The United States Coast Guard Band is the
premier band representing the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
and the
Department of Homeland Security. Established in 1925, the Coast Guard Band is stationed at the
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast G ...
in
New London
New London may refer to:
Places United States
*New London, Alabama
*New London, Connecticut
*New London, Indiana
*New London, Iowa
*New London, Maryland
*New London, Minnesota
*New London, Missouri
*New London, New Hampshire, a New England town
** ...
, Connecticut. The Band frequently appears in Washington, D.C., at presidential and cabinet-level functions on formal and informal occasions. Once a year, it undertakes national and international tours to promote the Coast Guard.
As of 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard Band is the Coast Guard's only professional musical ensemble (a second branch band, the
U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band
The United States Coast Guard Pipe Band is a pipe band and private military unit composed of current and former United States Coast Guard personnel. Though a privately maintained entity, it is formally recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard and prov ...
, is an auxiliary-staffed organization).
History
Founding and early years
![USCG Band Early](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/USCG_Band_Early.gif)
In March 1925, the Coast Guard Band was organized with the assistance of Lt. Charles Benter, leader of the
U.S. Navy Band, Dr.
Walter Damrosch
Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Geo ...
, conductor of the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
, and
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...
, former director of the
U.S. Marine Band.
At the time of its establishment, it was primarily as a ceremonial unit responsible for supporting cadet activities at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where it was stationed.
In 1931 the Coast Guard Band was the principal military band for two of the days of the week-long observances of the
sesquicentennial
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saint ...
of the
British surrender at Yorktown: 17 October, thematically designated "Revolution Day", and 18 October, designated "Religion Day".
World War II
An influx of new personnel into the Coast Guard during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
stretched the band's capabilities and, for the first time, additional bands were raised by the Coast Guard to support stateside ceremonial and training requirements of the expanding force. In May 1943 an all-women's band, the Coast Guard SPAR Band, was activated at the Palm Beach
SPAR
SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
Training Station. The Palm Beach SPAR Band, which had a strength of 35 personnel, was transferred to Washington, DC in 1945. While there it performed in the
triumphal parade held for Admiral
Chester Nimitz
Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in C ...
and participated in the mourning ceremonies for President of the United States
Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, assigned to perform dirges at
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
for the arrival of the funeral train carrying the president's body. The SPAR Band was deactivated in 1946.
In addition to the Coast Guard SPAR Band, bands were activated in many Coast Guard districts for the duration of hostilities. The 11th District Band enlisted
Rudy Vallée
Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type.
Early life
Hubert Prior Vall ...
as its bandmaster (during World War I Vallee had served in the U.S. Navy for three months before being expelled after it was discovered he was 15 years old). Like the SPAR Band, the district bands were phased out after the end of the war, the Coast Guard Band returning to its status as the service's sole musical unit.
Post-war
In 1965 the Coast Guard Band was chartered by Congress as the official band of the entire service and was given parity with other U.S. military "premier ensembles".
In 1976, and again in 1981, the Coast Guard proposed moving the band to Washington, D.C. Petition drives by citizens of Connecticut prevented the moves.
![Defense](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Defense.gov_photo_essay_100525-D-7203C-002.jpg)
Lewis J. Buckley assumed command of the Coast Guard Band in 1975 as the group's fifth director. Leading the band for 29 years, until 2004, Buckley retired as the longest-serving conductor of a major military service band in American history.
Modern era
In 1989 the Coast Guard Band became the first U.S. military band to perform in the Soviet Union and, in 2016 the Coast Guard Band performed at the debut of "
The Finest Hours" at
Mann's Chinese Theater, the first time the band had performed at the debut of major motion picture.
In late 2015 the Coast Guard began another study about the feasibility of relocating the band from its traditional station in New London, Connecticut to Washington, DC. The proposal to relocate the band has been opposed by
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
Richard Blumenthal
Richard Blumenthal (; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of ...
.
After the creation of the
United States Space Force
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...
in December 2019, the Coast Guard Band played a central role in developing the Space Force's official song, "
Semper Supra
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...
." After singer-songwriter James Teachenor, a former member of the
United States Air Force Band
The United States Air Force Band is a U.S. military band consisting of 184 active-duty members of the United States Air Force.
It is the Air Force's premier musical organization and is based at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.. Within t ...
at the
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...
, wrote the lyrics and composed the melody for "Semper Supra"
[Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, "Space Force reveals official song: "Semper Supra"," ''Space Force News'', September 20, 2022 Accessed 22 September 2022]
/ref>
/ref> and received suggested arrangement
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
s and finishing touches for it from 12 military band
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...
s,[ he collaborated with ]Chief Musician
Musician (abbreviated as MU) is a United States Navy occupational rating.
Musicians perform on one or more designated instruments to provide musical services on board ships and at Armed Forces bases to inspire patriotism, elevate esprit de c ...
