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**dedogtent** · 10-17-2006, 10:38 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

JC, I was just in Gettysburg last weekend and found a nice little music book put out by Mel Bay. I get rusty on bugle calls too so I purchased the book which also has a CD included. Commentary and bugle calls by George Rabbai. There are 49 bugle calls on the CD...very well done and only $15.00. Maybe you can find it for less online. The book is called 'Infantry bugle calls from the American Civil War'.

**DougCooper** · 10-17-2006, 10:46 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

Originally posted by dedogtent

JC, I was just in Gettysburg last weekend and found a nice little music book put out by Mel Bay. I get rusty on bugle calls too so I purchased the book which also has a CD included. Commentary and bugle calls by George Rabbai. There are 49 bugle calls on the CD...very well done and only $15.00. Maybe you can find it for less online. The book is called 'Infantry bugle calls from the American Civil War'.

This is the single best source I have found as well. Listen to it in your car while commuting. Usually gets some amused looks in the drive through :)

Repetition, repetition, repetition.

**bholt61stny** · 10-17-2006, 11:35 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

I agree with everyone about the book/cd. That was one of the first things I picked up when I started out and since I played the trumpet I thought it would be interesting to learn how to play the calls. It gives a description of when the calls are played and what they mean. I highly recommend it.

**Randy** · 10-18-2006, 12:26 AM

Re: Bugle Calls

Yep, George Rabbai's tutorial is excellent. Listen to the CD over and over while driving. And take note of his descriptions of the calls. He has admirably remained faithful to the way they were originally laid out in Casey's Manual.

**mtvernon** · 10-18-2006, 10:00 AM

Re: Bugle Calls

Thanks, everyone. I will definitely go check that out. I wonder if it's ever been posted as a soundboard online somewhere with any accuracy? That would be pretty helpful as well.

Thanks again,

**Nevada Bugler** · 10-18-2006, 08:54 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

HTML Code:

Yep, George Rabbai's tutorial is excellent. Listen to the CD over and over while driving. And take note of his descriptions of the calls. He has admirably remained faithful to the way they were originally laid out in Casey's Manual.

Well, George Rabbais book may be taken from Caseys, but Caseys apparently wasn't used much. Several of the calls in this 'Bugle Calls' book are not like any other I have ever seen. I've looked at Jari Villaneuvas material, I've looked at the printed bugle call plates from the 1860 Manual of Artillery Instruction, I've even found a couple of R.J. Samps examples and NONE match up to what I see in George Rabbais book.

As an example, his call for 'attention' consists of four measures (with a pickup note into the first measure). Every other reference has a totally different call consisting of only two measures, of two repeating sets of eigth notes.

The call 'To the Color' in Georges' book is completely unrecognizable. I have never seen or heard anything like it anywhere else. The 1860 Manual of Artillery Instruction has the same one that is used on Army posts today which sounds nothing like what's in the 'Bugle Calls' book.

'Assembly of the Buglers' is the supposed to be the same call that you hear today to call horses at the racetrack. Georges' book has a call in it that is completely different.

I have printed off Army and Navy Manuals from the late 1800's and early 1900's and the calls that are in them are the same as in , for example, the 1860 Manual of Artillery Instruction. I just don't know where George pulled these calls from. Someone mentioned Caseys manual, which I haven't seen but apparently the CW Army didn't follow Caseys.

I'll hunt up some of the links I have which have sound examples. Most of the calls heard today are not much different from what was used then.

**flattop32355** · 10-18-2006, 09:40 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

Keep in mind that there were separate calls for each branch of the military; infantry, cavalry, artillery. While there is some overlap, they are not identical. Mr. Rabbai was only doing infantry calls.

**Nevada Bugler** · 10-18-2006, 09:43 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

Mods, I apologize for no signature on that last post. My 'puter came up with the 'an error has been encountered and Explorer needs to shut down', and it did shut down!

I don't want to sound like I'm flaming George Rabbis book, but I just don't understand why what he has is so different from what I'm finding elsewhere.

Here's a link to the 1860 Manual of Instruction For Field Artillery. Many of the calls in here are what you would hear today on an army post and they aren't the same as in Georges book:

Item Information | Instruction for field artillery. Prepared by a board of artillery officers [consisting of Captain Wm. H. French, Captain Wm. F. Barry, Captain H. J. Hunt] | Making of America Books | University of Michigan Library Digital Collections

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=moa;idno=AJR6616.0001.001

The bugle calls are at the end of the book, in a section with no page numbers.

Then, you have Mr. Villanueva who has at this next link listed 20 Bugle Calls from Uptons 1874 Manual. Again, when the same calls are listed between this list and the Artillery Instruction manual, they are the same. But they don't agree with Georges' book.

404 Not Found

http://www.buglecall.org/Links.html

go to this link and then click on '20 Bugle Calls'.

