Review: The Band that Played On by Steve Turner

Title: The Band that Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic
Author: Steve Turner
Released: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages/Format: 272 (Hardcover)
Genre: Nonfiction, Popular History
Source: Booksneeze

When Titanic collided with an iceberg at 23:40 on April 14^th, the eight members of the band had already retired for the evening. Still, they put on overcoats and mufflers and came out to play in the lounge. When most of the First Class passengers had taken to their lifeboats, the musicians simply moved to the deck and continued to play, calming the passengers as the ship sank. One second class passenger said: “Many brave things were done that night, but none were more brave than those done by men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea. The music they played served alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recalled on the scrolls of undying fame.” Survivors’ accounts differ about whether their final tune was “L’Automme” or “Nearer My God To Thee.” What has never been disputed is the courage of these musicians who deliberately sacrificed the possibility of escape in order to produce a mood of tranquillity at a time of extreme anxiety. But who were they? What journeys brought them to this deck on this icy ocean? Had any of them previously displayed signs of great courage? Who did they leave behind? Historian and biographer Steve Turner delves into the lives of these men, revealing eight unique portraits of bravery.

One Sentence Review: Parts of this book were interesting and parts were pretty boring, but overall I think it was worth the read to learn about the lives of these extraordinary musicians.

In-Depth Review

The Band that Played On is divided into sixteen chapters, each titled using a quote from some correspondence related to the Titanic tragedy. For example, chapter twelve is called “It Is with Great Sadness That I Have to Give You the Painful News,” and the following chapter: “If You Think You Have a Legal Claim.” Not exactly gripping headlines, but I suppose they’re better than nothing. The book basically provides as much information as is available about the lives of the eight band members that died during the sinking of the Titanic and tells of how the musicians responded to the disaster calmly and with great courage. It also informs readers of what the families of the band members went through after the tragedy. Heavily sprinkled throughout the book are black and white photographs related to the text.

First of all, let me say that I think Mr. Turner wrote a decent book with the limited information he had available to him. There is very little known about the Titanic bandsmen, in part because only one of them had any children. To compensate for this lack, the author often goes off on historical bunny trails which lead precisely nowhere. A good example of this is on page 77 where Turner talks about the life of cellist John Wesley Woodward. He notes that Woodward’s “years in Oxford are not documented beyond a passing comment by the Oxford Times that ‘he appeared in several solos and string quartets, notably with the Misses Price and Mr. H.M. Dowson.’” Presumably to pad the text, Turner goes on to note that the H.M. Dowson Woodward played with “was married to Rosina Filippi, one of the best known stage actresses of the time.” He then spends a lengthly paragraph discussing Rosina Filippi’s career. How is this related to the Titanic or the bandsmen you ask? It’s not, which is why it doesn’t belong in this book at all.

There are parts in The Band that Played On that are fascinating and gripping, such as the chapter which describes the events involving the musicians on the night of the sinking and the subsequent discovery that Wallace Hartley strapped his violin to his chest once in the water so as not to be parted from it. There are also a lot of passages that made me completely zone out, such as the chapters in which Turner names all the venues that each band member ever played at and all the ships they ever sailed on.

For Titanic buffs and popular history enthusiasts, this book will certainly hold interest, and I do think it’s worth keeping in my library. The myriad of photographs included in the book are a helpful visual aid and kept me engaged when I was growing tired of the endless semi-relevant facts. Steve Turner writes well, and as I said I think he did a pretty good job considering the lack of knowledge about the bandsmen which are the focus of this book. There are many areas that need improvement. Still, if you want to learn about the eight musicians who heroically remained stalwart in the face of death, this is the book I would recommend.

Other Reviews: Blogful of Books | Christian Science Monitor

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About Steve Turner:

Steve Turner is a journalist, poet, speaker and author with a special interest in music. His previous books include A Hard Day’s Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles’ Song, The Man Called Cash, Amazing Grace, and Trouble Man: The Life ad Death of Marvin Gaye. He lives in London.