Civil War Music Instruments

Explore Civil War Brass Band instruments with Jeff Stockham, one of the historical music consultants on Spielberg's film Lincoln. Stockham demos a range of instruments from fife, over-the-shoulder cornets, alto horn to drums. More at www.makingmusicmag.com/
Video by Drew Roberts
Music: "Tu Che A Deo" from Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor"
Tunes heard in this video:
0:00: "Aria: Tu Che A Deo” - from Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor”, arr. 26th NC Regiment Band
0:58: “Skyrockets (7th Regiment Drum Corps Quickstep)” - Claudio Grafulla
1:20: “Polonaise: The Last Rose of Summer” - W.V. Wallace, arr. W.E. Gilmore, 25th Massachusetts Regiment Band
1:51: “The Dearest Spot On Earth To Me Is Home” - W.T. Wrighton, arr. from Stratton Military Band Journal
2:04: "Aria: Tu Che A Deo” - from Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor”, arr. 26th NC Regiment Band (reprise)
2:32: “Battle Hymn of the Republic” - William Steffe/Julia Ward Howe, arr. Jari Villanueva
3:34: "Reveille” (camp call for “Wake Up”)
3:44: “Chester” - William Billings, 1770, traditional fife tune
3:53: “Army 2/4” drum cadence

[@ckarav9920]

I mean he obviously isn't a tuba or a percussionist but he played all of the high and middle brass extremely well.

[@TheCheesyZed]

No such thing as middle brass Only high and low brass exist

[@sGSdYgsdGA8fSWrRb2uzpMzzt2ys90]

trombone and euphonium are part of tenor brass

[@bioticbruhh4183]

“He obviously isn’t a tuba.” I agree but It made me laugh how you said he obviously isn’t a tuba.

[@battleship217]

@@sGSdYgsdGA8fSWrRb2uzpMzzt2ys90 to trombone and euphonium are considered low brass

[@julienielsen3746]

I agree.

[@StocksIn60Seconds]

Wow, he's a damn good trumpet player.

[@M1GYT]

starwarsjunkie7777 *cornet

[@doniedodo5690]

starwarsjunkie7777 its cornet yo!

[@thelifeofkrisguillen6848]

starwarsjunkie7777 but not a good drummer😂

[@jdtubaman]

Actually, they are completely different in construction. Just because you are ignorant to that doesn't mean they have to be quiet ;-)

[@jdtubaman]

Matthew Aberer I'm calm. I wasn't the one telling someone to shut up ;-)

[@OMikotakuO]

hahaha he's got a beautiful melody for every horn except tuba! As a tubist, I understand completely

[@makingmusicmag]

+Michael Mansourati Haha.... root-4-root-4.... Thanks for checking it out.

[@youtuuba]

+Michael Mansourati, the Eb bass played in this video is not really a tuba, at least not by today's definition of the word. The organology of brass instruments has flugelhorns, euphoniums and the modern tuba grouped together in a family (wide conical bore, dark full sound), and the trumpets, tenorhorns, bass cimbassos, and even trombones grouped together (narrow cylindrical bore, focused bright sound). The (French) horns are in their own group by themselves. What about the cornet then....it is the soprano member of the Saxhorn group (medium conical bore, mellow sound), which these days only includes that Bb cornet.....the other members of the group have disappeared in modern use, but going back to the late 1800s practically all brass instruments used in America, except for the orchestra, were in the Saxhorn group. That is why Civil War bands are comprised exclusively of Saxhorns in their various sizes...Eb cornet, Bb cornet, Eb alto, Bb tenor, Bb baritone/bass, Eb bass (sometimes called Eb tuba for short, but incorrectly).

[@kuiper921]

+youtuuba i didnt expect to see you here!

[@dallasrubalcaba7410]

youtuuba

[@broderickles936]

Kuiper me either

[@gocoogs01]

being a percussionist, i get how hard brass is. and i know how hard percussion is for them.

