Ottoman military bands were the first-recorded military marching bands. Though often known as mehter in West Europe, that word, properly speaking, refers only to a single musician in the band. In Ottoman, the band was generally known as mehterân, though those bands used in the retinue of a vizier or prince were generally known as mehterhane, the band as a whole is often termed mehter bölüğü, mehter takımı. In West Europe, the band's music is also often called Janissary music because the janissaries formed the core of the bands.
Mehterhâne, photo from 1917
A modern mehter troop
An Ottoman mehterân
Mehterhâne, miniature from 1720
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of bandmaster or music director. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching bands in the world, dating from the 13th century.
A massed group of military bands from several countries at the 2011 Berlin Military Tattoo
Depiction of the Ottoman military band in 1720. The notion of a military band originates from the Ottomans.
A Tajik military band with Karnays at a military tattoo at Zhurihe Training Base in China, 2014.
Cameroonian and American military band members in Douala, March 2015