East Meets West Meets East Meets Etc.

How English Brass Band Music Traveled to India and Back Again.

Selections from “the Cowboy and the Yogi: Ideals shared by India and America”

Complete book available at this Link
During the British Raj, marching bands were considered one of the primary ways of imposing the “civilizing” force of European culture on the Indian populace. In the days before wireless communication, the bagpipes were the only way that thousands of troops could immediately be informed of their commander’s orders. Each bagpipe melody was a signal with a specific military meaning, such as halt, attack, retreat, etc. And military parades, with thousands of soldiers marching in lockstep to the sounds of brass bands, were an effective way of expressing the power of the British Empire. For this reason, thousands of Indian men and boys were taught to play a variety of western band instruments: bagpipes, trumpets, clarinets, tubas, snare drums. And when homesick British soldiers wanted to hear something to remind them of England, these same musicians could be pressed into service to perform at dances and Sunday concerts in the park. When they performed they wore uniforms that combined elements of both English and Indian military finery: brass buttons, gold braid — along with silk sashes and turbans!