Songs of Silence evoke remembrance

By Lethbridge Herald on November 11, 2025.

HERALD PHOTO BY JOE MANIO Aurora Choral Lethbridge perform during Songs of Silence at the College Drive Community Church Saturday.

Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald

Music plays a key role in Remembrance Day ceremonies by creating an emotional atmosphere, connecting generations and marking specific moments with symbolic tunes like “The Last Post” and the “Rouse.” It evokes powerful feelings that words cannot express, provides a communal experience and serves as a way to remember sacrifices and shape the future with empathy.

On Saturday the Lethbridge Community Band Society (LCBS) Silver Band and special guests the Aurora Choral Lethbridge performed a Remembrance Day concert called “Songs of Silence” at the College Drive Community Church Saturday evening.

The performance featured poignant music and songs, many of them long associated with war and remembrance. Lethbridge Community Silver Band conductor Ryan Heseltine selected the pieces. 

“It started with Hymn to the Fallen, which was a piece by John Williams written for the movie Saving Private Ryan. That started as the centerpiece,” says Heseltine. “Then it was a matter of just looking for appropriate music that combined a choir and a concert band, which is surprisingly hard to find music for. But I managed to find pieces that fit really well.”

Music has always been deeply associated with the armed forces, serving various crucial functions from ancient times to the present day. Historically, its primary roles were practical: communication and coordination, and boosting morale.

Bugle calls and fife and drum corps were integral to military operations in the early modern period (roughly 16th-19th centuries) and continue to be used for ceremonial purposes today,

Key musical pieces at a Remembrance Day ceremony include the mournful bugle call “The Last Post,” followed by two minutes of silence and then “The Rouse” (or “Reveille”). Other prominent music includes the hymn “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” the instrumental “Nimrod” by Edward Elgar, and the lament “Flowers of the Forest.”

Many period songs and music from the two World Wars are still played today in concerts and on specialized music stations; and often featured in period films and television shows. 

Music from World War I includes patriotic songs like “Over There” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” popular tunes such as “Keep the Home Fires Burning” and classical works like Ravel’s ‘s Le tombeau de Couperin 

Famous songs from the Second World War include patriotic tunes like “The White Cliffs of Dover” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” sentimental songs such as “Sentimental Journey” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” 

These songs and music boosted morale, encouraged enlistment, commemorated war’s impact and honored fallen soldiers. Many also reflected themes of longing, patriotism, and the hope for a peaceful return home.

Two contemporary pieces played during Songs of Silence were “Spitfire” by Gary P. Gilroy and “Hymn to the Fallen” by John Williams.

As the title suggests, Spitfire is fast-paced, fiery, and aggressive—meant to evoke the image of a “spitfire” personality or possibly even the famous Second World War British fighter plane.

A majestic and moving piece composed for the 1998 film “Saving Private Ryan,” Hymn to the Fallen has become a staple for Veterans Day and Remembrance events in North America and beyond.

“It’s a somber, reflective piece connected deeply now to the Second World War. It’s become a piece that concert bands all over North America perform for Remembrance Day ceremonies,” says Heseltine.

The annual Remembrance Day concert is performed by one of three LCBS bands: the Gold Band, Silver Band and Brass Band who rotate turns each year.