With Sound the Trumpet, Beat the Drums in print, Dr. Gleason has now returned to the researching and writing of what was going to be the initial book, but in fact will be its prequel: Cavalry Trumpeters, Kettledrummers and Mounted Bands: From the Crusades to the Twentieth Century.
Image depicting Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca by Abu Muhammad al Qasim ibn Ali al-Hariri (1054 – 1122), illustrated by Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti, and published in 1237. Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Kettledrummers and trumpeters, shown leading Count Ladislaw Bercheny’s French hussar regiment, c. 1752 – 1763. Late nineteenth- or early twentieth-century, after the original anonymous painting in the Cottereau collection. Oil on canvas, 66 x 152 cm. 5857; Ec116. © Musée de l'Armée/Dist. RMN-Grand
7th Queen's Own Hussars, Harry Payne
The completion of the book is several years away. Please see "Cavalry Trumpet and Kettledrum Practice from the Time of the Celts and Romans to the Renaissance" published in the 2008 issue of the Galpin Society Journal for a preview.
A third book that is still in Shutterfly format is U.S. Army, Gleason, September 1988 – September 1991, which tells the story of how Gleason found himself as an enlisted low brass player in the 298th Army Band of the Berlin Brigade after having been an elementary and high school music teacher and band and choir director in northern Minnesota for six years.
The book contains hundreds of photos over three years encompassing basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, musical training at the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia and daily life and performances in one of the greatest cities in the world. Included in these events are various changes of command, "platz gigs," a performance for former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, pre-reunification ceremonies, and an historic performance at an East German Soviet army base.
Along with his memories, the text is based on scans of the thirty letters and articles Dr. Gleason wrote for the NorthStar News of Karlstad, Minnesota during his enlistment.
298th Army Big Band, Independence Day, 1990, United States Military Liaison Mission at Potsdam. Gleason third trombone down the line.
