Tarissa's Reviews > The Band That Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic

An in-depth look at the lives of the 8 hired musicians on board Titanic when it sank. Never before has so much information been collected in one volume concerning these 8 men -- the most well-known of them being Wallace Hartley, the bandleader.

"They were famous for their deaths, not their lives" (The Band That Played On", page 16). They were simple men, just striving to make a living while playing their favorite instruments. And yet, over the course of the next two years following the maritime disaster, 9 or more memorials were erected in their honor.

So many differences and similarities are found between these 8 men. Some had experience with playing on ocean liners before, but for some, the Titanic was their first and last. Most left a sweetheart behind, whether wife or fiancee, and would never return home. It was interesting to note how the lives of the 8 intertwined, some even knowing each other before embarking on Titanic's fatal voyage.

I also liked how the author included many religious notes concerning the musicians' lives and their families. I felt that you could even understand each man's personality a little better by knowing his religious background and how involved he was in church activities.

This book is a treasure.

Music and maritime enthusiasts alike will find interest in the fascinating stories behind Wallace Hartley, John Wesley Woodard, Percy Cornelius Taylor, George Krins, Roger Bricoux, William Theodore Brailey, John Law Hume, and John Frederick Preston Clarke.