October 2007

CYBERNETIC BREAKTHROUGH

By Jack Kopstein

For as long as I can remember, military band recordings have been difficult to buy. Often much sought after the recording was not available in the record stores or took weeks t

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December 2007

TINKERING WITH PERFECTION

Jack Kopstein

I recently purchased a library of classical sheet music, mostly of the works by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. I have studied very carefully most of the so- called masters both the scores and the recordings and it is almost uncanny how religiously orchestras world wide retain the works just as they written by composers, centuries ago. There are however variances in the speed of the music.

The eminent George

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April 2008

STRIKES AND BLUE LAWS
Sousa Band Tribulations in a Bygone Era

By Jack Kopstein

Two of the most interesting stories that appear in Paul Bierley's book The Incredible Band of John Philip Sousa concern the band strike of 1920 and the Blue Laws in Binghamton New York. The band, which ran for over forty years, had never had an occasion to strike, but such an occasion did become public.  Further, the band apparently caused uproar for playing a concert on a Sunday in Bin

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May 2008

Radio Broadcasting in North America for Military bands

By Jack Kopstein

During the 1920's through the mid 1930's there was relatively insignificant recorded music by bands across North America .The earliest known series of broadcasting began on June 7th 1922 by the United States Marines band from the Anacostia Naval Air Station. The radio concerts were aired weekly and in 1923   were moved to the band hall at the Marine Barracks. The radio station was WRC of Washi

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September 2008

National Anthems

 History

With the Olympics in the Republic of China, there will be the the playing of numerous national anthems. The characteristics of national anthems, in the  majority, is that they are either marches or hymns,  and they are strongly scored  to emulate a march.

Anthems rose to prominence in Europe during the nineteenth century; the oldest national anthem is "Het Wilhelmus", the Dutch nation

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