Gilmore, Patrick Sarsfield (1829-1892), was the best-known American bandmaster of the 1800’s. He developed the first great American band, which became known as Gilmore’s Band. It created a sensation during a European tour in 1878. The instrumentation of this band set the basic pattern for modern bands. Gilmore introduced and probably composed the American Civil War song “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (1863).
Gilmore was born in Ballygar, Ireland, near Dublin, on Dec. 25, 1829. He settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1848. He organized two huge music festivals, called Peace Jubilees, in Boston in 1869 and 1872. These festivals raised American performance standards and helped improve American professional bands. Gilmore died on Sept. 24, 1892.
