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Saxton's cornets make the old South live again

Taiwan gets an odd -- some might say surreal -- opportunity to hear a musical history from both sides of the Mason-Dixon line in the coming weeks, when Civil War revivalist combo, Saxton's Cornet Band (SCB) marches into town for a series of concerts nationwide.

Although the current 20 piece band was founded in Frankfurt, Kentucky, in 1989 the non-profit educational act can in fact trace its roots back more than 100 years.

Initially formed in the 1850s by Henry Saxton in Lexington, Kentucky, the original Saxton's military marching band built up a strong following during the American Civil War. Although Saxton is today believed to have been pro-Union, as the band's base was located in the border-state of Kentucky, many of Saxton's early performances took place under the Stars and Bars at Confederate military tattoos.

By creating its own elaborate patriotic ballads, many of which were in fact adapted from popular operas of the day, Saxton's band quickly became famous for its quickstep marches throughout Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas.

Not that it was all about marching and dancing, however. According to historical records, these early performances often included pianists and vocalists as well as poetry recitals.

Along with continuing to entertain the troops, albeit the guys in blue, after the fighting had stopped, the band also branched out and began to perform for civilians at dances, parades and weddings and, of course, funerals.

The music performed by Saxton's latter-day combo all originates from the Civil War period. Some of the scores are painstakingly copied note-by-note from the actual manuscripts originally used by bands during the mid-1800s. When compositions are incomplete the band attempts to reconstruct the lost segments of the tunes, basing themselves on the styles of composition prevalent at the time.

To recreate the genuine Civil War sound the ensemble uses a combination of instruments dating back to the mid-1800s and accurate reproductions of instruments of the period. And while it may not sound hygienic, the band uses only antique mouthpieces, for added realism. The band's percussion instruments are reproductions of mid-19th century animal skin and hemp snare and bass drums. In order to appease both sides of the Mason-Dixon line today, the combo performs a mixture of Union, Confederate and popular non-military music.

Like the detail and authenticity given to its instrumentation, Saxton's Cornet Band strives to ensure that its attire is as genuine as possible. All of its uniforms are accurate reproductions of the originals and are made using period--style fabrics and by employing the same tailoring techniques as those used back in the mid-1800s.

In these more tolerant times, the combo no longer only dons the Confederate colors. It now appears in the Union Army of Cumberland blue as well as the Confederate Army of Tennessee gray. Both armies fought in the Western theater of the Civil War. The band also performs occasionally in period-style civilian clothing.

While the band no longer performs at military tattoos, it is, on occasion, recalled to active duty. The SCB continues to play a role in many of the large-scale reenactments of Civil War battles. These have included reenactments of such infamous melees as the battle of Olustee, Florida, which took place on Feb. 20, 1864 and the battle of Boone Plantation, which took place near Charleston, South Carolina on June 16, 1862.

Performances have also included appearances on both the big and the small screen. In 1991, the band played itself in the Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen movie, Gettysburg, and appeared again as a military band in 1998's The Day Lincoln Was Shot, a made-for-TV movie starring Rob Morrow and Lance Henriksen.

And, while some may question whether it's either something to write home about or tell the grandchildren about, the band also performed at the Jan. 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush at the Reagan Center as well participating in Bush's inaugural parade.

For the group's up-coming Taipei concerts, the combo will be presenting a series of sets that combine the music of the period with poetry and narration, with a focus on the historical significance of the various Yankee and Johnny Reb rousing melodies.

The SCB's Taiwan tour will begin tomorrow, when the combo brings the sounds of the American Civil War era to the stage of the Chungli Arts Center (中壢藝術館) at 7:30pm. The hard blowing men will storm the capital on Sunday, when they will be marching into the National Concert Hall (台北國家音樂廳) at 7:30pm, where it will hopefully be raising the roof with Civil War era vibes rather than raising the prestigious venue to the ground.

Tickets cost between NT$300 and NT$1,000, depending on the venue, and are available from ERA ticketing outlets nationwide, or direct from the venue. For a full tour schedule and further information about the tour, visit www.kham.com.tw.
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