Evening star., 1898-06-18
MUSIC IN WAR.
1t Inspires the Men to Be Brave and
to Endure.

| to EnuuFc.
| From the Forum.
To the present day, in all the armies OF
| the world musical war signals are con-
| sidered not only musical, but absolutely IN
| dispensable. The infantry drill regulations
| of the United States army give the music
ard significance of more than sixty trumpet
signals-calIs of warning. or of assembly,
| of alarm. of service. with such names as
guard mounting" drill stable" ito
arms" fire" retreat" church" ia
tigue. attention. forward quick
time double time" charge lie down."
| rise etc, besides a dozen more drum
and-fife signals, all of which must be
| known to the soldiers. TO whom theS are
definite language, in the sense OF Nas.
merriam Leit-motive. Every one Is laihlildr
| with such expressions as drumming up
recruits drumming out deserters, ana
| so on.
noses there are no fewer than five other
| for music in the army. A few words ABOUT
| each of these must suffice. Loller, me Al
rican traveller, says that among all saw
age and half-civilized races song and dance
are considered as Indispensable aids TO mill
| tary training, drilling and drumming in
our armies
The marvellous precision with which these
primitive races execute their war songs anu
dances has been commented upon by many
admiring explorers, and as the value OF
perfect drill and cooperation is well under
stood music, which supplies the regularity
of rhythm is seen to be of paramount inn
portance. Whel our armies parade they
always do to the measured beat OF MILL
tary band or drum and fife.
Another very curious Use of music in war
is suggested by the word panic The his
torian Rowbotham says that all panic Is
derivable from the trumpet-like sound, IL
we may trust the derivation of the word.
which refers the first panic to the time
when the great god Pan put to flight an
army by a sudden shout. Many savages
use wild songs and shouts, or drums and
horns to inspire terror and to create a
panic in the enemys ranks. So horrible is
the sound of this music. both in itself and
by its bloody associations, that 1t is said
the Spanish settlers in some parts of South
America to this day cannot bear the awful
trumpets of the Indians without being
frightened.
1t is Interesting to note that Homer rep
resents the Trojans as going to battle with
bowling war cries, while the Greeks are
silent. and that Thucydides makes Brasidas
say: They are towards who think they can
frighten us by their loud shouting" thus
indicating that the more civilized Greeks
did not resort to this method of creating a
panic. 1t is believed that one cause of the
defeat of the Chinese in their last war was
that they at first relied too much on the
effect of their war sohgs to frighten away
the japanese.
A military writer says that the drum in
the army is used especially for inspiring
the soldiers under the fatigue of march or
battle" This function of military music
reminds one of the primitive custom of
singing in order to facilitate work. 1t is
recognized by the greatest authorities
Field Marshal Lord Wolseley. for instance
wrote not long ago in the preface to the
Soldiers Song Book that:
Troops that sing they march will not
only reach their destination more quickly
and in better fighting condition than those
who march in silence, but. inspired by the
music and words of national songs will
feel that seif-coniiGence which is the
mother of victory
The German army includes more than
10000 military musicians, able-bodied men
who might well be soldiers. We may
feel sure that the great and shrewd COM
manders of the GerTan army would not
employ in times of war such an enormous
number Of musicians unless they believed
that in this way these players could do
more good than an equal number of fight
ing men. In other words, the generals fully
appreciate and indorse the utility of music
Even in times of peace there is use for
these musicians. for they make excellent
bands, which, at their daily parades and
weekly concerts, not only edify the military
get some return for the taxes they have to
pay to support the army.
Summing up the evolution of war music
we see that its original function of inspir-
ing terror and creating panic was grad
ually abandoned, while its usefulness as an
aid in drilling, in tactics, in signaling in
arousing courage and patriotic enthusiasm,
in sustaining tagging energies and in pro-
viding entertainment in times of war and
peace, is now more fully acknowledged than
ever.