The history of instrumental wind music within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police band

The history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) music program spans 117 years from 1876 to 1993. During that time, several bands of various sizes and instrumentation formed under a wide variety of circumstances. From its humble beginnings on the new frontier of the fledgling Canadian prairies to the professional, full-time musical organization in Ottawa, Ontario, the band provided pomp and ceremony to many important events in the nation's history.;The present study categorizes the RCMP Band into three distinct eras: Early Years (1876-1938), Part-Time Years (1938-1958) and Full-Time Years (1959-1993). The band sought to provide quality musical experiences to the communities and detachments they served, as well as represent Canadians abroad. Although the earliest incarnations of the band began as a way to keep the minds of the men focused on their tedious and grueling tasks of establishing law and order in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the musicians quickly strove to provide high-quality performance, regardless of the audience.;The benefits of the band to the people of Canada were extremely important. Besides the ensemble's participation in official functions and events across the country and around the world, the RCMP Band continually provided a message of partnership and cooperation between police and the community. The Force (a term encompassing all incarnations of Canada's national police) made a concerted effort to bring the band to every Canadian, regardless of the size or location of their community. Force musicians also made a point of performing Canadian music as often as possible. This included original compositions, traditional Canadian repertoire, as well as arrangements by members of the ensemble.;To provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the RCMP Band, the present study discusses the history of the RCMP music program, as well as repertoire performed. A database containing all titles within the RCMP Concert Band library provides an organized record of published and unpublished material available to the part-time and full-time ensembles. Interviews with former band members are included to provide first-hand accounts of day-to-day activities of the ensemble, as well as valuable information regarding the musical aspects of the band.