Why Is That Music Called "Taps"?

Factual Questions
1

Hi,

I heard enough references to “Taps” this past weekend, and it occurred to me that I have no idea why it’s called that.

Anybody know?

Thanks,
Stephen

2

Taps was “written” by an army general, and gradually became a tradition in the US Army in civil war times. It became official after it was very widely used, and has been a part of Army tradition ever since

Tris

3

it was originally called lights out, i think.

i don’t know why it’s called taps, but here’s a history page that beats the crap out of the above post’s link.

http://www.west-point.org/taps/Taps.html

4

From what I gathered from this link, “Taps” is the regulation term for the extinguishing of lights.

I think we need a military person in here to confirm that.

5

Yahtzee! I got it.

Reference

So “Taps” was written to indicate beddie-bye for soldiers but was later used for military funeral type deals.

6

I think its still generally a lights-out song as well (as opposed to merely a funeral song). At the summer camp I went to, the bugler would go around and play that in each section of camp to indicate lights-out.

7

Taps is still used on most Army installations and typically sounded at 22:00 (10 pm for you civilian types).

At funerals it is sounded just after the salute and is quite a haunting sound after the crash of the rifles.

8

Quoth occ:

Same at my summer camp, except that the bugler was a tubist. You haven’t really heard Taps until you’ve heard it two octaves below middle C. Of course, I’m a bit biased on that…

It’s used at funerals because it’s played at the end of the day, not vice-versa.

9

I wanna hear Taps done on a tuba for a ceremony. At my town’s Memorial Day Ceremony, they did Taps on trumpets (two from the HS band, and one from the VFW). It struck me at that moment that I needed to find a couple of contrabass bugles off E-bay for next year.

-Neil