The Governor General's Foot Guards Band (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: La Musique des Governor General's Foot Guards) is an authorized

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

35-piece brass and reed band. It consists of serving members of the CAF who parade on a part-time basis. It serves as the regimental band of the

Governor General's Foot Guards The Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) is the senior reserve infantry regiment in the Canadian Army. Located in Ottawa at the Cartier Square Drill Hall, the regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry unit, and the members are part-time soldiers. ...

(GGFG) and is the most senior band of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

Primary Reserve.

Overview

Remembrance Day 2017 in Ottawa Canada 07

The band was formed soon after the establishment of the

in 1872. Many of its members at that time were from the Band of the Ottawa Brigade of Garrison Artillery. In 1888, the band attracted controversy when it refused to perform at multiple events unless they were given adequate pay. In 1891, the band was part of the funeral procession for Sir

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (10 or 11January 18156June 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 until his death in 1891. He was the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, and had a political ...

, the 1st

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

. The band made its first international debut in 1906 under its first director, John C. Bonner, when it travelled to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. During the visit, the band performed at the

West Point Band The West Point Band (also known as the U.S. Military Academy Band or USMA Band) is the U.S. Army's oldest active-duty band and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy. An act of Congress (Military Peace Establishment Act) issued o ...

, with the latter playing ''

The Stars and Stripes Forever "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. History In his 1928 au ...

'' and the former playing ''

God Save the King "God Save the King" ("God Save the Queen" when the monarch is female) is ''de facto'' the national anthem of the United Kingdom. It is one of national anthems of New Zealand, two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem of the Isle ...

''. Joseph T. Brown led the band at the opening of

Madison Square Gardens Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd streets above Pennsylva ...

in New York in 1925 and at the opening of the

Peace Bridge The Peace Bridge is an international bridge over the Niagara River between Canada and the United States, located just north of the river's source at the east end of Lake Erie about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects Buffalo, New York, in ...

between

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and

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The town is located at the south eastern corner of the region, on the Niagara River, directly across the Canada–United States border from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of ...

in 1937. The band made several appearances during the

visit Visit refer as go to see and spend time with socially. Visit may refer to: *State visit, a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country *Conjugal visit, in which a prisoner is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visit ...

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in 1939, including the

Trooping of the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of the British sovereign, though the event is not necessari ...

in front of

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. After

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the band's summer concerts were broadcast on local radio, and it participated in many massed band displays and tattoos on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

. Its first major activity following the war was the coronation day ceremonies in front of

that included the

by the GGFG in front of Governor-General

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as the 18th governor general of Canada from 1952 to 1959. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada. Mas ...

. Under Milne, the increased its role in the new Canadian Armed Forces, traveling to

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

among other cities. It also regularly performs at state functions in Ottawa, particularly at

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence of the governor general of Canada, the representative of the monarch of Canada. Located in Ottawa, the Capital city, capital of the country, on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, th ...

, the

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of both the

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and his or her representative. The band has recently taken part in

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ' ('turn off the tap'), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeepers near military g ...

s, including the

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

Sunset Ceremony and the

Fortissimo Sunset Ceremony The Fortissimo Sunset Ceremony is an annual Canadian military music event held on the grounds of Parliament Hill in the Canadian capital of Ottawa. The ceremony is a combination of the historical Beating Retreat event which originated in the Un ...

. The band has produced two recordings: On Parliament Hill (1972, Kanata KAN-8) and Changing the Guard (1982, GGFG FG-1002). In 2015, the GGFG pipes and drums represented the Canadian Forces at the Bermuda Tattoo for the second time since 2009 to mark the 50th anniversary of the

Bermuda Regiment The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is a single Territorial Army (United Kingdom), territorial infantry battalion#British Army, battalion that was formed on the amalgamation ...

Directors

* John C. Bonner (1872–1874) * James Carter (1874–1877)(1888–1895) * Arthur A. Clappé (1877–1884) * Captain Joseph Miller Brown (1900–1923) * Joseph T. Brown * Major F. W. Coleman * Captain Alex McCurrdie *

Superintendent Edwin Joseph Lydall (1968–1970) * Captain George Aubrey (1970–1977) * Major James Ralph Milne (1979) * Captain Terry Porter (unknown - 2005) * Lieutenant Colonel Frances Chilton-Mackay (2005–2016) (first female director) * Captain Stefan Sikorski (2016 - 2023) * Captain Samantha Parent (2023 - 2025) * Master Warrant Officer Rob McKinnon (2025 - present)

References

External links

"Milanollo" played at St. Paul's United Church, Perth, Ontario. March 25th, 2018

The band at the Ottawa City Hall during the Winterlude celebrations

The band with the band of the Royal Regiment of Canada at the Toronto Exhibition Stadium in 1984

God Save the Queen
an
O Canada
performed by the GGFG Regimental Band in November 2009 {{Authority control Governor General's Foot Guards Bands of the Canadian Army Musical groups established in 1872 1872 establishments in Canada

Overview

Directors

See also

References

External links