The Governor General's Foot Guards Band (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: La Musique des Governor General's Foot Guards) is an authorized

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Ai ...

35-piece brass and reed band. It consists of serving members of the CAF who parade on a part-time basis. It serves as the regimental band of the Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) and is the most senior band of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...

Primary Reserve.

Overview

Remembrance Day 2017 in Ottawa Canada 07

The band was formed soon after the establishment of the Governor General's Foot Guards in 1872. Many of its members at that time were from the Band of the Ottawa Brigade of Garrison Artillery. In 1888, the band attracted controversy when it refused to perform at multiple events unless they were given adequate pay. In 1891, the band was part of the funeral procession for Sir

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

, the 1st

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as suc ...

. The band made its first international debut in 1906 under its first director, John C. Bonner, when it travelled to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. During the visit, the band performed at the

West Point Band The West Point Band (also known as the U.S. Military Academy Band or USMA Band) is the U.S. Army's oldest active band and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy, traces its roots to the American Revolutionary War. At that time, fif ...

, with the latter playing ''

The Stars and Stripes Forever "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. History In his 1928 autobi ...

'' and the former playing ''

God Save the King "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, ...

''. Joseph T. Brown led the band at the opening of Madison Square Gardens in New York in 1925 and at the opening of the

Peace Bridge The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects Buffalo, New York, in the United States to Fort Erie ...

between Buffalo and

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one o ...

in 1937. The band made several appearances during the

visit Visit refer as go to see and spend time with socially. Visit may refer to: * State visit, a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country *Conjugal visit, in which a prisoner is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visi ...

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

in 1939, including the Trooping of the Colour in front of Centre Block. After

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the band's summer concerts were broadcast on local radio, and it participated in many massed band displays and tattoos on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their archit ...

. Its first major activity following the war was the coronation day ceremonies in front of Centre Block that included the Trooping of the Colour by the GGFG in front of Governor-General

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Confederation. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada afte ...

. Under Milne, the increased its role in the new Canadian Arned Forces, traveling to

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

among other cities. It also regularly performs at state functions in Ottawa, particularly at

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and their representative, the governor general of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main ...

, the

official residence An official residence is the residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-related functions. ...

of both the Canadian monarch and his or her representative. The band has recently taken part in

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

s, including the

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

Sunset Ceremony and the

Fortissimo Sunset Ceremony The Fortissimo Sunset Ceremony is an annual Canadian military music event held on the grounds of Parliament Hill in the Canadian capital of Ottawa. The ceremony is a combination of the historical Beating Retreat event which originated in the Uni ...

. The band has produced two recordings: On Parliament Hill (1972, Kanata KAN-8) and Changing the Guard (1982, GGFG FG-1002). In 2015, the GGFG pipes and drums represented the Canadian Forces at the Bermuda Tattoo for the second time since 2009 to mark the 50th anniversary of the

Bermuda Regiment The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR), formerly the Bermuda Regiment, is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is a single Territorial Army (United Kingdom), territorial infantry battalion#British Army, battalion tha ...

Directors

* John C. Bonner (1872–1874) * James Carter (1874–1877)(1888–1895) * Arthur A. Clappé (1877–1884) * Captain Joseph Miller Brown (1900–1923) * Joseph T. Brown * Major F. W. Coleman * Captain Alex McCurrdie *

Superintendent Edwin Joseph Lydall (1968–1970) * Captain George Aubrey (1970–1977) * Major James Ralph Milne (1979) * Lieutenant Colonel Frances Chilton-Mackay (2005–2016) (first female director) * Captain Stefan Sikorski (2016–''Present'')

References

External links

"Milanollo" played at St. Paul's United Church, Perth, Ontario. March 25th, 2018

The band at the Ottawa City Hall during the Winterlude celebrations

The band with the band of the Royal Regiment of Canada at the Toronto Exhibition Stadium in 1984

God Save the Queen
an
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performed by the GGFG Regimental Band in November 2009 {{Authority control Governor General's Foot Guards Bands of the Canadian Army Musical groups established in 1872 1872 establishments in Canada

Overview

Directors

See also

References

External links