Customer Reviews

Glory:the Military Music Tradition [VHS]

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This is an ok video that shows how military music is performed in the United States, Brittan and France. The video was really short and did show the performances more than the narrator's voice offering explanations and information. It is an old video that was made in 1995 and could use some major improvements in the production but is worth watching if you have any interest for the music of the military. When looking at the title I was expecting more of a documentary of military music rather then watching a performance which is what I received.

This product has a great title but the video is fundamentally boring. there is little of the Old Guard here - i'd sure want an hours worth anyhow. sorry. sold mine at a garage sale.

This older VHS is from about 1995 judging from some of the performances included in it. This is a relatively short production which includes about 15 minutes from each of the three countries highlighted within, US, UK and France.

First with the US we get the Twilight Tattoo in Washington DC which includes performances by the Old Guard Fife & Drum, as well as the US Army Band (Pershing's Own). US bands don't always get on video that much so its interesting to see them. The Old Guard are always a treat with their period uniforms and their take on Colonial era music. They combine fifes with bugles which is something no other group like this does. Some of the drumming and drill are certainly modern takes on tradition, but overall the effect is quite good. The US Army band puts in a brief appeareance before marching off. Its rare to see this band actually marching since most US Service bands prefer to play as symphonic ensembles in a concert setting. This is too bad as every military band worth its salt should do plenty of marching displays. The premier US service bands have gott'en lazy in that regard!

The next segment shows a concert with British military bands at Kneller Hall, the home of military music in Britain since 1857. There is a brief word from the head of the Corps of Army Music, newly formed at that time as this was just after the 1994 reorganization of army music in the UK which resulted in the wholescale loss of many famous, but small regimental bands, to be replaced with fewer, but larger Divisional bands. The Kneller Hall concerts are justly famous, and occur every summer in Twickingham, a London subpurb. Included here is the newly reformed band of the Parachute Regiment which marches on appropriately to the quick march "Arnhem" by Kelly. It then joins up with other bands on the Kneller Hall stage to play several concert selections, including de Haans "Oregon" which has a suitable American flavor to it, this being a US video production!

Finally we have a very impressive display of French martial music and ceremony with a WW2 commemoration in Paris. The setting is ideal, and the French pull out all the stops with bands, choirs and columns of marching soldiers from various military academies and the different services of the French military. The music includes Bagley's "National Emblem", a heavily played American march, often falsely attributed to Sousa. The French bands give it their usual Fanfare and Percussion style, somehow making it sound more French than American! Then they launch into a medley of famous French marches as the various French army services parade by. This is great stuff, and one wishes the bands were shown a bit more than the soldiers just marching by. The large number of women in the French military seems highlighted, and its striking that they wear dresses when on parade!

This is a great video, showing how military music is performed in the US, UK and France. At 50 minutes one wishes it were a bit longer as there is a lot to see and hear. This is an out of print VHS, and it would be great to see it in DVD someday with a few extra features. Perhaps a whole new production featuring other bands and countries could be considered as there is a lot that could be done here. Worth getting while a few copies remain.