British Army Music in the Interwar Years

<p>There were approximately 7000 full-time bandsmen serving in the <strong>British Army</strong> in the interwar years. This was about a third of the total number of musicians in the music profession in the United Kingdom making the War Office the largest single employer of professional musicians in the country. <strong>British Army</strong> musicians were a key stakeholder in the music industry in the United Kingdom but also farther afield where it made a significant contribution to the maintenance of British imperial authority.<br /><br />To sustain the large number of bands residential institutions provided young boys for recruitment into the army as bandsmen and as a consequence the army set the standard for musical training and performance. The music industry relied upon the existence of army bands for its business and the military played a significant part in the adoption of an international standard of musical pitch. Nevertheless there was a tempestuous relationship between army bands and the BBC as well as the recording industry as a whole. <br /><br />Using untapped sources and original material Major David Hammond reveals the role and soft power influence of <em><strong>British Army music in the interwar years</strong></em>.<br /> </p>