Campaign Violin

[Indianabugles]

I have searched through the links on violins prior to posting this before asking this and it has answered the case question. But it, and some research have not given me a propper indication of how this was transported. I have come across accounts of troops in internment playing violins. Does this mean they were captured with them? Did they carry them with them on campaign or trust some friendly baggage train to hope and providence at the next stop.
I have recently started to move from the A Frame (winter camp) look to a campaign style, (Napsack etc etc) but would not like to lose the instrument in the process. I have a wooden style black wooded coffin case with arched top and brass fittings which I do use in public and is correct and I am quite confident in its durability and strength. Do I strap it to my back as well?

On a side not I am sometimes a little upset when people bring musical instruments to events and are made to feel they should not play them as they are not totally correct. I can understand this with plastic backed encore guitars etc but not with close instruments with minor asthetic faults, adjusters etc. It seems to me that is is far less authentic to have a music free camp than music playing on an istrument that may require some cosmetic alteration in the future.

Christian Sprakes
19th Regimental Musician and Bugler

[eric marten]

Re: Campaign Violin

It is actually very easy, and not expensive, to outfit a violin for proper mid-nineteenth century performance. First, there are literally thousands of violins currently in use today that were made in the nineteenth century, the bulk of them from Germany, but also American made, and from other European countries. However, to be proper for our purposes, they don't even have to be made in that century, so long as they are very simply restored to sound and appear as they would mid-nineteenth century. Simply remove the chin rest, remove the fine tuners, or entire tailpiece if there are fine tuners incorporated into it, replace it with a wooden tailpiece, replace the nylon/brass/steel tailgut with a real gut one, replace the strings with uncovered gut E, A and D, and a silver wound gut G - make sure your bow is not a fiberglass one, and you are ready! All of these items and materials have become very easy to acquire in the last twenty years, with the current interest in period instruments among both traditional and classical players and orchestras - much easier than, say, twenty five years ago when I first started doing living history impressions.
I feel it is worth the effort and minor expense to do this. It can be somewhat frustrating to be playing with a few other historically correct fiddlers, and have someone come by and sit in with a modern instrument and begin playing, with their steel strings soaring above the sound of all the others. However, any "correction", or "education", I feel should be done with tact and good manners. We are all in this to help each other, and contribute to raising the level of historical accuracy in a positive and enjoyable way. We can all learn from each other.

[Indianabugles]

Re: Campaign Violin

Just to clarify, getting the instruments correct is no difficult, but for first timers or those who have borrowed violins or family owned ones it is not always possible until one is obtained personally.
I own several Violins but use them outside re-enacting so my Rock, electric pickup, wearing ones obviously stay at home but my "Classical one" goes with me to re-enacting as it is pretty much been stripped down to standard. Bear in mind the same violin also comes with me to chamber session and folk nights as well. Now this is all well and good and apart from steel strings creates no real complaints. It would be prohibitivly expensive to change strings six times ($620, assuming the gut strings can be reused, steel ones would not be happy with this) a year or for that mater obtain another good violin like the one I have ($1650)
(String costs based on a set half the cost of what I have on now)

But the main question I have is the carrying of violins on campaign. I am more interested in how they carried them on campaign. or for that matter if they did.

Christian Sprakes
19th Regimental Musician

[Sweatshop Tailor]

Re: Campaign Violin

Mr Sprakes,
Gut strings for violin - so long as you get decent ones (Damian Dlugolecki or Gamut are good marks) last a long time. The E has to be changed every few weeks, but I have D's and A's that have lasted well over a year in frequent use (including those on my 'living history' fiddle). So this should be no barrier to using strings appropriate to the period.

As to cases, etc. Get a Victorian period coffin case. There are usually a few available on Ebay and are relatively inexpensive. I have several, including a few which very closely match those seen in original Civil War images. Personally I think these would be onorous to carry on campaign - unless they could be slipped onto a wagon.

