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Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces | |
---|---|
Forsvarets stabsmusikkorps | |
Active | 1818–present |
Country | Norway |
Branch | Norwegian Army |
Type | Military band |
Garrison/HQ | Oslo |
Commanders | |
Director of Music | Major Ståle Hortman |
Artistic Director | Andreas Hanson |
Drum Major | Tommy Markhus Kristoffersen |
Notable commanders |
The Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces (Norwegian : Forsvarets stabsmusikkorps, FSMK) is the foremost[ clarification needed ] of the military bands of the Norwegian Armed Forces and Norway's largest professional wind band, employing 39 full-time musicians. The band is based in Oslo and participates in parades and ceremonies for Norwegian royalty, the government and the armed forces, and tours throughout Norway and abroad. In addition, the band has an extensive concert schedule in the Oslo area.
FSMK has strong relations with the Norwegian National Opera, Norwegian Academy of Music, Akershus Fortress Foundation for Art and Culture, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, and Ny Musikkk, the Norwegian section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. The band performs a wide variety of musical styles: classical and contemporary, as well as jazz and pop. FSMK works with renowned conductors from Norway and abroad, on a project basis. The Staff Band's recordings have consistently received critical acclaim.[ citation needed ]
Military music in Norway has its roots in the 17th century when the pipers (flautists) together with the drummers made up the first military bands. In 1641, all companies had drummers, pipers, trumpeters and horn players, that formed small ensembles. These ensembles performed different kinds of signals and fanfares at military operations and ceremonies, and were connected to the Akershus fortress. It was in 1818 that the first military ensembles similar to today's bands were created.
Within the Stabsmusikkorps ved Hærordningen of 1817, which was put into effect 1 January 1818, it was decided that the 2nd Agersusiske Brigade would have a military band, and the name was the 2. Brigades Musikkorps (military band). In 1918, all of the brigades were renamed to divisions, and subsequently the band's name changed to the 2nd Division Band. The band had this name until 1953, when the classification into divisions was abandoned, and the band was renamed Forsvarets stabsmusikkorps (Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces).
Historically, a number of famous Norwegian musicians were associated with the band, including Johannes Hanssen, Ole Olsen, Johan Halvorsen, and Johan Svendsen.
In 2018, to commemorate their 200th anniversary, the band released an album with singer Angelina Jordan called It's Magic. [1] [2]
In October 2007, FSMK moved into the newly refurbished Ridehuset at Akershus festning. Originally a riding stable and then a rehearsal and performance space for Riksteateret (the National Theatre Company), Ridehuset is now the permanent rehearsal and concert arena for Forsvarets stabsmusikkorps. [3] The house holds a large stage, wardrobes, a music library, storage facilities and seating for 200–250 people. Due in part to the excellent acoustics, Ridehuset has become a popular arena for other ensembles in Oslo. The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Sinfonietta and the Ultima festival, among others, held concerts in Ridehuset during the 2008–09 season.
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of bandmaster or music director. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching bands in the world, dating from the 13th century.
The Norwegian Army is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The Army participated in various continental wars during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries as well, both in Norway and abroad, especially in World War II (1939–1945). It constitutes part of the Norwegian military contribution as a charter member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 1949.
The Norwegian Home Guard is the rapid mobilization force within the Norwegian armed forces. Its main focus is local defense and civil support, but it can also detach volunteers for international operations. Its main tasks are safeguarding territorial integrity, strengthening military presence, and protecting important infrastructure.
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the main fief and later main county of Akershus, which was originally one of Norway's four main regions and which included most of Eastern Norway. The fortress itself was located within the Akershus main county until 1919, and also within the smaller Akershus sub county until 1842.
The Norwegian Armed Forces is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the Home Guard, and Norwegian Cyber Defence Force as well as several joint departments.
United States military bands include musical ensembles maintained by the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and United States Coast Guard. More broadly, they can also include musical ensembles of other federal and state uniformed services, including the Public Health Service and NOAA Corps, the state defense forces, and the senior military colleges.
Ole Olsen was a Norwegian organist, composer, conductor and military musician.
Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen is a Norwegian contemporary composer.
The United States Naval Academy Band was officially founded in November 1852. Previously, there had been a band since the founding of the Naval Academy in 1845, consisting of a fifer and a drummer. The band consists of US Navy career musicians. The band is required to blend tradition and change into a wide variety of musical styles.
Johan Andreas Cornelius Ohme was a Danish-Norwegian army officer.
The Armed Forces Museum of Norway is a museum located at Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Norway. Previously it was named Hærmuseet, The Army Museum. The museum consists of mostly army materiel. The Armed Forces Museum is the main museum sorting under the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum superstructure.
Terje Rollem was a Norwegian oberst and officer in Milorg during the German occupation of Norway. He is best known for assuming command of Akershus Fortress from the German occupiers at the end of the Second World War.
The National Fortifications Heritage is a division with the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency responsible for sixteen military fortifications in Norway designated as heritage sites. The agency is responsible for conserving the character and history of the sites, while facilitating their use for culture, business and experiences. The list consists of ten fortresses, four smaller forts and two networks of border fortifications. Three fortresses, Akershus, Bergenshus and Vardøhus, date from the Middle Ages. Five installations date from the union with Denmark and five were built either union with Sweden or following the dissolution, as a defense against a Swedish invasion. Three forts, Austrått, Møvik and Trondenes, were built by the German Wehrmacht during World War II as part of Festung Norwegen.
Angelina Jordan Astar is a Norwegian singer whose audition for the 2014 season of Norway's Got Talent at the age of seven, singing "Gloomy Sunday" in the style of Billie Holiday, became a viral video online and brought her worldwide press coverage. She went on to win the competition at the age of seven with her performance of George Gershwin's "Summertime". Since then, she has worked to raise money on behalf of environmental causes and various children's charities. She always performs barefoot, after befriending a young shoeless girl and giving her shoes to her. Jordan later wrote a book about the experience, Mellom to hjerter .
The His Majesty the King's Guard 3. Company is a renowned military band and drill unit the Norwegian Armed Forces. It is attached to the Hans Majestet Kongens Garde or The King's Guard, acting as its unit band and drill team. The band and drill unit is based out of Huseby Leir in the capital Oslo where its area of responsibility is. It is a renowned unit that is famous around the world for its participation in international military tattoos. In its activities, it participates in parades and ceremonies for HM Harald V of Norway) and Norwegian members of the House of Glücksburg. It also supports the government and the military, specifically increasing the esprit de corps in army units as well as in the public. The concert season usually lasts from December to March/April while the marching season lasts until September.
The Norwegian Military Tattoo is a military festival held biannually in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. It is organized by the Forsvarets musikk, the department that oversees all the country's military bands (musikkorps). The first tattoo was held in 1994 in Hamar, which is north of Oslo. The tattoo has been held in the Oslo Spektrum since 1996. It features military bands and drill teams of the Norwegian Armed Forces as well as the bands and drill teams of foreign countries.
The Norwegian Air Force Band is the official military band of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, based out of Trondheim, a municipality in the Trondheim Region. The band consists of 28 professional musicians who are employed by the Forsvarets musikk. The band participates in parades and ceremonies in the Trondheim Region and performs for Norwegian royalty and the government on behalf of the RNoAF. The RNoAF Band also supports and cooperates closely with the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy and Ørland Main Air Station. Leif Arne Pedersen has been employed since autumn 2011 as the band's Artistic director and chief conductor, succeeding Ole Edvard Antonsen who had served in this role from 2006–2010. The Administrative Chief and General Manager of the LFMK is Colonel Lieutenant Marius Johansen.
Forsvarets Musikk (FMUS) (English: Defence Music) is the department that oversee all the military bands (musikkorps) of the Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvarets). Being the organizational body of military bands, it is based in Oslo, the national capital.
Carl Nils Stefan Sandborg né Johansson is a senior Swedish Army officer. He served as the Chief of Home Guard from 2018 to 2022.
Forsvarets spesialstyrker is a unit in the Norwegian Armed Forces with overall responsibility for the special forces.