Military Music

[Baiae]

I was watching Zulu the other day and the scene where they start singing "Men of Harlech" set me thinking. Music has always been tremendously important in warfare, so does anyone have a favourite military tune?

For me "Garryowen" is a favourite due to the jaunty tune overlaid with the somewhat tragic overtones that it carriers.

Anyone else?

[lars573]

I have a really good quality MP3 of men of Harlech, sung by the choir of the royal regiment of wales (in the church of Rokes drift BTW). Also check this out, http://www.gridcogames.com/HOI%20Stuff/military_music.htm it's military music site that has MP3's of military songs from an assortment of european countries 2 dozen from the USA and UK alone). I personally kept rule britania, scotland the brave, some british regimental march, the US marine hymn, blood upon the risers, Kossacks song (Russian folk song), USSR national anthem by the red army choir, Jääkärimarssi form finland, and La Marseillaise (French national anthem).

PS here is the link to that version of men of harlech I was talking about http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/myths/menofharlech.mp3. Also mods the sites I have linked to are full of non-copyrighted material so you don't have to worry about covering your collective asses.

[Gregoshi]

lars, that link to Harlech isn't working for me. I get a "not found" screen.

Good topic Baiae.

I don't have too broad a knowledge of war music beyond the American Civil War and War Movie soundtracks.

For a cavalry flavour, I like Strauss's Radetzky(?) March or the classic Gary Owen from the US Civil War.

Scotland the Brave is a great rousing tune to get the blood going and the best use of bagpipes ever written (aside from Amazing Grace). Another perhap more modern and obscure tune is The Crags of Tumbledown. I had the honour of seeing the pipes of the Black Watch twice during the 1980s when they were on their US tours and I bought one of their albums. The concerts and the album featured Crags: a beautiful and stately tune written as a tribute to those in the Black Watch who assaulted the crags during the Falklands war.

I know I'm forgetting an Civil War tune or two, but fife and drum music makes for a great military sound. The first Civil War reenactment I ever attended was at Antietam for the "Bloody Cornfield" part of the battle which started an hour before sunrise. We were standing in a cow pasture at 4am in a dense fog. We couldn't see anything, but we could hear the armies waking up and moving. A major part of the sound of the pre-battle experience was listening to the fife and drums of each army playing to wake up the 12,000+ reenactors and getting them assembled for battle. It was a moving and chilling experience that has stayed with me to this day.

I'm not sure if you meant to delve into movie soundtracks, but I'll mention two that are outstanding: Patton and Gettysburg. Both capture the spirit and grandeur of their subjects.

[lars573]

Yeah I just noticed that so, http://s16.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1JBWDV19W9WK63VAQ8FBKBFHYN here is the men of harlech mp3 hosted on yousendit.com. This file will live for 7 days depending on how many people try to get it (bandwidth restraints you know). When you play it ignore the 11:44 min run time thing it actually goes about 2:42 min, some kind of error that won't go away. Men of harlech is nearly as rousing as scotland the brave. I would also recomend the Kossacks song to anyone. So do you know where I might come acroos The Crags of Tumbledown?

[Baiae]

For a cavalry flavour, I like Strauss's Radetzky(?) March or the classic Gary Owen from the US Civil War.



Interesting bit of trivia, Garryowen was not only Custer's favourite piece of music but was also traditionally the song of the British Light Cavalry Brigade, and we all know what happened to them...

[Gregoshi]

lars, you can find a full download of Crags of Tumbledown Mountain (forgot "mountain" was in the title) here: http://www.afrc.af.mil/hq/band/Recordings/bp.asp The download link is the first track of the fourth (and last) album on the page. It downloads on your PC as "Crags.mp3". It is performed by the US Air Force Reserve pipes, drums and band. I was surprised when I did a Google search. Apparently the tune is quite popular with many pipe bands as it appears on their playlists.

Nice bit of trivia there Baiae. I didn't know that. Gary Owen doesn't seem to be a very lucky piece of music.

[lars573]

Gregoshi did you give men of harlech a listen, what did you think.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

i think its cool\
]'m a Panzerlied man myself though.

[Gregoshi]

lars, yes I did. I do remember it from Zulu (great, great movie). I could not follow the lyrics though, so I Googled them. I have to say, I've only been enjoying half the song until now. Those are some great and very rousing lyrics! I almost wish I was Welsh. :laugh4: Thanks for sharing the song lars. :bow:

Capo, Panzerlied is another good one. But darn you, now I can't stop stomping my foot to the beat!

[Baiae]

larsThose are some great and very rousing lyrics! I almost wish I was Welsh.

In case anyone's wondering the word 'Idris' in the first line is the name of the dragon on the Welsh flag (according to my housemate)

[King Edward]

Hearts of Oak is one of my Favorites.

Heart of Oak
David Garrick/Dr. Boyce, 1759

Come cheer up, my lads, 'tis to glory we steer,

To add something more to this wonderful year,

To honour we call you, not press you like slaves,

For who are so free as the sons of the waves?


Heart of oak are our ships,

Jolly tars are our men,

We always are ready,

Steady, boys, steady,

We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.


We ne'er see our foes but we will them to stay,

They never see us but they will use away,

If they run, why we follow, and run them ashore,

And if they won't fight us, we cannot do more.


Heart of oak are our ships,

Jolly tars are our men,

We always are ready,

Steady, boys, steady,

We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.


They swear they'll invade us, these terrible foes,

They frighten our women, our children and beaus,

But should their flat bottoms in darkness get o'er,

Still Britons they'll find to receive them on shore.


Heart of oak are our ships,

Jolly tars are our men,

We always are ready,

Steady, boys, steady,

We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.

Ant then of Course there is Jerusalem, Every Englishman should know that one!

[Kaiser of Arabia]

We are a band of brothers
native to the soil
fighting for the property we gained by honest toil
and when our rights were threatened
a cry rose near and far
Hurrah for the bonnie blue flag
that bears a single star!

[Baiae]

fighting for the property we gained by honest toil

I heard that the original line ended "fighting for our property, our blood, our sweat, our toil" and the the other line was invented by northerners after the war to try and give the impression the war was all about slavery...

[Kaiser of Arabia]

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