[@lisahinton9682]

@Gocoogs01 I cried in Percussion class in college. I could NOT understand how the noise the instructor was making happen, happened! I think I am still confused. :-)

[@excelsiorcornetband]

I'm the narrator in this video. I was trained as a French hornist. I play trumpet and its associated doubles, horn, and valve trombone for a living. I'm the first to admit that I'm not a tuba player or a drummer. Showing off chops was not the point of this video, it was to give a basic overview of the instruments used in Civil War brass bands. In my Civil War band and several others, I play Eb soprano cornet (including in the recorded band tracks in this video.) Since everyone's a critic, how about all the drummers and tubists who are carping about my drumming and tuba playing post some videos of themselves playing the solo Eb cornet part, on Civil War rotary valve cornet, from the 26th NC Regiment Band's version of Donizetti's "Tu Che A Dio", or the solo Eb part from the 26th's arrangement of Verdi's "Trovatore Quickstep", and THEN you can make fun of my tuba and snare drum playing. Being a critic is easy. Actually doing the thing is much harder.

[@kjohnson4077]

The over the shoulder cornet reminds me of the top part of a trombone. Like if you just stuck your mouthpiece in the part with the bell and set the slide aside.

[@TheFoolish727]

Yeah I used to do this a lot and I would take out the tuning slide and call a low bugle

[@chasehunter3741]

I love doing that as a trombonist

[@Arundodonax]

I'm amazed how good those cornets sound with those 19th-century designs.

[@KM-px8cs]

Very interesting, he obviously isn't a percussionist though lol

[@rem41]

Kyla M. I used to be a woodwind now ima percussionist. (From oboe to snare and bass drums)

[@ifoundit6360]

Champion Ez I respect you I'm also a percussionist

[@carter742]

Or a tuba player

[@nikomitrione]

Nevermore ' I was going to say the same thing as you!

[@ikeeichenberg9068]

Maybe that's just how those percussionists did it back in the 1800's 😂

[@IBoughtItMyself]

Gorgeous tone quality on all horns except the tuba. Modern instruments are so good I didn't know one could get such great sounds out of the older designs.

[@alexthelion335]

3:33 I hear this tune in the morning at boy scout Summer camp

[@jayx6909]

Alex Kinch every single one

[@acrodne5303]

Do you hear that in Sabbatis?

[@cooperburns3908]

Which camp do you go to? I go to camp Powhatan

[@aldenmitchellswaby6822]

Revelee

[@BbBbBbBbBbBbA]

Reveille

[@monstercommenter9587]

Awesome playing! Fire your cameraman!

[@DrSwoose]

Haha I was thinking the same things!

[@nikomitrione]

Oh God please do!!!!

[@shadowgolem9158]

I kept hearing in my head, Focus you Fak!

[@5cupsofcoffee104]

It’s not his fault it’s the crappy cameras fault

[@nikomitrione]

He wants to keep it traditional by using a camera from he 1850s

[@beausmotherman402]

2:36 I knew that the bell of my trombone had to be an instrument!

[@rillkaleigh4944]

You have a concert pitched bugle horn and a slide trombone all for the low price of *yes.*

[@chaoticx0rd3r21]

dat battle hymn doe

[@meryckpark2508]

Chaoticx0rd3r it's revelee

[@willcochran5555]

Meryck Park he's talking about the song he played on the over the shoulder cornet.

[@meryckpark2508]

ok

[@pancakepredator8474]

Lol 10/10 tuba playing mate

[@tylermaral3797]

PancakePredator I was so mad when he only played four notes. Tubas can play melody too

[@thattubaguy996]

Hey mom look No hands example bare necessities

[@metal_musician4458]

You can tell he's not a tuba player

[@Kesekuchaen]

@@tylermaral3797 Yea but he can't

[@FishingForLife28]

As a cornet player its fun to see how the intrument used to look, I already knew about the standard rotary valve cornet, but the over the shoulder intruments is new to me

[@CaptainApathetic]

If you got a bunch of spare money you can get a Wessex Eb Bass Saxhorn/Tuba that is over the shoulder like that, it converts from shoulder to upright too so you could actually use it mostly normally.

[@spyshousakusen]

Tunes heard in this video: 00:00: "Aria: Tu Che A Deo” - from Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor”, arr. 26th NC Regiment Band 00:58: “Skyrockets (7th Regiment Drum Corps Quickstep)” - Claudio Grafulla 01:20: “Polonaise: The Last Rose of Summer” - W.V. Wallace, arr. W.E. Gilmore, 25th Massachusetts Regiment Band 01:51: “The Dearest Spot On Earth To Me Is Home” - W.T. Wrighton, arr. from Stratton Military Band Journal 02:04: "Aria: Tu Che A Deo” - from Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor”, arr. 26th NC Regiment Band (reprise) 02:32: “Battle Hymn of the Republic” - William Steffe/Julia Ward Howe, arr. Jari Villanueva 03:34: "Reveille” (camp call for “Wake Up”) 03:44: “Chester” - William Billings, 1770, traditional fife tune 03:53: “Army 2/4” drum cadence

