Definition of "bandsman"

If the reader finds a certain monotony in the words chosen by the translator I hope he will realize that the bandsman has to operate within the limits of his instrument.

1973, Cecil Parrott, Translator's introduction to Jaroslav Hašek, The Good Soldier Švejk, London: William Heinemann, p. xxi

It was military bandsmen, their uniform coats unbuttoned, who supplied the merry tune, from a clarinet, a tuba, a fife.

2005, E. L. Doctorow, The March, New York: Random House, Part One, p. 28