[Dixielandjazz] Brass band instruments in the Civil War (was Clarinet Question)

[David Richoux]

AFAIK the theory for the design was to have the band in front so the  
music could be heard by the marching troops in the parade. There were  
a whole family of horns from trumpet/cornet size to Eb tuba invented  
by Allen Dodworth in the 1830s and later made by Adolphe Sax. More  
info at http://www.dodworth.org/ ( the generic term became Saxhorn.)

The other major reason for the design was to have instruments that  
could be carried on the shoulder while playing and marching. It was  
not until many years later that the "Helicon" design (recalled from  
the ancient Romans) was developed for both marching and horse mounted  
bands. The Sousaphone and a few rare production Helicon Tubas are the  
only survivors of that idea today.

  I don't think "road apples" were much of a issue - nothing in the  
brass/military band books I have mentions anything about this - but  
maybe the authors were being polite. "Stuff" in the roads was quite  
common in those days - I doubt it was enough of a problem to base an  
entire class of instruments and marching band on!

BTW, musicians in most of the world's armies did not normally march  
directly into a heated battle (Pipers, Fifers, Buglers and Drummers  
were the exceptions) so having the band at the front of a parade or  
column was not considered a hazard for the musicians. I have read  
about some being hit by snipers, but the musicians were (and still  
are) often called to duty as stretcher bearers during and after  
battle (and that is much more dangerous.)

Dave Richoux

On Sep 17, 2007, at 2:47 PM, philwilking wrote:

>> From what I can see in old pictures, those instruments were not  
>> built with
> some idea of musical virtue, but rather as a practical solution to  
> a problem.
> If you want a band to play marches for the troops, and you have a  
> lot of horses and mules in the parade (officers, wagons, and  
> artillery), then you need to put the band in front to let them  
> concentrate on the music instead of the footing. But if the  
> instruments project forward, the men will not hear them, therefore  
> the "over-the-shoulder" horns. I know this is plausible, but is it  
> the truth?
>
> PHIL WILKING
>
> Those who would exchange freedom for
> security deserve neither freedom nor security.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Richoux"  
> <tubaman at tubatoast.com>
>>
>> Having owned and played some of those "over-the-shoulder" style   
>> horns, I know why they were obsolete and out of general use long   
>> before the pre-jazz era.
>>
>