The Titanic Band/Did The Band Really Play Nearer my God To Thee Before Sinking?
The Titanic’s bandsmen and the music they played during the sinking constitute one of the most fascinating subjects connected with the disaster. The mere thought of eight men standing back from the lifeboats and playing music with the intention of calming their fellow passengers’ fears grips our collective imagination. Even so, there is disagreement about the details surrounding the bandsmens’ heroism – namely, exactly which pieces of music did they play and what was the name of their final song? Numerous survivor accounts tell us that the bandsmen started out playing ragtime, but legend has always had it that the hymn “Nearer, My God to Thee” was the very last piece of music played on board the Titanic; indeed, many, many survivors reported having heard this hymn being played. Uncertainty arises, however, when we learn that there are three different versions of the above hymn, and that the same versions are not commonly played in both England and America (although British and American
