銅管樂隊 敬拜隊 AGE(昔日) 粵曲小組(昔日) 詩班(昔日) 詩歌分享

在很多地區，本軍的音樂活動都佔有很重要的地位，但樂隊的創始則早自1878 年8月。當時沙利士堡有一個姓傳Fry的家庭，答應在本軍公開聚會中演奏，以緩和當地居民激烈反對的情緒。 結果這次大膽的嘗試，十分成功，Fry 氏家族決定放棄本身的工作，成為全職的音樂傳道人，卜維廉大將常常利用他們的演奏，在英國各地傳播福音。1879年12月，沙利士堡上尉 Isaac Unsworth 寫信返Consett 的故鄉，把音樂傳道的成就告知友人，使鄉人大為鼓舞，組成一支銅樂隊，在聖誕節時演奏聖詩，並遂漸演變成本軍部隊中的第一隊樂隊。 Consett 樂隊成立的消息，很快傳遍全國，各地軍兵紛紛組成樂隊，今日，擁有超過五萬名樂隊隊員。 1882年7月，救世軍的音樂刊物以單張的形式開始面世。每份刊物都印有8 首歌曲。可惜經過7期的發行，便停止出版。 1883年10 月，本軍為著加強音樂傳道的效用，特別成立一個部門加以統籌。1884年第一本的音樂刊物正式出版。在1886年 7 月第一期 「救世軍人的音樂刊」 The Musical Salvationists 亦開始面世。 自此以後，本軍編製了四千多首樂隊樂曲近一萬首歌曲。

All that some people know of The Salvation Army is hearing a band playing on a street corner. Yet is all began when, in August 1878, the Fry family of Salisbury agreed assist when open-air meetings, in the hope of putting an end to the mobbing of Salvationists by the roughs. The experience was a success and when the Frys decided to give up their business and become full-time musical evangelists, William Booth often used them in his campaigns in various parts of Britain. Isaac Unsworth, the Captain at the Salisbury in December 1879, wrote to his hometown of Consett, Country Durham, and told his friends of this music triumph. Inspired by this news, a group of brass instrumentalists played carols during the Christmas season. This led to the formation of the first corps band. The Consett example was quickly followed all over the country and for a corps to have a band became the normal standard. Today the Army is proud of its 50,000 bandsmen and, more than double that number of the Salvationists who sing in organised songster brigades and young people’ singing companies. Music for Salvation Army bands began to appear in July 1882 and in October 1883 a department was set up to provide the means for and the guidance essential to the employment of music to the best advantage. Since then there have appeared over 4,000 band pieces and arrangements and nearly 10,000 pieces for vocal use.