BANDS, MILITARY, consist each of a body of skilled musicians, attached to a regiment in the British service. According to military regulations, the only indispensable Instru ments are drums, fifes, bugles, and trumpets, all of which are employed to give signals on the march or in active service, either for infantry or for cavalry. TO supplement this meager musical establishment, however, the officers of regiments organize, chiefly at their own cost, effective military bands, who use a variety of instruments—such as flutes, clarionets, bassoons, horns, ophicleides, big drums, cymbals, triangles, etc. This arrangement has assumed almost. the force of a regulation; for officers above the rank of subaltern are obliged to contribute a sum not exceeding 12 days' pay in the course of a year and an extra sum when promoted to the band-fund. The members of these bands are selected from the ranks; but the band-master, though in uniform, is often a civili n who is hired for the purpose and who generally refuses to accompany the regiment abroad, except at an increased rate of remuneration. The musicians, generally, are in an anomalous position; for, whilst serving in the band, their pay and eventually their pensions are restricted to those of the private soldier. Good musicians have at all times
a tendency to quit the B.; their better prospects as teachers and players in orchestras and concerts induce them to obtain release by paying the amount of compensation pre scribed by regulation. An attempt made by the duke of Cambridge in 1856 to relieve the commissoned officers of part of the expense entailed upon them by the present syStem failed, except as regards subalterns, and with that exception matters remained as they were. In. most of the regiments of the line the hand consists of a band-master and about 15 musicians; but in the choice corps the number is often much larger. The band plays on parade and at mess as a part of regular duty. When M. B. play at festi vals, concerts, etc., " by permission of the commanding officer," the payment goes to the musicians; and the chance of obtaining these fees is one of the inducements to the men to remain in a service which has Very few attractions in relation to the actual regular amount of pay. The bands of the 3 regiments of foot-guards—Grenadier, Cold stream, and Scots Fusilier—are very frequently engaged in this way during the Loudon season.