Hungarian Military Bands Have Good Reputation in Germany
Szöveg: László Szűcs | 2013. február 21. 9:07Col. Zsolt Csizmadia recently participated in a conference on military music in Hammelburg, Germany, at the invitation of the chief conductor of the Bundeswehr, the German Federal Defence Forces. The chief conductor of the Hungarian Defence Forces gave a presentation on the history of Hungarian military music.
the German chief conductor invited me to participate in the February conference and give a
presentation on the history of Hungarian military music from the Hungarian Conquest to the
present day. I was pleased to accept the invitation", told us Col. Zsolt Csizmadia after his
return home.
The chief conductor of the Hungarian Defence Forces informed us that all musician officers,
conductors and assistant conductors of the Bundeswehr had participated in the four-day
conference in Hammelburg. Admiral Manfred Nielson, the Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr
Joint Support Service (SKB) was the special guest and presenter of the meeting. He is the
chief of the military bands too.
During the presentations, the Hungarian chief conductor was given an insight into the
workings of the system of German military bands and the cooperation of their musicians.
Naturally, in addition to the professional presentations, the participants discussed several
issues concerning support and accommodation, and the transformation-related tasks of the
future.
In his own presentation, the chief conductor of the Hungarian Defence Forces stressed that
although no military bands had existed 1,100 years ago, in the age of the Hungarian Conquest,
the instruments used later – primarily the trumpets (bugles) and drums – had an important role
in communicating commands, since the human voice was not heard along wide frontlines, so
the instruments were needed to help.
The colonel told us that in his historical overview, he gave a detailed account of the
development of Hungarian military music and touched on the currently existing military
bands and their tasks as well.
“The German military bandsmen know their Hungarian colleagues and the Hungarian
military bands have very good reputation in Germany. Fortunately, we are very often
invited to participate in festivals in Germany, and the German bands are regular guests at
the biannual international festivals of military bands in Debrecen. Furthermore, beyond the
excellent professional relations, we maintain outstanding friendly relations with the German
colleagues", Col. Zsolt Csizmadia said.
Photo: bundeswehr.org
