It’s the late 1800s, and all across the Pacific seaboard, in places like Singapore and Yokohama, Medan and Sengalor, the music of town bands drifts across the esplanades. Many of these groups proudly hail from one port of call: Manila. This is their story.

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Audio of “Wiener Schwalben Marsch” is from the Discography of American Historical Recordings.

References: 

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“The history of Medan” (26 December 2020). Stories from Deli—Chinese coolies life in Deli. https://storiesfromdeli.com/2020/12/26/the-history-of-medan/

Columbia matrix 87055. Wiener Schwalben Marsch / Kapelle Militär. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 15, 2025, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000112570/87055-Wiener_Schwalben_Marsch.

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