Liberty Band of Marion plays songs of the Civil War

MARION - For members of the Liberty Band of Marion, learning new songs hasn't been as simple as reading sheet music.

The group is a Civil War re-enactment band, and they play authentic antique instruments that haven't been manufactured in a very long time. The 130 -to -160 -year -old brass horns they play don't exist in mainstream music anymore.

Though they're all experienced musicians, each member had to start their time with the Liberty Band by simply figuring out how to play those instruments.

Band founder Steve Sprague, 64, of Marion, decided to form the band after he bought a Civil War-era horn on eBay. The instrument, the music written for it and the pitch it plays didn't mesh with any existing bands he found. So he decided to start his own.

The Liberty Band is one of 40 to 50 Civil War re-enactment bands in the U.S. and the only one in Iowa that plays on antique instruments, Sprague says. Another Iowa group, the Marengo Civil War Band, plays modern versions of the music on contemporary instruments.

'I knew if I wanted a band where I could play my antique horn in my lifetime, I was going to have to go out and find these instruments,” Sprague says.

Sprague and his wife Sue began gathering instruments, music and band members three years ago. They hunted down the instruments from dealers and collectors and even on Craigslist. The band has bought instruments from four other countries and several U.S. states.

'There's a certain adventure in finding the instruments,” Sprague says. 'Sometimes you find one that's out of this world and nobody knows what it is.”

Each instrument had to be examined and tuned into playing shape by a qualified expert - Sprague says there are probably only 5 or 6 people in the United States with the skills to restore brass instruments of that age.

Sprague also found antique instructional books on how to play these horns and Civil War-era sheet music.

'During the Civil War, there were more than 3,500 songs written,” he says. 'There's a large body of music out there that hasn't been heard in a long time.”

Some of the music, songs like, 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” will be familiar to contemporary audiences. But even familiar songs don't sound the same - the Civil War-era versions were often much more complicated, with plenty of trills and flourishes.

Other songs haven't been played by anyone in living memory.

Sprague has a personal connection to one of those songs, 'Governor Sprague's Grand March,” named for the one-time governor of Rhode Island, who also happens to be the band leader's long-dead relative.

'He was my fifth cousin four times removed, or something like that,” Sprague says.

He had the march transcribed from a score for piano and arranged for the Liberty Band to play. It would have been played at the beginning of a ball, while ladies paraded to show off their dresses, he says.

Much of the music written at the time was for operas - a then-popular form of entertainment. Other songs include mournful funeral dirges and upbeat marches that would be played as soldiers moved through towns.

The band has been practicing together for about a year. They had their first major performance at the Swamp Fox Festival in Marion in September and are working on plans to tour Iowa schools next year in partnership with the State Historical Society.

In the meantime, they're preparing for a Nov. 8 concert at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art to highlight the museum's current display of Civil War photography. They'll play some of Abraham Lincoln's favorite songs alongside recitations of Lincoln's greatest speeches, performed by Lincoln re-enactor Lance Mack. Mack, of Marion, has traveled internationally performing as the president.

Sprague says digging into the history to keep events like this authentic is half of the fun of being band leader.

'My wife and I both have a real love of history. She has the college degrees to go with it,” Sprague says. 'And it's in my nature to take on challenges and do things that are a little unique.”

He's not done with his efforts to keep the band historically accurate. He'd like to hold a fundraiser to purchase Civil War uniforms - for now, band members wear bluejeans and period-style jackets and vests. He'd also like to recruit a vocalist to sing along with some of the songs.

Most of the instruments in the band are brass horns. An exception is a snare drum, played by Megan Langstraat, 27, of Cedar Rapids. Along with learning new ways to play, there are unique challenges to playing these old-fashioned instruments. The horn mouth pieces are shaped differently, for example, and can be exhausting to play. At a recent rehearsal, seven of the band's 12 regular members worked out the fingering and notes for music they're practicing. Since each instrument was made by hand, even two of the same kind of horn might not sound the same.

'I like the unique instruments,” says band member Mike Goater, 67, of Marion, who plays the e flat alto horn. 'And the history of it is interesting too.”

All the Liberty Band members play in at least three other groups. They say learning the Liberty Band's tunes is more work, but it's worth it.

'We like the challenge,” Langstraat says.

Sprague agrees.

'It's exciting,” he says. 'It's fun to do something that hasn't been heard for the most part in over 100 years.”

If you go

Words and Music: A Civil War Afternoon

' What: Meet Abe Lincoln and hear various speeches he made in between musical performances by the Liberty Band of Iowa.

' When: 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 8

' Where: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

' Cost: Free

Art Bites: Civil War Music

' What: Join Steve Sprague of the Liberty Band of Iowa as he discusses a variety of aspects of Civil War music.

' When: 12:15 p.m. Dec. 3

' Where: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

' Cost: Free

More Civil War events

Words and Music: A Civil War Afternoon is part of ongoing programming at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in conjunction with its exhibit of Civil War photography. All events are free unless otherwise noted and will be held at the museum, 410 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids.

Art Bites: Lasansky's Lincolns

' What: Mauricio Lasansky's prints of Abraham Lincoln will be discussed by his son, Phil Lasansky.

' When: 12:15 p.m. Wednesday

Scout Badge Lab: Flags

' What: If you were one of our country's founders, how would you design the flag? Boy and Girl Scouts will create their own U.S. flags based on history and symbolism of the flag, and then each child will design a personal flag with symbols that represent him or her. Preregistration required and space is limited.

' When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday

' Cost: Scouts are $12; adult chaperones are free.

' Register: Contact Education Director Erin Thomas at (319) 366-7503 or ethomas@crma.org.

Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company

' What: Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company presents a Civil War-related work, 'Freedom Star: Gertie's Journey to the Underground Railroad.”

' When: Dec. 6. Time to be determined.

Art Bites: Shadows of History:

Behind the Scenes

' What: Executive Director Sean Ulmer discusses various aspects of presenting a traveling exhibition.

' When: 12:15 p.m. Jan. 7