Army Drum and Fife Book

[33rdaladrummer]

I wonder how much truth there is to this.

Dwight's Journal of Music: A Paper of Art and Literature - Page 360
by John Sullivan Dwight - 1862

Army Drum and Fife Book

This work contains complete instructions for full Camp Duty; the Reveille, the Tatoo, Calls and Beats used in the U. S. Service, with Engravings, Illustrating the use of the Drum; and a choice collection of National, Patriotic and other Music, all the Bugler's Call for Infantry and Skirmishers. It is edited by Keach, Burditt and Cassidy, and recommended by the late Edward Kendall as the most thorough work of the kind. It is already adopted thoughout the country...As a correct book for Camp Service it cannot be excelled.


I believe this was the first fife and drum manual published during the war (1861). Howe copied much of it and printed it in his 1862 drum and fife manual.

[RJSamp]

Re: Army Drum and Fife Book

Does someone have a reprint/scannable copy? I haven't seen it but would love to. Considering the error's in the bugle call section of Howe it would be interesting to see what he changed (expanded upon!) from Dwight.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Army Drum and Fife Book

Dwight is just reviewing the Army Drum and Fife Book. It was published by Oliver Ditson. Keach, Burditt, and Cassidy are the editors (authors). Does Ditson's Bugler's Call Book ring a bell?

I wonder who really copied whom. At some point Howe sold the rights to many of his works to Ditson. Some of KBC can be found note for note in Howe's c.1851 School for the Fife. Howe may have been taking back what was originally his.

What's even better is when we get to the 1905 American Veteran Fifer. Many tunes, plus the entire camp duty is pretty much straight from Howe.

[markj]

Re: Army Drum and Fife Book

Does someone have a reprint/scannable copy? I haven't seen it but would love to. Considering the error's in the bugle call section of Howe it would be interesting to see what he changed (expanded upon!) from Dwight.

??? Ed Boyle has been selling a reprint of "Keach" on his website for quite a while. I bought a copy from him a while back:

https://www.beafifer.com

For whatever it's worth, here's a list of CW era fife tutors compiled by Sue Cifaldi:

Chronological List of Fife Tutors after 1839
Compiled by Susan Cifaldi

1851 Howe, Elias Jr. Howe's School for the Fife. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., 1851. Pp. 56.
Advertisement for same title in Howe's School for the Flute. (Boston: 1843). X(Cifaldi); photocopy at Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT.

1853 Draper, Alonzo. Draper’s Fife Melodies. Boston: Published and for Sale by the Author, 105 Pleasant Street, and by Music Dealers throughout the United States, 1853. Pp. 40. X(privately owned)
Except for omission of front matter and camp duties, identical to Draper’s Fife without a Master, below.

1853 Klinehanse, George D. The Manual of Instruction for Drummers. Washington, DC: n.p., 1857. Pp. 25. Library of Congress

1857 Draper, Alonzo. Fife Without a Master. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., 1857. Pp. 40. Library of Congress, MT356.D72

1860 The Drum Tutor, with . . . tunes and pieces arranged for the Fife and Drum. London: [1860?] obl. 4? British Library, a.53.(2.)

1861 Howe, Elias. The Army and Navy Fife Instructor. Boston: Elias Howe, 1861. Pp. 64.

1861 Keach, Burditt, and Cassidy. The Army Drum and Fife Book. Boston: Oliver Ditson and Co., 1861. Pp. 64. Photocopy at Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT.

1861 Keach, O.W. and B.A. Burdett. The Modern School for the Drum. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1861. [pp. 46-64 of The Army Drum and Fife Book, above]. Library of Congress, MT662.K32M5L B1

1861 Leighton, Frank. The Modern School for the Fife: Containing the Most Improved Rules to Perfect the Learner in the Art of Playing Without a Master. Boston: Russell and Tolman, 1861. X(Cifaldi); photocopy at Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT.

1861 Nevins, William. Army Regulations for Drum, Fife, and Bugle. Chicago: Root & Cady, 1861. Pp. 51. Ohio Historical Society, Dan Emmett Papers.

1861 Winner, Septimus A. Winner's Perfect Guide for the Fife. Boston: Oliver Ditson and Company, 1861. Pp. 80. American Antiquarian Society

1862 Bruce, George B. and Dan D. Emmett. The Drummer's and Fifer's Guide. New York: Firth, Pond & Co., 1862. Pp. 96. Library of Congress, M1270.B87 (case)

1862 Hart, Col. H.C. Col. H.C. Hart's New and Improved Instructor for the Drum. New York: Published by the Author at 119 Nassau Street, 1862. Pp. 59. Library of Congress

1862 Hart, Col. H.C. Col. H.C. Hart's New and Improved Instructor for the Drum. New York: Published by the Author, 422 Broome Street, 1862. Pp. 59. Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT.

1862 Hart, Col. H.C. Col. H.C. Hart's New and Improved Instructor for the Drum. Abridged Edition. New York: William Hall & Son, 1862. Pp. 19. Boston Public Library (camp duty only)

1862 Hart, Col. H.C. Col. H.C. Hart's New and Improved Instructor for the Drum. New York: Published by the Author, 543 Broadway, 1862. Pp. 63. Mattatuck Drum Band, Waterbury, CT

1862 Howe, Elias. Howe's United States Regulation Drum and Fife Instructor. Boston: Elias Howe, 1862. Pp. 93.

1862 Simpson, Henry and Ira Canterbury. The Union Drum and Fife Book. Boston: Oliver Ditson and Company, 1862. Pp. 64.

1863 Howe, Elias. Howe's New Fife Without a Master. Boston: Elias Howe, 1863. [pp 3-198 from Howe,
Elias. The Musician's Omnibus No. 1. (1864) and The Musician's Omnibus No. 2. ca 1864]. X(Cifaldi), photocopy at Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT.

1863 Winner, Sep. Winner’s Tunes of the World. Philadelphia: Lee & Walker, 1863. X(Cifaldi); photocopy at Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT.

1864 Musician's Ominbus Complete. Boston: Elias Howe, 1864. Library of Congress, M177.H865. Pp. 1–6, "The Full Camp Duty as practiced in the United States Army and Navy."

1864 Nevins, William. Army Regulations for Drum, Fife, and Bugle. Chicago: Root & Cady, pp. 151. Photocopy at Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT.

1865 Schott's Handbook for Fife and Drum Bands, containing ample elementary instructions, remarks to drummers, one hundred and twenty popular melodies, and English Scotch, and Field Calls. London: C. Sheard [c.1865]. Company of Fifers and Drummers, Ivoryton, CT

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[RJSamp]

Re: Army Drum and Fife Book

Thanks.....?obviously? I don't concentrate on the Fife manuals..... just the ones with bugle calls in them.....I don't think KEACH shows up in Randy Rach's bugle call bibliography for example. I'll pick it up shortly.

Note that the 1861 and 1864 Nevin's/Vaas manuals are duplicates of each other, other than the publishing year. (and the same dumb errors in the bugle signals appear in both, plus missing entirely the Cavalry Skirmisher calls....).

And why does Ed have a "NEW" icon flashing up there?
"??? Ed Boyle has been selling a reprint of "Keach" on his website for quite a while. I bought a copy from him a while back:"

[markj]

Re: Army Drum and Fife Book

And why does Ed have a "NEW" icon flashing up there?

Beats the hell out of me, friend. I just buy his wares.....

Mark Jaeger

[RJSamp]

Re: Army Drum and Fife Book

Me too (well, first order placed today). Thanks for the tip!