Remarks on the European meeting of military brass bands by Staff Sergeant Pierre-Marie Solioz
Brief historical overview of the genesis of military ensembles

Music is as old as the world itself; from the creation of it, the elements composing the universe act and move according to a determined order and rhythm. Attached to elementary principles, rhythm preceded any organized sound manifestation and manifested itself through dance. From the earliest times, natural elements such as clapping hands, stone clashes, pieces of wood, as well as shouts, were the instruments used in ceremonies, accompanying and punctuating the dances.

The appearance and development of instruments such as reeds, perforated bones, and shells, initially producing crude sounds and later forming the beginning of a musical scale, undoubtedly prompted singers to imitate and produce new sounds. Musical phenomena developed almost identically in all peoples. These germs were associated with ritual dances, attributed with magical powers such as success in hunting, healing, evoking spirits, and certainly, victory on the battlefield. Through vocal organs or instruments, humans seek to express their feelings and emotions. These can be communicated, better than any other art form, through the expansive and sensitive medium of music. It channels or translates our moods, thoughts, aggressiveness, and seems particularly apt at revealing our feelings.

The use of music will be one of the persuasive elements employed by armies. Its effect is psychological. It has the ability to evoke warlike sentiments, to boost courage, bravery, foster emulation, and alleviate fear in combat.

Through its rhythm, it also facilitates the soldier’s march. It is also the one that fills leisure time and comforts morale. Sovereigns, philosophers, and warriors of all times and places have noticed this influence of music on behavior. Thus, regardless of the era and region, music is seen intervening within armies. Here it may be rough, raw, and coarse, expressed through wild cries, strange noises, discordant instruments; there it is chosen, regulated, and suited to its purpose, full of harmony and solemnity, depending on whether it is an era of barbarism or civilization.