Topic: Martial Music
Military Band Music (1895)
Daily Mail and Empire, 9 November 1895
Apropos of the Montreal garrison parade (Sunday 27 October 1895), the Canadian Military Gazette says:—
"The Brigade church parade at Montreal furnished an eloquent object lesson on the blissful disregard of the standard cadence by the regimental bands of the Canadian militia. There were no two brass bands of the six on parade that observed the same tempo, and there was almost as much diversity of opinion on the same vital subject among the bugle and fife and drum bands. The whole way to and from the church the greatest difficulty was observed in preserving the intervals between corps. Quick marching regiments would catch up to slower ones in a few minutes, and orders to mark time and to halt were rendered frequently necessary. Standard metronomes should be furnished to all of the regimental bands in the service, and the observance of the regulation tempos and length of space strictly insisted upon. A thorough musical inspection of regimental bands and a regulation of their repertoires of marches would appear to be very much needed. Our bands are given too much to playing florid American and European marches, frequently of very trashy style and generally destructive of steady and comfortable marching."
The total number of men in line was 1,656, and again quoting from the Star, the distribution was as follows:—
- Duke of Connaught's Own Canadian Hussars, No. 1 Troop – 30 men,
- Montreal Garrison Artillery – 270,
- 1st Prince of Wales' Regiment – 250,
- 3rd Victoria Rifles – 305,
- Royal Scots – 302,
- 6th Fusiliers – 249,
- 65th Mount Royal Rifles – 200.
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