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94 MILITARY MUSIC AND ITS STORY. |
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fourteen " musicians." Here was progress for certain ! Slowly but surely the government was finding out the value of the military band, and so we find that in 1837, they come to the view, that the formation of a " band of music" was "essential to the credit and appearance of a regiment," and tacitly insisted upon.
In spite of these instructions with regard to the strength of bands, ways and means were soon found to augment the regulation fourteen musicians to twenty-five or thirty.1 This was managed by enlisting the services of men from the ranks, who were termed acting bandsmen, and in certain "'crack" regiments, professional men were employed from civil life. With the exception of the Royal Artillery, no grants were made by the government for the support of these bands and most of the expense for their upkeep was borne by the officers, although in many regiments the " non-effective fund" still served for this purpose.2 By a Horse Guards order of 1823, all officers were compelled to contribute to a fund for the support of the regimental band.3 The band of the Royal Artillery was the only
1 The band of the Royal Irish Artillery in 1801 consisted of about thirty-five members.—Browne, "England's Artillerymen." The Royal Artillery Band in 1812 numbered thirty-eight.—Farmer, "Memoirs of the Royal Artillery Band." The Coldstream Guards had a band of twenty-two in 1815.— Mackinnon, "Records of the Coldstream Guards." 'Grose, "Military Antiquities," 1801.
' This was fixed at twenty days' pay on appointment to any commission, and twelve days' pay per annum.—Campbell, "Dictionary of Military Science," 1830. |
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