Date: August 7, 2009
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| (77th NY Balladeers) |
| The 77th NY Balladeers will be appearing at this year's Music Muster. |
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Performances by authentic Civil War musicians will fill the air on August 22 at Gettysburg National Military Park, during the 15th Annual Gettysburg Music Muster.
The 2009 Gettysburg Music Muster will include performances by the Susquehanna Travellers, a band that got its start playing traditional tunes around the campfire at reenactments. The Victorian Dance Ensemble will call and perform dance numbers of the era in Victorian dress with a performance that always includes audience participation. Additional performers include the 2nd South Carolina String Band, playing the music that was in the hearts and minds of soldiers in both armies during the Civil War, and the 77 th New York Regimental Balladeers, returning this year with vocalist Gisella Montanez-Case. Also performing will be the 26-member Camp Chase Fifes and Drums who have been leaders in the historical military field music scene since the 1980’s.
New this year will be the 46th Pennsylvania Regiment Band, "The Logan Guards". This 12-member band will perform with historical instruments of the day, playing the music that kept the men in step while on the march. David Kincaid, "The Irish Volunteer", will play the music of the Irish soldier, appealing to both history buffs and Irish music fans alike. Music Americana, an authentic 12-piece orchestra will also perform in the style and dress of the Civil War era.
This full day of free music at five different Gettysburg locations begins at 10 a.m. and continues until sunset. The first performance is in front of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike. Additional performances take place on the back lawn of the Museum and Visitor Center from 10:30 a.m. until 4:45 p.m., and at the Dobbin House Courtyard from noon to 4:30 p.m. Later in the day, two memorials on the Gettysburg battlefield serve as performance venues. Performances take place at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and at the Pennsylvania Memorial from 5:30 p.m. until sunset.
All of the performances are free of charge. Bring lawn chairs, umbrellas, lunches and blankets to spread on the grass at the performance areas. For more information, call (717) 334-1124 ext. 3251, or ext. 8023. Click here to download a copy of the complete performance schedue. (pdf)
THE 2009 PERFORMERS
The Susquehanna Travellers - The day will begin with a performance from the Susquehanna Travellers at 10 a.m. in front of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, with music of 19th Century America focusing on Civil War-era and Irish music. The musicians are Civil War re-enactors and members of the 87th Pa. Volunteer Infantry. The band got its start playing traditional tunes around the campfire at Civil War reenactments and with the support and encouragement of other reenactors, the lads decided to officially form the Susquehanna Travellers. While the band certainly enjoys playing for the public, they feel most at home playing for their fellow reenactors around the campfire.
Victorian Dance Ensemble - This year marks the eleventh appearance of the Victorian Dance Ensemble at the Gettysburg Music Muster. Founded in 1995, the Ensemble has presented dance demonstrations for the Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, Civil War Preservation Trust, Pennsylvania Civil War Trails Project, National Civil War Museum, Maryland Historical Society, Pamplin Park, North Carolina’s Museum of the Cape Fear, and numerous other historic sites and museums. Through 2007, the Ensemble has directly donated more than $19,000 to various preservation and education causes, including the repair of three vandalized monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park. Their first performance will be at noon at the Dobbin House Courtyard and at the back of the Museum and Visitor Center Lawn at 2:00 p.m.
2nd South Carolina String Band - Joining the lineup for their second year is the 2nd South Carolina String Band, celebrating their twenty-first season as an active, vibrant member of the Civil War reenacting community. Though most of them no longer take the field with musket and bayonet as they once did with their namesake unit, Co. I, 2nd SC Volunteer Infantry, they are still as impressive a musical force at major reenactment events as they once were a military one. The band will begin their day in front of the Museum and Visitor Center at 11 a.m. and they will play again at 12:20 p.m. at the back of the Museum and Visitor Center.
