33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band living history in Civil War era music performances

BLOOMINGTON — The brassy sounds of a 19th century Union Army regimental band that dug roots in Normal continues to ring across the Illinois State University campus.

The 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band is a Civil War-era musical reenactment group of at least 16 performers. They return Monday for another free, summertime performance on the ISU quad.

In 1996, the reenactment band was founded by Gary Borling, who died from cancer in 2000 at age 48. Carlock's John Bergmann, 53, stepped up to serve as bandmaster in 2017, but he has been playing on and off since 1997. Bergmann, a physics teacher for Normal Community High School, said he was invited to join by his high school band instructor and current regiment band member, Kirby Reese, on tenor horn.

Bergmann said he started playing on B-flat cornet, but Borling later moved him up to E-flat cornet, which he continues to play as bandmaster. Other horn sections of the band include alto horns, tenor horns (pitched like a trombone) and bass horn, which is different from a tuba. They have side drums, which would be called a snare drum today, and a bass drum with an attached cymbal.

Bergmann said they're very particular about playing instruments from the 1860-1880s. He said they use original instruments that are either very similar or identical to what was played in the war. But that particularity doesn't apply to drums, as Bergmann noted wood, leather and rope doesn't last for 170 years.

"Anyone who thinks instrument technology hasn't improved since the Civil War is crazy," said Bergmann, adding their instruments come with individual quirks and nuances. He said they tune about one-third higher pitch than average, meaning their tune could be described as "toy-like," or lighter than your average marching band.

Some of his band mates own their instruments, and others are owned by the band, which is based in Bloomington-Normal. Their members hail from across Central and Southern Illinois, including Mattoon, Springfield, Minonk, El Paso, Pekin and Collinsville.

Tunes that could be called out include "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "The Yellow Rose of Texas." They also play songs by Stephen Foster, like "Camptown races" and "Old folks at home," which is also called "Swanee River."

"We also play patriotic tunes, waltzes, polkas, quicksteps, marches, hymns — anything that the solider would have heard during the Civil War, Bergmann said. "But you didn't play patriotic tunes when trying to lull the guys to sleep at night."

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Bergmann said their band motto is "History through music." He said their performances are fun to listen to, with a repertoire full of variety and lore.

He said the original 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment band was a 17-piece group formed by Augustus Woodward and C. S. Elder, both of Lexington. Quite a few regimental bands formed in the first year of the Civil War, on both sides.

Locally, he said the 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment was called the "Teacher's Regiment," led by Col. Charles Hovey, ISU's first president.

Bergmann said it was also called the "Brains Regiment" because of how educated the enlisted troops were; the 33rd had 13 college graduates, all privates, which was rare.

But regimental bands were short lived. Bergmann said they were mostly disbanded after the first year of the war for cost-saving measures and reorganized into brigade bands. Brigades are a military unit consisting of 10 regiments.

"The problem was bandsmen were paid $1 more per month than the ordinary soldier," he said.

Legends of how Civil War soldiers were affected by band music live on. Bergmann said certain songs inspired men to perform great deeds on the battlefield.

As the evening set in during one battle, he said a Union Army band played "Home! Sweet Home." Then, another Union Army band joined in, and before long, a Confederate band starting playing it, too.

"People started singing on both sides," Bergmann said. "They were singing the same song. ... It was just pretty moving."

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