John Ciaglia has left an indelible imprint on the musical arc of fifing in America. The fife, usually associated with 4th of July parades, is considered a primitive instrument by anyone in classical circles, including Ciaglia’s Yale-educated father. Ciaglia’s dad, who studied under the great German composer, Paul Hindemith, tried to convince a young John to ignore the ‘toy flute’ and take up a more proper instrument. Despite the unfavorable perceptions and limitations of the fife, Ciaglia has spent his life exploring its harmonic possibilities and writing arrangements that prove it to be profoundly beautiful.

This short documentary about John Ciaglia is the start of a more significant project and was first shared as an introduction to John and his music at the 2023 Junior Fife & Drum Camp in Connecticut.

While “The Camp Cut” introduces who this Ciaglia character is, it is not the end of the story. There are still essential interviews to be conducted and a more nuanced story about Ciaglia’s music, his immense influence on fifing in America and around the world, and his dedication to the anachronistic instrument.

To facilitate the long-term success of this project, I continue to look for archival photos, footage, or audio of John Ciaglia through the years. 

If you, or anyone you know, may have such archival material, please contact me, and we can discuss the best way to transfer it. In addition, if you have any great stories about Ciaglia, please let me know!

For now, here is Ciaglia – The Camp Cut:

Additionally, here are some of the first few folks that have been interviewed about their work with Ciaglia:

Jane Law – Fifer

Scott Mitchell – Drummer

Sarah MacConduibh – Fifer

Jim Clark – Drummer

Dan Hornstein – Drummer

Jay Healy – Fifer

Kevin Klapka – Fifer

Xenia Fünfschilling – Fifer

Enjoy this great performance by the Middlesex Chamber Players of a tune that Skip Healy wrote, and John Ciaglia arranged.