The Main Stages of Formation and Development of the 24th Military Band of the Joint Strategic Command of the Southern Military District: Traditions and Modernity

Abstract

The article considers the formation of Russian military musical performance in the regions of the Russian Federation. The history of the development of the 24th Military Band of the Joint Strategic Command of the Southern Military District is the object of study; traditions and innovations in the military band’s activities are the subject. The article aims to reveal the significance of the traditions of military wind bands for the development of national musical culture. The tasks set in the article included the study of scientific literature, revealing the specifics of the military musical art development in Russia, and archival sources from collections of textual and musical (notated) documents related to the history of military music and the band itself. The history of the band was studied using archival sources from the collection of documents of the 24th military band with the documents from the collection collected by A.Golovin - Head and Artistic Director of the band, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant Colonel. In the course of the study, documents from the band's collection of notes, including handwritten, printed and electronic scores of the author's arrangements and transcriptions, were analysed. It is noted that even though the music library began to form after 1962, it includes scores made at an earlier time. The authors determine the date and conditions for the formation of the military band of the headquarters of the Southern Military District: the band was turned into an independent unit as the 15th military band of the headquarters of the North Caucasian Military District with a permanent location in Rostov-on-Don on the basis of the military band of the 106th Communications Regiment on August 2, 1962. In 2012, the band became part of the 175 Luninets-Pinsky Southern Military District Command Brigade (military unit 01957) with the Order of Alexander Nevsky and twice the Order of the Red Star. In 2018, the 24th Military Band of the Joint Strategic Command of the Southern Military District was formed on its basis. It is noted that the band has repeatedly become the winner of the All-Army competitions of military bands, and various festivals, demonstrating the highest professionalism and being one of the best creative teams of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Scientific and practical novelty, as well as the relevance of the study, is determined by a new perspective found in the study of the history of the military band. A comprehensive study of documents made it possible to identify continuity in the collective’s activities and innovations related to the modern band’s functionality expansion.