Historian Explains The Origin Of "Taps"
May 30, 201112:00 PM ET
The languid, melancholy sound of a bugle call is a fixture at military funerals. But it wasn't always that way. The song taps used to signal 'lights out' for soldiers to go to sleep. Taps historian Jari Villanueva, a former ceremonial bugler at Arlington National Cemetery, discusses the evolution of the song and the meaning of Memorial Day.
ALLISON KEYES, host: I'm Allison Keyes and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel Martin is away.
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But, first, the bugle call played at military funerals is ingrained in American culture as the music of mourning, but it wasn't always that way. "Taps" started out as a military signal for soldiers to turn out the lights and go to bed.
My next guest is a "Taps" historian and a retired trumpeter for the United States Air Force Band. With us now in the studio is Jari Villanueva, who played "Taps" at military funerals at Arlington Cemetery for 23 years. He's now director of the Maryland National Honor Guard. Thanks for joining us.
https://www.npr.org/2011/05/30/136721508/historian-explains-the-origin-of-taps
