The only known complete sets of band books from a Confederate band in the American Civil War are among the rarities in the Moravian Music Foundation's collections. These were brought to Salem (now Winston-Salem, North Carolina) because the 26th North Carolina Regimental Band C.S.A. was comprised wholly of Moravian musicians from Salem. This recording, based on new scholarly editions of the works, reveals new insights into the rich musical heritage of the South, and indeed of the whole nation, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Recent research has revealed that several partbooks formerly listed as "unidentified band books" are indeed surviving copies of the books of the 21st North Carolina, previously thought lost.

The twenty-four pieces selected for this recording-drawn from the extensive repertoire of the 26th North Carolina Regimental Band-include works of national or regional significance, including patriotic tunes; works unique to the 26th N. C. Regimental Band, including the Moravian chorales and works written or arranged by members of the band; ballads representative of the sentimental airs popular in mid-nineteenth-century America; favorite themes from operas; and novelty tunes. This repertoire thus consists of a cross-section of the popular music of the United States at that time. Essential for Civil War buffs and aficionados of American band music.