The 77th New York Regimental Balladeers - After a three-year absence from the Gettysburg Music Muster, the 77th New York Regimental Balladeers return to the stage. Co-founded by John C. Quinn and Michael Yates, the 77 th NY Regimental Balladeers are dedicated to preserving the songs, history and spirit of the 1860’s. John, Mike, and fellow balladeers John Perreault, Sharon Quinn, Bill Lonecke, Gisella Montanez-Case, Joseph and Jim Broden use the original Civil War music arrangements and lyrics to convey the thoughts, motives, and sorrows of the men and women who lived during one of the most defining periods of our American Heritage. The songs are sung as they would have been performed in camp or the family parlor one hundred and forty-six years ago. Join the 77 th beginning at 10:20 a.m. in front of the Museum and Visitor Center and at 11:25 a.m. in back of the Museum and Visitor Center. They also perform from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial.
The Camp Chase Fifes and Drums - Returning after a five-year absence, the Camp Chase Fifes and Drums has been a leader in historical military field music since the early 1980s. An authentic recreation of a Civil War-period regimental fife and drum corps founded in 1983, they are named after the large Union Army training camp that was located near Columbus, Ohio, during the war. Members are from across Ohio and several neighboring states. Their music, played on authentic wooden fifes and rope tension drums, comes from the military field music manuals utilized by the armies of America and Europe from the mid 18th century to the late 19th century. The group's best remembered performances began with its participation in the 1985 Presidential Inaugural and the movies Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. In 2000 the corps performed with Doc Severenson and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel, in a special July 4th performance broadcast nationally on PBS. Camp Chase Fifes and Drums will begin their day at 2 p.m. at the Dobbin House Courtyard, continue at 3:00 p.m. in back of the Museum and Visitor Center, and perform at the Pennsylvania Memorial from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
The 46th Pennsylvania Regiment Band, also known as "The Logan Guards", is performing at the Gettysburg Music Muster for the first time. The original Logan Guards was a militia unit organized in 1858 in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, and gained fame in April 1861 when President Lincoln issued an urgent appeal for troops to protect Washington in response to the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Logan Guards and four other companies of Pennsylvania militia were the first troops to arrive in the nation's capital, having left their hometown accompanied by William Hopper, a lone fifer, who played "The Girl I Left Behind Me". The 46th Pa. Regiment Band was formed in December 1995 and honors the original Logan Guards, the 46th PA Regiment, and the musicians from the Birdsboro Community Band who enlisted as a group and maintained the morale of the troops with their music throughout the war. The 46th Pa. performs at the Dobbin House Courtyard at 2:40 p.m., then at the back of the Museum and Visitor Center at 3:55 p.m., and at the Pennsylvania Memorial from 6:30 p.m. until sunset.
David Kincaid, the Irish Volunteer – The muster welcomes the return of David Kincaid, the Irish Volunteer, a vocalist who plays the octave mandolin and performs in period clothing, presenting an engaging, all-ages program appealing to both history buff and the Irish/Celtic music fan alike. Recognized as both musician and historian, Kincaid presents a compelling combination of the songs and history of the Irish in the American Civil War and has performed at Irish/Celtic festivals, historic sites and folk music events across the US, and in Europe. Years of research, recording and performing experience have been translated into two critically acclaimed albums: The Irish Volunteer and The Irish-American’s Song - collections of authentic Irish songs of both the Union and the Confederacy and his music has been used in several documentary films. Join Mr. Kincaid at for a mini-concert in the front of the Museum and Visitor Center at 10:40 a.m. and at 1:15 p.m. in back of the Museum and Visitor Center, and at the Dobbin House Courtyard at 3:20 p.m.
Music Americana 12-Piece Orchestra - The Music Americana 12-Piece orchestra specializes in period music from the mid-19th Century. The repertoire of this dedicated group includes old favorites such as Kingdom Come, Dixie, Jenny Lind Polka, as well as many lesser known and beautiful waltzes, inspiring marches, lively reels and polkas. Instrumentation includes flutes, violins, clarinets, cornets and percussion. All Music Americana members dress in the style of the times. Based in Harford County Maryland, Music Americana has performed in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. After a 1 year absence, this will be their fifth solo performance at the music muster. Join Music Americana for their single performance of the day at the Dobbin House Courtyard at 4:00 p.m.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Gettysburg National Military Park
August 7, 2009
