The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1911-06-30

money while everybody else was
spending 1t, he has worked Just as
hard for his "a or S. as he could
have done had he been brick laying or
farming or clerking or barbering.
The band which has become 30 f.
mtliar to us that we regard It as a
necessity, IL an institution of ancient
origin. Our W army and navy have
had bands for more than a century
and civilian bands In this country date
back almost - far. The band as an
organized body of musicians could not,
Of course, come into existence until .
variety Of different musical instru-
ments had been invented and the de-
velopment along this line proceeded
somewhat slowly a few centuries back.
From the outset, however, the most
uncivilized nations recognized the
three chief factors Of band music
rhythm. melody and harmony. as
manifested by the three basic instru-
ments. the drum, the fife and the
bugle or cornet. In this connection it
IL interesting to note that the drum,
which Is closer to the heart Of young
America than any other unit In the
band, 10 an instrument which came
to 10 from the Orient.
The bugles and comets, which are
SO much In evidence on the Fourth Of
July, have been developed from the
single tubes Of antiquity. Originally
the range Of these instruments was
limited to two notes, but in time the
tubes we're bent and finally the in
strument was made in several coils,
with the result that the musical range
was broadened proportionately. The
whistling Instruments such as flies,
flutes and ~clarinets. n the outcome
of a somewhat similar development.
It IL worthy of note that 1t is seldom
nowadays that anybody attempts to
introduce a new instrument or a rad
ical adaptation of an old design for
use In bands. Every now and then
some composer or orchestra conductor
will come forward with some new or.
chestra instrument (many Of them
short-uved in popularity, 1t must be
ADMITTEDLY. but 1t is seldom that !nven'
tors attempt to introduce new band
instruments. Indeed. with the excep.
ton Of some ~new-fangled drums. there
has been almost nothing new In this
field In many years.
! 1t cannot be said that there Is any
standard membership for a band
Many an American village that has
q band Of ten or twelve pieces plumes
itself on the possession. whereas the
small city IL rare than can boast y
band Of more than sixteen to twenty
members. Yet oven this latter mum
Der appears small when compared
with the membership Of our great con
cert, military and naval bands. Such
a band usually has In the neighbor
hood Of nifty members, and some Of
them, with Z ME. drum and bugle
corps added, muster nearly n hun
dred mon on parade. In Germany and
Italy the regulation military band IL
made up Of forty-hve musicians, while
the most famous band in France mum
bers seventy musicians.
The United States has always held
. high place in the world of band
music, thanks not only to our grsa'
governmental bands. such as the noted
United States Marine band-th<
presidents Own" which plays at thu
White House-but also to the famous
private bands. such as those Of Souss
and the late Patrick Gilmore. Incl
IDENTITY II may be mentioned thai
American band music has the call al
over the world. The lively. character
istic. inspiring marches. such as thos'
composed by the March King" JOIN
Philip Sousa, have been translated
into the band renditions Of every civil
ised nation. and whereas an American
sometimss has dindculty In recognizint
the foreign vsrsions of these dashint
aara &h>v Arc ~ wnrlt 40 much b0ttel