Then, go to this old Navy Bugle Manual and again, you find calls that have been the same from the Artillery Manual, to Uptons and then this manual:

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/bugle.htm#ch6

And the same calls are used today:

Not Found

http://bands.army.mil/music/bugle/default.asp

So, can somebody explain why George Rabbais calls are so very different? Why would Caseys' be regarded as authentic when it clearly wasn't the only manual during the CW, and the calls in it weren't continued after the CW?

_______________________
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

**Horton** · 10-18-2006, 09:51 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

I also have George Rabbai's Cd and I think it is very good. I dont get to make it to many "Authintic events" so I was wondering if their was a good repersentation of field music at these events. I have read some AARs that have been posted but I dont ever remember any of them saying that "it was good to wake up by the bugle" or "the fifer and drummer did an excellent job". Sorry if it seemed like I am trying to change the subject a little bit but the question just hit me. Is their as much attentioned directed towards learning the proper bugle or drum calls as their is to I dunno say proper stitch count? I am glad that you are taking an interest in learning Mr. Marti.

**Nevada Bugler** · 10-19-2006, 02:00 AM

Re: Bugle Calls

Keep in mind that there were separate calls for each branch of the military; infantry, cavalry, artillery. While there is some overlap, they are not identical. Mr. Rabbai was only doing infantry calls.

No, that's not correct. Mr. Rabbais' book has the general camp calls as well. I know as I'm looking at a copy of it. What Mr. Rabbai has for the camp calls does not match up to any other list of calls that I can find.

_________________
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

**Nevada Bugler** · 10-19-2006, 02:08 AM

Re: Bugle Calls

Is their as much attentioned directed towards learning the proper bugle or drum calls as their is to I dunno say proper stitch count?

That's something I would like to know as well. I attended some of the small, local encampments when I lived in Ohio and I don't remember ever hearing a bugle. Now that I'm back out west, buglers are also rare. You'll occasionally find somebody that will try to play a handful of the infantry calls, but I've never seen a regular schedule of camp calls played. And that is something I would like to change.

I would guess that part of the reason is that the bugle is a tough instrument to play well. I would guess that most who do play it well would be trumpet players. Adults who are both very good trumpet players AND interested in re-enacting would be fairly rare. I'm hoping I can help a couple of 'bugle-boys' improve and train some other youngsters to play.

At the last encampement there were several youngsters that were really interested in the bugle. They said that they had never heard anything like it and wanted to know what it was (most guessed some sort of trumpet) and was it hard to play? :)
__________________________________________
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

**hiplainsyank** · 10-19-2006, 02:54 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

Originally posted by Nevada Bugler

So, can somebody explain why George Rabbais calls are so very different? Why would Caseys' be regarded as authentic when it clearly wasn't the only manual during the CW, and the calls in it weren't continued after the CW?

_______________________
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

Sir-

The reason that Rabbais' calls are so different is that the calls you are citing are either for other branches (cavalry or artillery) or post-1872 calls (after Upton).

The calls that Casey's uses were not invented by Casey but were printed just the same in Hardee's pre-war manual. There were calls for infantry, artillery and cavalry, with few repeats between the branches. When Upton redid the army manual in '72 he decided on one set of calls for all branches of the army. The way they would be discerned in the field would be by the appropriate unit prelude.

Other than the period manuals themselves, which print the HArdee's calls for each branch, an easy to access example of many of the calls is found in Billings' HArdtack and Coffee, who includes music for both the infantry and the artillery.

If you wish to learn more about Civil War bugling, please contact me and I will put you in contact with RJ Samp, the First Federal Division Bugler, and one of the chief reenacting buglers in the country. Seeing you bugle Confederate, if you wish he could put you in touch with regular Confederate buglers.

**Nevada Bugler** · 10-19-2006, 05:24 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

The calls that Casey's uses were not invented by Casey but were printed just the same in Hardee's pre-war manual. There were calls for infantry, artillery and cavalry, with few repeats between the branches.

...with few repeats between the branches. Do you mean the calls for manuevering in the field? Or the camp calls? or both? Because I'm finding calls that have the same title, but totally different music.

When Upton redid the army manual in '72 he decided on one set of calls for all branches of the army. The way they would be discerned in the field would be by the appropriate unit prelude.

Why would the Army reject virtually every Infantry call that had been used by it's forces and go instead with the Cavalry and Artillery calls? I'm not saying you're not correct, but if that's true then there is a heck of a story out there waiting to be written.

I have R.J. Samps e-mail and I guess I'll have to write him and see if he can unravel this tangled web.

__________________________
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

**hiplainsyank** · 10-20-2006, 08:33 PM

Re: Bugle Calls

YEs, the signals were totally different for the different branches.

REveille is one example of overlap. IT was the same for both Infantry and ARtillery, and is the only modern bugle call Civil War infrantrymen would have recognized. For cavalry, however, it is is a very long song with tempo changes, ad libbing, and awful high notes at times.

Assembly for artillery and cav was the same, but different for infantry.

You need to get a complete copy of all the Civil War bugle calls from all branches, and not worry about the other ones you've looked at for now.