Taps: Notes from a Nation's Heart

This book gives us a handy reference to the origins of Taps. We need it, for, as well as the true story, here is also an exploration of the other, long told and beautifully poetic myth about the origins of the tune. One challenge for historians is this: who wrote the words that we most often sing (or think in our minds silently) to go with the music.... "Day is done...(etc.)" Even the authorities Schneider relies on don't have the answer. It goes back to Harrison's Landing and General Dan.

The book is truly a labor of love, and it's obvious. Schneider is to be commended for having once and for all related the history of "Taps," and debunking many myths about its origin. It is fortuitous that the author connected with Jari Villaneuva, an outstanding trumpeter, and the foremost authority on "Taps," living or dead. One minor flaw is an erroneous reference to an E-flat trumpet, near the end of the book. The book loses one star in this review because of the awful design, in which the text is interrupted again and again by sidebar stories. Editor: there had to be a better way to present this information!

As a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam war, I have to say that Richard Schneider has written (composed from the heart, would be a better description) a wonderful little book about the most beautiful notes ever written. The book is not only a "feel-good" book for those for which "Taps" holds a special place in their hearts, it is also an informative book with historical elements and anecdotes to please the history minded reader. I especially liked the poems in the rear of the book that added to the poignancy of the theme. This book fills a certain void that occurred after 9/11 because even though the flag got a lot of attention, "Taps" deserves some attention also.