, under the direction of a Major C.A. Villeneuve.

Not knowing very much else about the vinyl I found curiosity increasing. I decided to embark on a challenging crusade to find out as much information as I could about this historical treasure. I started my search on the first website that popped into my head: E-Bay. It’s not that I would ever consider selling this relic; but that my immediate curiosity had me wondering if there was an accompanying monetary value, perhaps more than the dollar I used to purchase it in the first place. Neither my search on e-bay nor my quick google search turned up anything relevant. Not the best start, less than a day in and I’d almost exhausted all of my resources for finding out more information. I had one more option available that I’d brainstormed: the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum. By calling the museum I was able to get in contact with Clive Prothero-Brooks, who works with the collections that come into the museum. He got back to me via e-mail a few days later. Despite having a collection of over 400 military vinyls, he did not have the album in question. He did, however, give me some useful information. He wrote, “I am guessing the date of release might be 1971, that would be 100 years from the formation of the RCA in 1871.” He wasn’t sure on how many vinyls had been pressed, but he guessed not many. He told me about the International Military Music Society (www.immscanada.ca), saying that he used to be a member, and that they might have more information.

Seeing as how my e-bay and google resources had wilted faster than my neighbour’s flowers in the frost, I saw no other option than to go forth and try the IMMS. Clicking on their ‘contact us’ page I sent an e-mail to CWO (retired) Jack Kopstein asking for help. Jack Kopstein delivered. Not only is Jack a member of the IMMS, he is also the site admin at worldmilitarybands.com. Further to that, he’s written a book entitled, When the Band Begins to Play – A History of Military Music in Canada. Needless to say, an essential ally in my crusade for knowledge. He confirmed that the record was released for Oct 20th, 1971, the centennial anniversary of the Royal Canadian Artillery. At the time, the album was recorded in Montreal by the RCA band, the oldest in the Regular Canadian Army, dating from 1899. This particular band, under the direction of (then) Major Charles Villenueve, was the band that, a few years later, would go back into the recording studio and record all of the national anthems for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. As the plot thickens I find myself needing more information. I send Jack the track listing and he sends me back a description of just about every track on the album. I discover that a lot of the tracks, for good reason, are deeply rooted within the history of the artillery. A few were initially written to honour British artillery. One folk song was written as a ‘trot’ song for mounted horseback troops pulling gun carriages. “Post Horn Gallop” was used as a call to alert all on the gun line that the mail had arrived, an obvious favourite among the troops. The opening track, titled, “A Centennial Salute” was written by one of the band’s own members, G. Pando. As the needle touches the spinning vinyl, history comes to life as a boisterous fanfare erupts into my living room, sounding triumphant, not unlike the opening theme from Star Wars. It only cost me a dollar.

I used to play violin in an orchestra before I joined the military, so I have a certain respect for each instrument, and how one person can bring together all that sound with metronome-like unison. I’m talking of the conductor. Jack tells me about Charles Villenueve. He was the director of music for the band from 1968-1978, later became the Supervisor of Music of the Canadian Forces, and retired as a Lt Colonel. Although he doesn’t have his contact information, he supplies me with a few leads to follow up on. A few days later I would be rewarded. Lt. Claude-Christian Richer from the musical History and Heritage section of NDHQ sends me an e-mail. He has included Charles Villeneuve’s military biography along with a phone number where I can reach his residence in Quebec. From the bio I learn that not only was he the CF music supervisor, but also was the music services adviser for the Chief of the Defence Staff, and the commandant of the Canadian Forces School of Music. After he retired from the regular force in 1984 he remained active in military music, holding director and advisor positions within the cadet music system. He fully retired in 1990 and enjoys spending his winters living in Florida. This is relevant because when I called him he was only a few weeks away from heading south, making me consider pressing a few vinyl records myself, in order to become famous enough to be able to afford the same luxury.

