Rev250 Event at the Howland Cultural Center: "Music of the American Revolution"

The Howland Cultural Center presents a Rev250 history discussion: "Music of the American Revolution."

This talk will cover three main topics: The musical life of the American colonies, the songs of the American Revolution, and the “field music” played by the armies on both sides of the war. 

The section on musical life in the colonies will discuss the Founding Fathers who were musicians and musical inventors, the singing and dancing that were popular at the time, the role of music in the churches, and ballad operas (the 18th century version of musical soap operas). The talk will cover music brought to America by European immigrants as well as the music and instruments brought by the Africans who came to America, and the ways those musical traditions carried down into modern times. 

The section on songs of the Revolution will discuss the anthems and marches sung by the British Army and the Patriots, including famous tunes like The British Grenadiers, Chester, and Yankee Doodle. The audience will be encouraged to sing along, and the lyrics will be shown on a screen to follow.

The third section will discuss the musicians who travelled with the British and American armies — the fife and drum players who accompanied the infantry and the buglers who rode with the cavalry. Their field music encouraged the troops, set a rhythm during marches and, most important, communicated the commanders’ orders on the march, in camp and on the battlefield.