Liberty Day

This last weekend we performed at Liberty Day in Medinah, IL. We had a great time meeting old and new friends and enjoying the talks and celebration. Liberty Day commemorates the anniversary of Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech, March 23 1775, as a day for us and our posterity to set aside to bring to remembrance past defenders of Liberty, to stir into our hearts a deeper love for, and understanding of, Liberty, and to “beseech the Most High for Liberty in our day." They should have pictures from the event on their website soon, and you can see us perform a little in the slide show from last year.

-Peter Bringe
 Memor!

Girl I Left Behind Me

Girl I Left Behind Me was a popular British-American song during the 17-1800s. It was often used when breaking up camp and leaving a location.

-Peter Bringe

 Memor!

The Drum In Two Songs

Yankee Doodle (c.1775)
"We saw a little barrel, too,
The heads were made of leather;
They knocked upon't with little clubs
And called the folks together."

Over the Hills and Far Away (c. 1706)
"Hark, now the Drums beat up again,
For all true Soldier gentlemen,
Then let us list and march I say,
Over the hills and far away;

Chorus: Over the hills and o'er the main,
To Flanders, Portugal, and Spain,
Queen Anne commands and we'll obey,
Over the hills and far away

No more from sound of drum retreat,
While Marlbrorough and Galway beat,
The French and Spainish every day,
When over the hills and far away."

-Peter Bringe
 Memor!

The Washingtons and Fife and Drum

"Martha Washington, as told to her daughter, Nelly Custis, that her favorite music was that of the fife and drum; and although her husband, General Washington, stated that he could not raise a single note on any instrument, he was observed drumming on a table with a knife and fork obviously daydreaming of the daily sounds of the camp calls; one of which, Go to Bed Home, from Nelly Custis' harpsichord collection, was the sound of the beat and tune used to signal the soldiers to return to their tents at bedtime" -taken from American Drums of War by George Carroll

-Peter Bringe
 Memor!

The Drum in Early New England

Here are some references from old Puritan New England referring to using the drum to call the people to church before they could get bells.

"The lower part they use for their church, where they preach on Sundays and the usual holidays. They assemble by beat of drum, each with his musket or firelock, in front of the captain's door;" -Isaack de Rasieres, a visitor to Plymouth, writing to Samuel Blommaert in 1628 describing Plymouth

In 1638 a platform was made upon the top of the Windsor meeting-house “from the Lanthorne to the ridge to walk conveniently to sound a trumpet or a drum to give warning to meeting.”

"New England’s Sabbath day

Is heaven-like still and pure,

When Israel walks the way

Up to the temple’s door.

The time we tell

When There to come

By beat of Drum

Or sounding Shell" -An old Puritan Hymn (sounding Shell refers to using the conch-shell to call to worship)

“Hearing the sound of a drum he was directed towards it by a broade beaten way; following this rode he demands of the next man he met what the signall of the drum ment; the reply was made they had as yet no Bell to call men to meeting and therefore made use of the drum.” –Johnson, in his “Wonder Working Providence”

-Peter Bringe
Memor!