Customer Reviews

More Songs and Music from Gettysburg

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD at the same place I bought the original soundtrack, at the Visitor's center at the Gettysburg Nat'l Battlefield (I know, I probably paid way too much, but oh well...), in part because it was being played in the gift shop. I'd always loved the song Kathleen Mavourneen, which is one of the major musical themes in the movie itself, and I was thrilled that there was the vocal version on this CD... my only complaint was that they only recorded the first verse, the second being just as beautiful and full of poignant imagery ("Arise in thy beauty, thou star of my night!")
The other complaint is that they did not include "The Minstrel Boy" which in the film is played as Father Corby gives absolution to the boys of the Irish Brigade. It's a lovely piece, intricate and haunting, as it tells of the warrior bard who dies in battle and destroys his harp rather than let the invader plunder it.
There are some equally beautiful pieces in this compilation, my favorite of the ones not heard in the film is "Just Before the Battle, Mother." Full of pathos and homesickness like many of the songs of that era. I recommend this to anyone who loves American folk music and other works that have been passed down through generations (My grandmother sang Kathleen Mavourneen to me when I was little).

This is a fine CD, though it would be hard to top the actual sound track of "Gettysburg," which is every bit as good as the posted reviews say it is. My one complaint is: where is "The Minstrel Boy?" Recall the scene in the film when Hancock and his staff come upon the Irish Brigade about to receive the blessing of their chaplain, Fr. William Corby. "The Minstrel Boy" is the march being played by the Brigade's fifers.

It's one of the movie's many stirring scenes, and I can't for the life of me figure out why the producers of these two otherwise fine CD's could not find room for this ancient Irish march on either one.

I purchased the GETTYSBURG soundtrack and bought "More Songs and Music from GETTYSBURG" on a whim. I was glad I did since I think the companion disk is even more moving that the original soundtrack. Much more variety and the Gettysburg Address is a fitting closing for the CD.

The second GETTYSBURG Soundtrack is almost as good as the first. It has a lot of great songs and tunes from the film. Jeff Daniels' recitation of the Gettysburg Address is stirring. My favorite tune is AMAZING GRACE. Buy this album! You'll never regret it! Grade: A+

The music is excellent. I enjoy old Civil War Era music. Lovely! I bought the other Gettysburg soundtrack and that is excellent to!

Purchased for touring the Gettysburg battlefield this classic sound track provided another way to travel back in time.

"Gettysburg" is my favorite motion picture of all time, and I just had to get this when I saw it. I own the regular soundtrack too, and the music on here is truly marvelous, and sounds just like it would have during the Civil War. My only complaint is that "The Old Kentucky Home" was not included on the track, yet it is played in the movie, in the scene where the three Confederates are brought to the Union camp. You can see the soldier on the fiddle, and hear him playing it. That doesn't really matter though, seeing as pretty much everything else in the movie is on here. My favorites are "Welcome Here Again/Old 1812" "Frog In The Well" "Dixie" "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" "Yankee Doodle" and "La Belle Catherine". Any one who is interested in the Civil War, or anyone who likes good music, should own this cd.

There is one simple reason to own this CD - its marching music as represented by The 2nd Maryland & Camp Chase Fife and Drum Corps and The Americus Brass Band. Together, they make up eleven of the nineteen tracks on this CD, and are by far the best music on it. Listening to them play, you can almost imagine great armies in motion, moving to the cadence of this grand music. Particular favorites were the Fife and Drum Corps' rendering of The Campbells Are Coming, and Americus Brass Band's jaunty rendering of Dixie.
I wasn't particularly impressed with most of the rest of the tracks; it's not that they are bad; they just aren't as memorable as similar numbers on other Civil War albums. Two exceptions are Willie Has Gone to War and Nick Malone, both by John DuRant and Sandy Mitchell. The first is a sad song of a lover lost to the war, played with a poignant and simple harmonica accompaniment. The second is a great little fiddle tune in a minor key. I wanted to like Just Before the Battle Mother, also performed by DuRant and Mitchell, as it is one of the great sentimental songs of the war, but I was not particularly captured by their rendition. Jeff Daniels reads the Gettysburg Address on one track and sounds like, well, like Jeff Daniels reading the Gettysburg Address. It is not a particularly inspiring or poignant reading, and adds nothing if you are already familiar with this great speech as you should be.
Still, thirteen fine tracks from a total of nineteen is nothing to sneeze at. This CD should make a great addition to your Civil War collection, and might even get you up and marching!

Theo Logos

Just like one of the other reviewers, I must ask the question - where is "The Minstrel Boy"? There was plenty of room on the CD for it and it was one song I was especially looking forward to. Also, the stero separation was a bit too severe when the song was played using only two instruments. I use headphones a lot and thus had one instrument in one ear and one in the other. Not the spacial set-up one would prefer. Other than the above gripes, it was a great CD and the tunes really stick with you.

This music and the film it accompanied convey such a feeling of realism that you can almost smell and taste the events as they occur. The emotions of one of the most wrenching periods of our history are amply expressed in the music.