I guess I’ve heard “taps” played many times throughout my life… most of those occasions were at Memorial Day or Veterans’ Day Celebrations. While not all of the the times have been “perfect,” the sentiment always is and it seems to be one of the occasions when silence reins in the too thin crowds. For the duration we seem to become aware of the number of flags flying in the cemetery we visit on these special days.

Since many of us will be experiencing this Monday, here’s a little taps trivia. The original version of what we call “Taps” was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801 and was then named “Last Post.” It was rather lengthy and formal so in 1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and re-named “Taps.”

The performance of the original version embedded here makes the rounds every so often… it has a lot to recommend it. For one thing it was performed in Holland by a reasonably popular trumpeter named Melissa Venema. At the time of this recording she was thirteen years old. It’s pretty powerful–turn off all distractions, listen and watch. You won’t hear a false note and you will be as mesmerized as the crowd who watches her perform with the Johann Strauss Orchestra under the capable direction of Andre Rieu.

And maybe you could think about attending a Memorial Day Event to hear it played again–perhaps not as well, but with just as much meaning.