Music is integral to military units, serving practical, psychological, and ceremonial purposes. For centuries, drums, fifes, and bugles were used to issue commands, regulate marching pace, and signal during battles. This role was particularly prominent in Highland units, where the great highland bagpipes played a unique and powerful part. The pipes were not just for parade; they were used in battle to inspire troops, unnerve opponents, and act as a form of communication on the chaotic battlefield. The sound of the pipes was so closely associated with Highland regiments that it became a symbol of their ferocity and distinctive identity. In both the UK and Canada, this tradition continued, with pipers leading charges and playing laments for fallen comrades.
History of the 48th Highlanders of Canada Bands
The 48th Highlanders of Canada has a long and storied musical tradition, with its bands being a core part of the regiment’s identity since its founding. Almost immediately after the regiment was founded in 1891, a pipe band was formed. The Pipe Band, or Pipes and Drums, quickly gained an international reputation for its high standard of playing and marching, performing at numerous events, military tattoos and competitions around the world. The regiment shortly after created a Military brass band, providing music for formal dinners, parades, and public concerts. The Military band complemented the unique sound of the pipes, offering a different style of music for these occasions. In peacetime, the two bands of the 48th Highlanders were not only an essential part of the active regiment but were an important and highly visible presence to the public through parades and band concerts in cities and towns across Canada.
The 48th Highlanders Pipes and Drums have been central to the 48th to this day, in both peace and in war. The Military band, however, no longer exists. The 48th Highlanders Military band was disbanded formally in 1965 when the government changed the primary role of the Reserves to Nuclear Defence in Canada, a role that was changed back to a traditional military role a few decades later. Those serving in the Military band stepped forward as volunteers and the Military Band, unpaid, continued well into the 21st century. The 48th Highlanders Pipe and Drum Band remains active today, continuing the powerful and ancient tradition of the Scottish military piper, serving as a living link to the regiment’s heritage and its historical role.