Sean Nelson, a trombonist
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
and staff arranger with the Coast Guard Band.[ Nelson completed the song with ]harmonies
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
and orchestration, adding more than 30 instrumental parts.[ "I became familiar with the other branches' songs, but I wanted this one to have its own modern spin to reflect what the Space Force is — modern, new and very advanced," Nelson said.][ The Coast Guard Band recorded Nelson's arrangement of the song for review by the Space Force.][ After months of coordination between the Space Force and Coast Guard Band to further develop and revise the song and variations of it, the Space Force chose the final version of "Semper Supra."][ The song was unveiled in a public performance by members of the U.S. Air Force Band on 20 September 2022, at the 2022 ]Air & Space Forces Association
The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional military association for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, its declared mission is " ...
Air, Space and Cyber Conference at National Harbor
National Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located along the Potomac River near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and just south of Washington, D.C. It originated as a multi-use waterfront deve ...
, Maryland. Teachenor and Nelson gifted "Semper Supra" and the copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
to its music and lyrics to the United States Department of the Air Force
The United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Air Force was formed on September 18, 1947, per the National Se ...
.[
]
Organization
Almost all personnel of the Coast Guard Band are assigned to the ceremonial and concert bands, the group's primary performance units. The band, however, maintains several chamber music groups to provide specialized performance capabilities to which some personnel are co-assigned. This includes a woodwind quintet
A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon).
Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the in ...
, a brass quintet
A brass quintet is a five-piece musical ensemble composed of brass instruments. The instrumentation for a brass quintet typically includes two trumpets or cornets, one French horn, one trombone or euphonium/baritone horn, and one tuba or bass t ...
, a Dixieland jazz band, a saxophone quartet
A saxophone quartet is a musical ensemble composed of four saxophones, typically soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Different saxophone family members are employed to provide a larger range and a variety of tone colours. Other arrangeme ...
, a woodwind trio, and a flute and harp duo.
According to the Coast Guard, competition for its limited vacancies is fierce, and many new Coast Guardsmen enlisting as musicians are conservatory-trained with degrees from elite institutions including the Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
, Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman.
It offers Bachelor of Music ...
, and the New England Conservatory. A number of its members also perform with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony, and the New Haven Symphony.
Operationally located at Leamy Hall at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the band has billets for 54 instrumentalists and command staff, and one vocalist. Its vocalist billet has traditionally been filled by a female singer.
Uniforms and equipment
In addition to regular Coast Guard uniforms, the Coast Guard Band is authorized wear of special ceremonial dress consisting of navy blouses with banded collars and shoulder boards, and a multi-colored aiguillette
An aiguillette (, from '' aiguille'', "needle"), also spelled , or , is a cord with metal tips or lace tags, or the decorative tip itself.
Functional or purely decorative fasteners of silk cord with metal tips were popular in the 16th and e ...
. A second distinctive uniform, the "concert ceremonial dress uniform," is patterned in white with blue highlights such as shoulder boards and cuffs.
Music
File:Semper Paratus by USCG Band.ogg, '' Semper Paratus'', performed by the Coast Guard Band.
File:Farewell of Slavianka (USCGB).ogg, Vasily Agapkin
Vasily Ivanovich Agapkin (russian: Васи́лий Ива́нович Ага́пкин; 3 February 1884 – 29 October 1964) was a Russian and Soviet military orchestra conductor, composer, and author of the well-known march "Farewell of ...
's ''Farewell of Slavianka
"Farewell of Slavianka" (russian: Прощание славянки, Proščanije slavjanki) is a Russian patriotic march, written by the composer Vasily Agapkin in honour of Slavic women accompanying their husbands in the First Balkan War. Th ...
'', performed by the Coast Guard Band.
File:The Tall Ship Eagle - U.S. Coast Guard Band.ogg, Lewis J. Buckley's ''The Tall Ship Eagle'', performed by the Coast Guard Band.
File:The Bride of the Waves - U.S. Coast Guard Band.ogg, Herbert L. Clarke
Herbert Lincoln Clarke (September 12, 1867 – January 30, 1945) was an American cornetist, feature soloist, bandmaster, and composer. He is considered the most prominent cornetist of his time.
Clarke's legacy includes composing a portion of th ...
's ''The Bride of the Waves'', performed by the Coast Guard Band. Euphonium Soloist David Werden.
Selected discography
*''Blue & Gray'' Songs of the Civil War 2003 by The United States Coast Guard Band
See also
*United States military bands
United States military bands include musical ensembles maintained by the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and United States Coast Guard. More broadly, they can also include musical ense ...
*U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard
The United States Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard is a unit of the United States Coast Guard responsible for the performance of public duties. Stationed at the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Cyber and Intelligence Service Center (C5 ...
*U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band
The United States Coast Guard Pipe Band is a pipe band and private military unit composed of current and former United States Coast Guard personnel. Though a privately maintained entity, it is formally recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard and prov ...
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
American military bands
Ceremonial units of the United States military
Band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
New London, Connecticut
Musical groups established in 1925