[@lisahinton9682]

@spyshousakusen Wow, thank you! I couldn't place several of them! Very nice of you! 🙂

[@itookyourcheetos9866]

That reveille was crisp

[@jgar_07]

GIVE ME MY CHEETOS BACK(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ

[@TheStickCollector]

I want those over the shoulder instruments

[@juanfeliperojas5754]

Man, i am a guitarrist and i want one too

[@Tc-rn8lh]

Me too

[@auareisgoated5131]

2:20 I tried doing that with my trombone

[@deadlybladesmith3093]

Good idea. Lemme try that real quick....

[@ramongarrison6935]

Same

[@FSM_Reviews]

I tried doing that long before I saw this video. Sounded awful.

[@mamacherry4297]

Same

[@Liletter]

works tho.

[@thepaperbag4933]

M8 10/10 IGN Field Drum. Nailed it. Lol

[@dannymcgowan6164]

percussion is not your thing i can see

[@MichaelMontague]

I played with the 37th Ga. Volunteer Infantry Band under Dr. Clyde Noble (now 95 years old). Good job!

[@Joseph-bb8dl]

The alto horn sounds beautiful

[@lampoilropebombs0640]

3:43 admit, it reminded anyone of their painful childhood of playing recorder.

[@AnthonyOTooleMusic]

that alto horn sounds wonderful in your capable hands! thank you for uploading this

[@thegreenphantom4304]

Thank you so much for sharing this and clarifying about the way instruments were during the civil war era I always wondered about that the way instruments actually sounded

[@tardis11111]

Over the shoulder instruments: the first car stereo!

[@cringecommittee9190]

As part of someone’s senior project, a Civil War band came in and played a bunch of traditional music with these instruments! It was so cool.

[@helmyabdullah1962]

That gentleman is awesome ! I don't know how to express his ability to play all those musical instruments flawlessly . Good job you got there sir ! Keep it up ! I wish I can play at least one of those instruments although they almost have no relevance in today's modern pop music .

[@helmyabdullah1962]

Thank you Frazier for recommending my comment . Are you happened to be a musician too , like this gentlemen ? Well , I'm not , though .

[@helmyabdullah1962]

Thank you Bartender Bobby for recommending my comment ! The man is awesome !

[@cyberschn1tzel997]

HELMY ABDULLAH ive seen flawlesser than that tuba playing

[@slowralious3446]

HELMY ABDULLAH well you can still hear trumpets somewhat fairly in today’s music

[@josequins9099]

So interesting, and they sound great, especially the cornets.

[@donfranksfromhollowayroadwelli]

Lovely tone Jeff

[@hsh1950]

Great historical perspective. What great sounds from all those conical bore instruments. I wish community brass bands would make a comeback!

[@mitchellware7814]

Love the rotary valves. Awesome.

[@Francesco9063]

Great playing and review on those old brass. thanks

[@plinkbottle]

Luv the over shoulder cornet

[@audiowatches5750]

Nice and a beautiful tone!

[@xenzoro]

Camera man needs to get fired

[@andrewz3854]

Why

[@christian6262]

Xx_typer_xX it’s very shaky

[@toyfoxygamingyt7213]

I agree it was in and out of focus and very shaky

[@DEQCS]

Amazing!

[@03Venture]

Outstanding! 😳

[@cthulhutentacles4994]

I love the history of musical instruments

[@jasonzipprich6570]

Wow he must be 200 years old

[@carlswain6463]

jason zipprich you're kidding right?

[@jasonzipprich6570]

Never liked you no he is 200 don't you know the oldest man is like 400

[@importantperson7237]

Cant yall tell from the profile pic hes a troll.

[@jasonzipprich6570]

Important Person bro yes

[@ZachLawson2027]

Actually the oldest person alive is a woman who is 117

[@kathleenfreer2471]

Very interesting! Having seen the band, it's nice to see the instruments individually.

[@gregoryhunter7413]

Informative and interesting but also this man has such an amazing, buttery sound!

[@victorbatres2065]

Very informative !

