Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-28
SERVICE BANDSMEN
DEVOTED TO DUTY
Many of Army, Navy and Ma
rtne Players Spurn Offers of
Higher Pay Outside.

An exemplification of love for music
above personal advancement and
wealth exists in the National Capital
among the personnel of the Army
Navy and Marine Bands.
Year In and year out these artists
hold communion with their beloved
orchestral and band instruments,
while their collea cues in the musical
profession jazz away in caharetS and
night clubs to the tune Of flve times
the monetary reward the soldiers,
sailors and Marines are paid.
Enticing offers have come to solo
lists in these three orga niZationS from
time to time-luring contracts that
would enable them to earn IN one
week what they now work nearly SIX
months for. But the same atmosphere
and environment they now reNel IN
cannot be offered along With the bags
of gold and assurances that When
their lips or fingers are gone, they
Will lie saved from restitution, as the
Government guarantees. never are III
cluded In the proposals.
And SO. the older and staid must
Vacancies Soon Filled.
clans turn deaf ears while now and
to the temptation. But no sooner are
their chairs vacated when other musl-
clans elated in the knowledge that
they have passed the severe entrance
reouirements take the empty seats.
The small amount of military dis
cfpline injected into the bands ac-
counts. in a measure for the splendld
nerforrna they give. In addltl"h
to their moral obligations to the lean-
ers and their respect tor the con
ductors' musical knowledge, the mu-
sicians are bound by military law to
obey the comma nds of their SUI
neriors Hence these agsreGations
are three smooth running. well olled
and neatly trimmed military bands
known the Nation over and admired
in every village of the Union.
Army Band Youngest.
The United States Army Band under
fhe direction of Capt. w. j. Stannafd
is the Youngest of the musical organl-
cations charged with being the repre-
sentatives Of their respective bra inches
II is four years old, but has not yet
been received into the status OF the
NAVY and Marine orga MIA tons. A
hill SPONSORED by Representative
Woodruff however, now is in CON
Eress to create this separate ana dlS'
tinct organization and remove 1t from
the detached enlisted mems list on
which ii now operates.
Numbering 81 musicians, the pahd
at the will Of the leader, may he con
yerted into symphony orchestra.
concert orchestra dance orchestra
trios. ouartets. ensembles and double
spxODhOne octette The band begins
nractiCe at o'clock every morning
and continues until Capt. Stannard Is
satisfied with the performance. Al
least four new programs must be
learned by the entire orga nizaton
every week in order 10 meet the de
mands for music at military. oflclal
and civic functions As the band has
no hall its only scheduled public APP
pearances in Winter are at the broad
casting stations of WCAP and WRC
once a week This young orga MIA
ton also has never made an extensive
annual tour such as the other two
bands undertake at the close of each
Summer session.
Navy Band of g. Men.
The United States Navy Band also
ia hut a few wears old. having been
organized in 1919 by Lieut.. Charles
Renter. the present leader. with u
mon from the Mayf'ower and Navy
Yard Bands 1t has grown to 81
mon and holds the distinction of hav-
ing made the longest tour of any Of
fcial organization of its kind. This
trip was in connection with the late
President Harding's visit to Alaska.
In addition to furnishing music for
the Mavfower and all Navy and civic
functions the band gives weekly
orchestra concert every Wednesday
night in the Marine Barracks The
|
places next Wednesdays program
before his men and they begin prac-
ticing. During the summer new
program must be learned every day.
The United States Marine Band.
now composed OF q men. including
the leader Capt. William IL. san
telmann: the assistant header. Tay-
lor Branson. and the drum ma1or
Hurshel d. PRYOR, WAS organized In
179S. gave its tnst public concert IN
Philadelphia in l 00 and in the same
wear made it's first Washington APP
nearance 1t is the oldest of Ameri-
can military bands and was tho only
one of a public nature in Washington
IN TO 1890. 1t has played for every
President from John Adams To Cal
vim Coolidge and has furnished mu-
sic at the New Year receptions since
1901. Capt, Santelmapn has been
the leader since Marcn y, dbSS
Two Programs WeesS
The band holds two hour re-
hearsals Tuesday, Wednesday,
THURSDAY and Friday of each week
and every Monday morning plays
during the inspection at the Marine
Barracks. Two programs must be
prenared each week and one SYM
phony program is worked up every
month.
All three organizations prescribe the
st,ictest qualifications for admission.
The applicants must appear before the
lenders and conclusiNClN demonstrate
they are proficient ia at least one
band instrument and one orchestral
instrument The doubling" ia re-
ouired because during the Winter sea
SONS the bands become urChestras. and
as such they must be as good as when
they are bands. An illustration of the
nrfhfC "A bility of this requirement was
given March 3, 1924. at Central High
school. when the Marine Band OBJ
served the twenty fifth anniversary OF
ito reorganization with a grand con
cert. The first half of the program
was given by the band as O symphony
orchestra, and the second part was
occupied by the orEa fization as zrrnif-
tary band The same personnel par
ticipated in both programs.
The band members. with the excep-
ton of a few privates in the Army
Band, live in their own homes about
the city and do their pIacticing away
from the music halls. When they as
senble for rehearsal. they always are