United States Naval Academy Band
Encyclopedia
The United States Naval Academy Band was officially founded in November 1852. Previously, there had been a band since the founding of the Naval Academy
in 1845, consisting of a fife
r and a drum
mer. The band consists of US Navy career musicians. The band is required to blend tradition and change into a wide variety of musical styles.
, escorts a fallen shipmate to his final resting place, or represents the Navy and Naval Academy on “Main Street, USA” in their Memorial Day
celebration.
The Concert Band performs a year-round concert series. Performances include programs of light classics, popular melodies
, patriotic songs, and marches. It performs at special events including the Side-By-Side concert with local high school musicians chosen to play with the band under the baton of a special guest conductor
, and the annual Finale Concert featuring all Naval Academy Band ensembles and closing with Tchaikovsky
’s “1812 Overture
”, complete with live cannon fire. Smaller ensembles are featured in the Chamber Music Series, a variety of recital
s planned and presented by individual band members. The Electric Brigade, the Navy’s premier Top 40 Band, aids recruiting by acquainting young Americans with the Navy and the United States Armed Forces
, in addition to performances for the Brigade of Midshipmen in functions ranging from formal occasions such as the Graduation Ball during Commissioning Week to informal dances, pep rallies, and company picnic
s. From its 66 members, the band has two jazz groups, brass and woodwind quintets, trombone
and clarinet
quartets, tuba
and percussion ensembles, and two reception combos.
A succession of 26 leaders and hundreds of instrumentalists have been members of the band.
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1845, consisting of a fife
Fife (musical instrument)
A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer...
r and a drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mer. The band consists of US Navy career musicians. The band is required to blend tradition and change into a wide variety of musical styles.
Performances
The United States Naval Academy Band leads a column of Midshipmen on military parade before dignitaries on Worden Field, advances into Navy/Marine Corps Stadium for a contest in American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, escorts a fallen shipmate to his final resting place, or represents the Navy and Naval Academy on “Main Street, USA” in their Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
celebration.
The Concert Band performs a year-round concert series. Performances include programs of light classics, popular melodies
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, patriotic songs, and marches. It performs at special events including the Side-By-Side concert with local high school musicians chosen to play with the band under the baton of a special guest conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, and the annual Finale Concert featuring all Naval Academy Band ensembles and closing with Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
’s “1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
”, complete with live cannon fire. Smaller ensembles are featured in the Chamber Music Series, a variety of recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
s planned and presented by individual band members. The Electric Brigade, the Navy’s premier Top 40 Band, aids recruiting by acquainting young Americans with the Navy and the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
, in addition to performances for the Brigade of Midshipmen in functions ranging from formal occasions such as the Graduation Ball during Commissioning Week to informal dances, pep rallies, and company picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
s. From its 66 members, the band has two jazz groups, brass and woodwind quintets, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
quartets, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
and percussion ensembles, and two reception combos.
A succession of 26 leaders and hundreds of instrumentalists have been members of the band.
See also
- United States Navy BandUnited States Navy BandThe United States Navy Band, based at the historic Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served the nation as the official musical organization of the United States Navy since 1925...
- U.S. Armed Forces School of MusicU.S. Armed Forces School of MusicThe Navy School of Music is a United States Navy school located on board Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Ft Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school's mission is to provide specialized musical training to musicians of the Navy, Army, and Marine Corps military bands...
- U.S. Navy Steel BandU.S. Navy Steel BandThe US Navy Steel Band was the first all-American and only military steel band. It was organized in 1957 by Rear Admiral Daniel V. Gallery, from the band assigned to him, while he was commander of the Tenth Naval District in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The band was originally called Admiral Dan's...
(defunct) - United States military bandsUnited States military bandsThere are many military bands in the United States military. Some are assigned to specific military bases or units. There are also bands associated with each of the service academies....
- "Anchors AweighAnchors Aweigh"Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy, and strongly associated with the United States Navy, composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmerman with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. Zimmerman was at the time a Lieutenant, and had been bandmaster of the United States Naval Academy...
" - "Eternal Father, Strong to SaveEternal Father, Strong to Save"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a hymn often associated with the Royal Navy or the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Accordingly, it is often known as the Royal Navy Hymn or the United States Navy Hymn , and sometimes by the last line of its first verse, "For Those in Peril on...
"