The Central Military Band of the Korean People's Army (), also sometimes known as the Korean People's Army Marching Band or DPRK Army Orchestra is a North Korean

musical group Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

based in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

and is the sole

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 tit ...

of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the ''Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General Sec ...

. The Women's Military Marching Band of the Ministry of People's Security of the DPRK is the all-female unit of the central band.

History

On February 23, 1946, the Military Band of the

Military School was created, which became the predecessor of the Band of the

. Its first performance was at the inaugural ceremony of the Pyongyang Institute founded by President

Kim Il Sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

. In June 1950, it became the Band of the Ministry of People's Security, and later that year, the band became attached as a unit of the Supreme Guard Command's Honor Guard Battalion. By September 1954, full control of the band was given to the Ministry of Public Security, serving for the remainder of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

and the 1990s before being reorganized into a separate entity in June 1998 as a directly reporting unit of the

General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army The General Political Bureau (GPB) is the internal politburo of the Korean People's Army (KPA), used by the leadership of the North Korean government to exert political control over the military. The GPB is subordinate to the Ministry of Defence (N ...

, tasked as the primary unit for the military music activities throughout the whole KPA.

Activities

The CMB-KPA, as the premier and principal band of the whole KPA, presides over all garrison and unit bands within the KPA's service branches and the

Worker-Peasant Red Guards The Worker-Peasant Red Guards (WPRG; ), also translated as Workers and Peasants' Red Militia (WPRM), is a paramilitary force in North Korea. It is the largest civil defense force in North Korea. It was established on 14 January 1959 by Kim Il-su ...

. North Korean leader

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's secon ...

has described the band as one that is "instilling revolutionary enthusiasm and fighting spirit into all the service personnel and people." North Korean Massed Bands

The band is similar to United States college marching bands in that they both solely specialize in military style marching, notably during ceremonial parades and public performances. The band has been known to play pop,

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

military music A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

during many of its performances.

Parades and ceremonies

Military parades in North Korea This is a list of military parades held in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 1948. All military parades consist of troops from the Korean People's Army and the paramilitary Worker-Peasant Red Guards. ...

Party Foundation Day The Party Foundation Day ( ko, 조선로동당 창건일) is an annual public holiday in North Korea marking the 10 October 1945 foundation of the "Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of North Korea", known as the "North Korea Bur ...

(parades on jubilee years) **

Military Foundation Day Military Foundation Day( ko, 조선인민군 창건일) is an annual public holiday in North Korea falling on 25 April. Background North Korean historiography has two competing dates for the founding of the modern Korean People's Army (KPA): ...

(parades on jubilee years) **

Day of the Foundation of the Republic Day of the Foundation of the Republic () is the Republic Day and National day of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, held on 9 September. The Day of the Foundation of the Republic is one of the most important holidays of the country, al ...

(parades on jubilee years) **

Day of the Sun The Day of the Sun () is an annual public holiday in North Korea on 15 April, the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country, and is considered to b ...

(2012 and 2017 parades) * State funeral of Kim Il-sung * State funeral of Kim Jong-il

Performances

Notable concerts

* Concert for the state visit of Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

(2000) * Joint concert with the

Central Military Band of the People's Liberation Army of China The Central Military Band of People's Liberation Army of China ( zh, 中国人民解放军军乐团) is a military music unit made for state ceremonies carried out by the People's Liberation Army of China. For more than 50 years, the band has act ...

in honor of the 60th anniversary of the

Korean Armistice The Korean Armistice Agreement ( ko, 한국정전협정 / 조선정전협정; zh, t=韓國停戰協定 / 朝鮮停戰協定) is an armistice that brought about a complete cessation of hostilities of the Korean War. It was signed by United Sta ...

(2013) * Joint concert with the

Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, also known as the Red Army Band is a military band unit of the Russian Armed Forces. It is a branch of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia. The current head of the ba ...

(2014) * 70th anniversary concert (2016)

Festivals

The Amur Waves International Military Bands Festival The Amur Waves International Military Bands Festival is an annual military music event and military tattoo held in Khabarovsk on Lenin Square, Khabarovsk. Participating in the festival are Russian and foreign military bands, folk groups, and hono ...

(2012 and 2015) *

Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo The Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival is an annual military music event and military tattoo held in Moscow on Red Square. Participating in the festival are Russian and foreign military bands, folk groups, and honor guard units o ...

(2019)

References

External links

The band marching during the celebrations of Army Day

DPRK North Korea Girl's Brass Band

Joint Performance of Military Bands of North Korea and Russia

North Korean Military Band toured Russia

North Korean Military Band marches through Pyongyang in Memory of 60th Anniversary of War Victory

North Korean army band performs at Moscow's Red Square
* {{cite web , url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XeGcgiidUjE , script-title=zh:中国人民解放军军乐团行进演奏 , trans-title=Performance by the People's Liberation of Army Band, website=

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, title=- YouTube Korean military bands Musical groups established in 1946 Military units and formations of North Korea Military units and formations established in 1946 1946 establishments in North Korea Military of North Korea

History

Activities

Parades and ceremonies

Performances

Notable concerts

Festivals

See also

References

External links