Introducing Bellum

An Album of songs of
the American Civil War 
arranged and performed
by Michael Hawver

These arrangements
appeal to the contemporary 
ear,yet still reflect the
traditional, historic character
of the music

This 40 minute CD 
also features the original
composition Gettysburg,
written by
Michael Hawver

Click "sound clips"
to hear selections
from the album

Home

Welcome to...

CIVILWAR
this site focuses on, but is not limited to,
the music of the American Civil War
GUITARMUSIC
this site comes to you from the Guitar
Lesson Studio of Nicholson, PA.

Click the recorded music tab to access the
album BELLUM, which features 40
minitues of music from the Civil War era.
Samples can be heard by clicking
sound clips.

Click the lesson studio tab to access lesson
materials and easy play along tracks for
your favorite Civil War music.

The links tab will allow you to access other
great musical and historical websites.

What is Civil War Music?

Silly question?
Actually, the term can be pretty unclear. Does it mean songs written specifically about the Civil War? Does it refer to songs written during the Civil War? Do we mean songs that were actually sung or performed during the Civil War? It is probably best to say that the term Civil War music refers to all of the music played, sung, and enjoyed by the soldiers who fought, and the friends and family they left behind.  

During the 1860’s there was, of course, no category called “Civil War music” and the designation today can mean many things, depending on the source or interpretation. Modern song collections and music oriented resources use lyrical content or historical significance to create song categories like “Northern Songs”, “Southern Songs”, “Soldiers’ Songs”, or “Domestic Scenes”. This type of classification is logical, but far from comprehensive. 

The booming 19th century sheet music industry certainly facilitated the publication of many decidedly partisan song sheets, which reflected the sentiments of the citizenry and the soldiers fighting the war. Far more extensive, however, is the long list of tunes that were universally popular with people on both sides of the conflict. This includes a vast catalogue of songs that rarely appear in modern songbooks and scores of tunes that had been around for decades and even centuries before the war began.

It is important to remember that the "Civil War songs" that are widely recognized today barely scratch the surface of the immense body of music enjoyed by people during the time of the Civil War. This site, which is in its evolutionary process, will endeavor to explore this expansive area of American history.