When I dialled the last digit of Charles Villenueve’s phone number and heard it start to ring, everything came together and hit me. This all started as an innocent trip to the local mall on a Sunday. Now I’m calling the man who directed this very band to play the very songs that I hear wafting through my apartment. I went from knowing nearly nothing about the album to getting to know so much more about the culture and history of military music, and the people involved. I’m so full of myself I almost forget that Charles is waiting for me to respond. “Hello?” Best not keep him waiting; the man wants to get to Florida before the snow hits. I explain who I am and how I got his number, and why I am calling. He is very friendly and more than willing to humour me and answer my questions. We spend the next half hour or so chatting about the album, the band, and his experiences. He tells me that the record took only two to three days to record. While recording, if someone made a mistake, they would stop and raise their hand so that the band could stop and try another take. Some mistakes were able to be covered up through the work of the recording studio. He tells me that the soloist who preformed the “Post Horn Gallop” has since passed away of cancer. The project itself was all funded by the Royal Canadian Artillery, and he wasn’t sure on how many copies had been made, but he did pull his out while we were talking. He figured there weren’t many out there. Up until 2007 he’d been conducting an orchestra in Florida while living there, but now he said he enjoys his time with his wife, kids, and grandchildren. Finally, he shared a funny story that occurred during the artillery centennial anniversary celebration in Petawawa during the performance of “Screw Guns”. The band started playing the tune, oblivious to the fact that the artillery was setting up for a gun salute. Half way through the song a deafening BOOM explodes from the howitzers set up next to the band. Everyone in the band stops playing except for a lone trumpeter. After realizing what happened the band shares a laugh and joins back in, and finishes strongly together.

My view of the record has totally changed from when I first laid my hands on it. I now have a much deeper appreciation for everything that went into making it, and it feels good knowing that I own a piece of history relevant to my profession, and was fortunate to learn as much as I did. I must take to time to recognize Clive, Jack, Claude-Christian and Charles, without your help I would not have had the opportunity to discover all that I did, so thank-you. Thanks to all who helped me on this endeavour, as I only made mention to the major contributors, there were a few more people behind the scenes that helped steer me in the right direction. I’d like to end with something that Jack Kopstein said to me in his first e-mail. He suggested that I transfer the recording to CD or onto my computer if I had the means, as it is valuable because of its historical significance. It made me wonder how I was able to attain it for less than the price of a cup of coffee. Whether you believe in fate or not, there is no denying I was in the right place at the right time; I’ve since returned to continue my search for epic vinyl, and I always see that couple selling their treasures, but have never again seen them with their box of vinyl.

Altissimo! has one album by the Royal Canadian Artillery Band, entitled Encore!, available here

We at Altissimo! think it’s only appropriate to recognize those who’ve made a significant contribution to the musical world, and if it’s military music, even better to recorgnize them. This month we’d like to introduce you to someone we think is pretty special. Our contributor, Jack Kopstein, sent us an email about Virginia Allen. She is a former army band director who now works at the Juilliard School of Music, building up the future of music by educating the talented youth of the new generation.

See the following biography at her website, viginiaallen.com

Virginia Allen is the Associate Dean for Administration at The Juilliard School in New York City, where she previously taught conducting, co-founded and conducted the Juilliard Trombone Choir, and served as Executive Director of the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies. She is a former faculty member at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She was also Artistic Director of the Sun Valley Summer Music Workshops in Idaho, where she founded and conducted the Sun Valley Youth Orchestra.

A former conductor in the U.S. Army Bands Program, Miss Allen was a pioneer for women in military bands. She was the first woman to command and conduct an active duty military band that included women when she was appointed Principal Conductor of The U.S. Army Forces Command Band in Atlanta. As the Associate Conductor of The U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, she was the first woman conductor of that historic organization, as well as the Cadet Glee Club and Cadet Band. She also performed on stages from the Hollywood Bowl to Europe as the first woman conductor of the Army’s premier touring ensembles from Washington, D.C., The U.S. Army Field Band and The Soldiers’ Chorus. Her military career included an assignment as the Department of the Army Staff Bands Officer in Washington, D.C., where she managed over 100 Army bands and band activities worldwide.

Miss Allen frequently guest conducts, adjudicates and teaches master classes in the U.S. and internationally. She conducted Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, and The Juilliard Trombone Choir on a compact disc recording released by the International Trombone Association in 1999 and now available as Beyond the End of the Century through Summit Records. Miss Allen collaborated with Mr. Alessi again another Summit recording, Trombonastics.

As a composer and arranger, her music has been premiered, performed and recorded by members of the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Washington Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, The Juilliard Trombone Choir, The U.S. Army Band, The U.S. Army Field Band, and The U.S. Military Academy Band. Her music has been published by Carl Fischer, Southern Music, Ludwig Music, and TRN Music. A member of ASCAP, she is a Board Member for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) and a former Board Member for the Conductors Guild.

Miss Allen studied French horn and conducting and earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of Music degree in Performance from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Diploma in Wind Conducting from the University of Calgary. She also completed an internship in Performance Activities at Juilliard. She is currently completing her Doctor of Education in the College Teaching of Music at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.

Copyright VirginiaAllen.com