[@SphericalCheese]

This guy has great tone with the high ranged instruments

[@johnvanderwest5299]

My great-grandfather was a 17 year old drum major (musician) with the New York 104th in the Civil War. When I was in the Navy from 1958-1962 I was also a rated musician, playing trombone in Washington, DC and the former aircraft carrier Forrestal around the Mediterranean. I also agree this instrumentalist has beautiful tone and excellent technique.

[@jsoulas]

Man, dig that crazy backwards-facing over-the-shoulder E Flat tuba!

[@jmeyer3rn]

Nice demo!

[@EvanYoungMusic]

Jeff is a great guy.

[@_chancey_c_]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@afloatingpineapple6170]

I‘m in my British village‘s band! 😊😊💙

[@chasefreak]

As a lifelong Bb Trumpet student, I had the interesting pleasure of playing some of these older horns once from the 1850's-through circa 1930-the Cornets & later Trumpets pitched in Bb were considerably smaller in terms of bore and bell size-(one Trumpet MPC receiver couldn't fit a modern era MPC in it) the bell flairs were barely 4" and with a really shallow cup were bright as the Sun and easy to play "upstairs" on however, modern era Trumpets (1940's-Current) are louder due to larger bore and bell sizes, flairs, etc. The MPC's from back then were virtually bird baths though and not comfortable to play on.

[@michaelschuchert154]

Wow he plays very good on each instrument

[@carterbales1554]

Michael Schuchert exept the drum but he is an exceptional musician

[@the_rat_king9796]

As a percussionist the form just shoot me great bugle playing

[@MisterGraa]

Lovely

[@cristherfigueiredo8691]

Very good man!!

[@excelsiorcornetband]

For those of you asking what the tunes are, here you go: 0:10: "Aria: Tu Che A Deo” - from Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor”, arr. 26th NC Regiment Band 0:58: “Skyrockets (7th Regiment Drum Corps Quickstep)” - Claudio Grafulla 1:20: “Polonaise: The Last Rose of Summer” - W.V. Wallace, arr. W.E. Gilmore, 25th Massachusetts Regiment Band 1:51: “The Dearest Spot On Earth To Me Is Home” - W.T. Wrighton, arr. from Stratton Military Band Journal 2:04: "Aria: Tu Che A Deo” - from Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor”, arr. 26th NC Regiment Band (reprise) 2:32: “Battle Hymn of the Republic” - William Steffe/Julia Ward Howe, arr. Jari Villanueva 3:34: "Reveille” (camp call for “Wake Up”) 3:44: “Chester” - William Billings, 1770, traditional fife tune 3:53: “Army 2/4” drum cadence

[@makingmusicmag]

Thank you Jeff!

[@laurenstern996]

Holy shit his tone quality is amazing

[@ItzChaosGD]

When you started playing battle hymn of the republic I was like all excited for some reason

[@robinanna5531]

We still have those brass bands everywhere in the UK. 👍 I play the alto horn, though we call it a tenor horn.

[@ohshethatgirl6013]

Wow♡ Thank you for this♡♡♡♡

[@filipjandus4537]

Very interesting

[@thebubbler7272]

Wow he has wonderful Emboucher

[@juliandavies9467]

So you all watch a free video by an expert and versatile musician, which tells us a lot about civil war music, and all you can do is complain about his drumming, which is probably authentic for the times, and his cameraman, who just may be a little shaky at one point. You all need to go back in time, serve in either side in the Civil War, experience a little hell on earth, and man up.

[@torstenlandsson9757]

We use similar type of cornets in Sweden, I play the Eb-cornet myself!

[@blueeyedsoulman]

Wow. Quality sounds and quite "in-tune." High tech for the times.

[@l04d1ng...]

The alto horn looks like a mini euphonium

[@braxton2007]

Welcome back to another episode of why is this in my recommended

[@interinx4551]

one of the song is battle hymn of the Republic,I played it when I was 8

[@nworbekim7572]

i played one of the Eb tubas with the bell facing back, in a reenactment band, several years ago. it was fun, but it was a difficult instrument to control.

[@youtuuba]

+nworb ekim As a person who has access to many OTS instruments, and as a tuba player (and the Eb bass Saxhorn is not really a 'tubea' by today's definition) I have come to realize that many of them are not playing at their best because they are worn out or just plain broken in some way. People have a tendency to get an old Eb bass from the Civil War period, and if the valves work they assume all is well. When I bought my first one, it seemed to work and play pretty well, and other experienced players thought it played well too. But I had it gone over thoroughly by a qualified brass repair person, and he found MANY small leaks and micro-cracks in the brass, and the valves had lots of air slipping past them. After an extensive and expensive set of leak remediation treatments/repairs, it was amazing how much better, and in tune, it played. I think few such instruments get this degree of attention. But even then, any bass Saxhorn sounds pretty thin and feeble by comparison to the true tubas that we are familiar with these days.

