Hellenic Army Bands
After the 1821 revolution, efforts were made to establish a Military Band in Nafplio, the capital of Greece at the time. However, their establishment finally took place on December 6 1824.
In 1833, upon the arrival of King Otto in Greece, he was accompanied by two Bavarian battalions as well as a Military Band, consisting of 35 musicians, led by the Bandmaster Karl Keller. On 15 December 1834, when Athens was proclaimed as the State’s capital, the Military Band was transferred there.
Detachments of the Military Band were present in almost all of the military operations, achieving the morale uplift of the soldiers and of the local societies. From 1919 to 1922 in Smyrna, in the Balkan Wars, as well as in the turbulent times of World War I and World War II, where many military musicians were inspired and composed a multitude of military marches.
A detachment of the Military Band was also dispatched along with the Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea, in January 1953, responsible for the personnel’s entertainment. With the stationing of the Hellenic Forces on Cyprus island on August 16 1960, the Military Band of the Hellenic Force in Cyprus (ELDYK) was established. During the events of July 1974, it participated in the operations of the Hellenic Forces. In 1986, with the establishment of the Military Bands on the Aegean Islands, the old Military Band was disbanded and its personnel was posted for the establishment of the National Guard Military Band/98 Higher National Guard Battalions Command in Mytilene.
The emblem of the Hellenic Army Bands
The emblem consists of a lyre (chelys), which was the main national musical instrument of ancient Greece and the most widely known stringed instrument. It is framed by 2 laurel branches, symbol of the presence of the Hellenic Army Bands in the substantial role of the preservation of the national identity and the uplift of morale of the combative detachments in most of the war operations with participation by the Hellenic Army.
MAXIM: “Music is the Discovery of the Gods”
Our Mission
The mission of the Hellenic Army Bands is to play musical marches when military detachments are marching, to pay homage, to entertain the personnel of the Military Units, to play in concerts, dancing events and wherever else they are ordered.
Characteristics
The Hellenic Army Bands, apart from the military ceremonies, also participate in peacekeeping missions, they socially contribute to schools, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, and they visit our remote islands for the entertainment of the wider society. They participate in international military festivals abroad, in military bands’ contests, in events of the Greek expatriates etc., aiming to showcase our country and our cultural heritage throughout the world. From Didymoticho to Chania and from Rhodes to Giannena, they strive for the uplift of the patriotic sentiment and pride, within but also out of the borders.