KC MacDonald
Lazy Jacks Mess

[CompanyWag]

Re: Campaign Violin

I cannot directly address how a violin/fiddle may have been carried during the war. Common sense would seem to indicate that these might be things more often seen in fixed camps, winter quarters, garrisons etc. rather than on the march during active campaigning.

Regardless, I've just inherited my Great Grandfather's fiddle which he used to play at barn dances c1890-1930. Family lore states that he didn't even own a case for it, but carried it in a burlap sack which was plenty good enough for him.

Paul McKee

[David Swarens]

Re: Campaign Violin

Some of the earler cases show up with the handle on the top of the lid, rather than on the side like modern cases,and the most common 19th century "coffin cases" too.

Occasionally this shows up on "early" guitar and banjo cases as well.

So that is a feature you might wish to keep an eye out for.

But no documents (from me) on campaigning with a fiddle, but the same as now, the more protection the more weight, and sacks are "period," but dangerous for the instrument.

You are certainly facing the historic problem!
Same then as now.

Yours,
David Swarens

[Sweatshop Tailor]

Re: Campaign Violin

[Deleted as a double posting - I didn't think the first message had gone through!]

[Sweatshop Tailor]

Re: Campaign Violin

There is an interesting violin case CDV image in Portraits of Conflict, the Texas volume, pg. 259 (I would post a scan, but am not sure how to do so without a url). The CDV in question is of Capt. William May, 23rd Conn Inf, in New Orleans after his exchange from Camp Ford in 1864. He is carrying a top handle black painted coffin violin case (I have one of this exact type which I usually use in 'Winter Camp' or 'Garrison' scenarios). The story behind his violin is also of interest:

"May was a skilled musician.... A subscription among Camp Ford's inmates secured a violin for him, which he subsequently played at camp entertainments and 'dances'."

So, such a cased instrument would have been available even to a prisoner in Texas, and evidently he toted it from east Texas to New Orleans somehow... That said, I think such a cased instrument would have been wagon carried on campaign - and evidently folk were game enough to have music that such 'baggage' may have been somehow accomodated.

Violin carrying sacks were popular with itenerant fiddlers in Ireland and Scotland from the 18th through 19th centuries. They are usually referred to as 'green baize bags' and I have CDV's of them. Such bags may have worked well if the violin was your sole concern, but I would hate to think of a fiddles fate if surrounded by other accoutrements.

KC MacDonald
Lazy Jacks Mess

[Ryan Halsey]

Re: Campaign Violin

I agree. When I attend non-campaign events, I take my fiddle. When Im on campaign, I dont take it. I just don't see how they would have carried it.

[Sweatshop Tailor]

Re: Campaign Violin

Here is a link to the Captain William May violin case image which I discussed in an earlier post on this thread:

http://links.pictures.aol.com/pic/c000k0VdexRXmewaJbwTAvwONuwMDKd6s6HOv4xQp5Fd3Ig=_l.jpg

KC MacDonald
Founder Member Lazy Jacks Mess

[Old Cremona]

Re: Campaign Violin

There are a few accounts of men taking string instruments along on campaign. Albert Baur of the 102nd NY prefaces his account by saying that while no one ever wanted to carry any extra weight, a friendly teamster could usually be found who would let him stash a tackhead banjo or a concertina on board. Baggage restrictions got more strict as the war went on, and his friendly teamster was captured at the battle of New Dallas, Ga. and he never saw his banjo again. Baur was badly wounded shortly thereafter.

Charles Mattison of the 9th AL said that their instruments "brought them joy while in camp" but grief on the march, and the banjo and fiddle deteriorated so much that they were thrown out.

Conditions had to be just right for a musical "seance," too, said Baur. Only when there was nothing going on, and they weren't too tired from the march, and the weather was right, would they play music. And the instrumental part of their show was always the weakest, due to various maintence problems. Their singing combos, however, were the "equal of any professional" he ever saw after the war. You get tens of thousands of men together, and you're going to find some mighty good singers.

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: Campaign Violin

There are a few accounts of men taking string instruments along on campaign.

I also believe it was the 3rd Arkansas who was led into the Battle of Sharpsburg by a man playing a violin.