[@craigneville3556]

The Music Mackie me cried

[@jennygreen8277]

omg come to brazil!!

[@katiekilgore6918]

Your tone on the cornets is really good! I'm a trumpet player, and I would really like to get to play a cornet at some point. :-)

[@user-in8sv1rb6s]

良い音だ

[@rohanpruthi5714]

He is really good at trumpet

[@wesleyfreshwater5966]

It's the old version of a Contra😂

[@TheAverageSushi]

2:30 Blood Upon the Risers ! "He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright, he checked off his equipment and made sure his pack was tight, he had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar, you ain't gonna jump no more." I instantly recognized it lmao.

[@aumipe2295]

I just realized you were playing the intro to Chester Overture on the fife

[@johnnycake69]

Woah

[@briannemartindale1653]

I used to play percussion and fife now i just do natural horn which is a nonvalved predisecor to the french horn and bugle and that's it

[@onemoremisfit]

His drumming holds up a lot better than my horn playing.

[@ComidaDelBrain]

I don’t play tuba or literally any brass instrument but this man definitely doesn’t sound like he plays tuba, but everything else sounds great!

[@jtimken5.7]

I wish the over the shoulder Coronet was in brass beginner band

[@danialawsome7728]

Neighborhood cat ye I would replace it with a trombone

[@chefboyardee2497]

Haha beginniner noob

[@niswo]

Hold on am I the only one that got recommended this video 6 years after it was posted

[@unlockable3964]

Wow my old trumpet tutor had a Bugel Horn

[@billygarvey633]

1:20 I know that song! Last Rose of Summer

[@branflakes2600]

YEEEEEESSS!!!! Did you hear it first from violin or song?

[@branflakes2600]

Midori.

[@billygarvey633]

Black Knight it's in my trumpet arban's book

[@edilacosta6418]

nice Chester on fiphe

[@eggman8053]

2:32 Damn We Need A Full Version

[@jonasp.30]

Northeastern Canada, Northern Territory, CA it’s called first of Arkansas it’s a marching song

[@ryanyu9863]

That battle hym tho

[@matthewbatchelder3627]

skip to 0:52 to get to showing civil war instrements

[@kameronvrieswyk2573]

Matthew Batchelder could you seriously not have waited 52 seconds with the possibility of learning something?

[@killyourself9260]

*instrument

[@afloatingpineapple6170]

Kam Freeze ikr

[@afloatingpineapple6170]

Did you expect thx or something lol

[@saraelizabeth5857]

Does anybody here know the name of the song that he played on the fife? It's my current high schools Alma Mater! I'd love to know the name. I play piccolo in the marching band there.

[@Katewooly2026]

a small piece from valley forge march (seventh grade level)

[@saraelizabeth5857]

Bands Nerdiness Thank you so so so much!!!

[@Katewooly2026]

no problem! i mean it is not all valley forge march, but a part of it is...

[@kevdragmas]

Actually, the piece is Chester (Overture for Band) by William Schuman. Valley Forge March is actually quoting Chester although I think it's played in a different key.

[@64bitmad42]

Too bad I hate piccolo

[@jtimken5.7]

this was uploaded on my birthday yay

[@bborkzilla]

As a bugler, I never went so far as to refer to the sounds I made as "music!"

[@screaminggoat8062]

The one he played on the drums were used by the British too

[@Metal-Possum]

Although spelled cornet, it is corn-it, not cor-net. The cornett (two Ts) is a completely different instrument in the same family from several centuries earlier.

[@killyourself9260]

Alex Paulsen Americans pronounce things differently

[@Metal-Possum]

@@killyourself9260 You mean incorrectly?

[@killyourself9260]

@@Metal-Possum No I mean differently

[@joshuaday5241]

I want the over the shoulder cornet

[@blaineburns4325]

his attempt at rolls makes my cry

[@BbBbBbBbBbBbA]

Your attempt at proper grammar makes me want to commit homicide.

[@harrydaboss]

If it will *ever* focus

[@jeremiahcrawford7582]

some of these are still used in brass bands

[@averyclairemorris4498]

That intro tho