First published in 1889, History of the Military Band stands as one of the earliest attempts to trace, in a coherent and systematic way, the development of military music as both an artistic and social force. Conceived as a continuation and concise synthesis of Georges Kastner’s foundational work, Edmond Neukomm’s study surveys the evolution of military bands across Europe, examining their instruments, organisation, repertoire, and cultural function. Clear in structure and sober in tone, the book offers an invaluable contemporary perspective on how the modern military band emerged during the nineteenth century.
About Edmond Neukomm
Edmond Neukomm was a French music historian and critic active in the latter half of the nineteenth century, a period in which military music occupied a central place in public musical life. Though not a prolific author, Neukomm brought to his historical writing a discerning critical eye and a strong sense of continuity between scholarship and practice. His History of the Military Band was explicitly intended as both a summary and a continuation of Kastner’s earlier research, and it remains significant for its clarity, concision, and its position at the crossroads of musicology, military history, and cultural documentation.
