Military band
Encyclopedia
A military band originally was 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 Director of Music. Ottoman military band
s are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching band in the world.
The military band should be capable of playing ceremonial and marching
music, including the national anthem
s and patriotic songs of not only their own nation but others as well, both while stationary and as a marching band
. Military bands also play a part in military funeral
ceremonies.
There are two types of historical traditions in military bands. The first is military field music. This type of music includes bugle
s (or other natural instruments such as natural trumpet
s or natural horn
s), bagpipes
, or fifes
and almost always drum
s. This type of music was used to control troops on the battlefield as well as for entertainment. Following the development of instruments such as the keyed trumpet
or the saxhorn
family of brass instruments, a second tradition of the brass and woodwind military band was formed.
The term "military band" is not, however, confined to military organizations, nor does it necessarily imply that the ensemble is a marching band. It is the correct term for a wind ensemble comprising both woodwinds, and brass, together with percussion, with an instrumental complement that was always typical in service bands. It is the inclusion of woodwind instruments that makes a military band different from a brass band, and the two terms should never be confused.
There is a certain amount of confusion between the terms 'military band' and 'concert band
' (or 'symphonic wind band'). The latter may play music written for military band, but describes a larger (usually non-military) ensemble that includes all symphonic instruments, except for bowed stringed instruments.
, The Royal Air Force
Dance Orchestra, better known as The Squadronaires
, served to entertain troops and support morale.
Regular British Army
musicians are all members of the Corps of Army Music
. As a secondary role they are trained to work in NBC 'Casualty Decontamination Areas'. One exception to this are members of the Pipe bands in the Royal Regiment of Scotland who are all members of that regiment and are fully trained infantrymen as well as musicians.
The oldest of all British military bands, is the Royal Artillery Band, which also has the distinction that its musicians are double-handers, performing on both stringed instruments and wind instruments. The orchestra is the oldest symphony orchestra in Britain, as both band and orchestra were formed in 1557 at the Battle of St. Quentin, and continue to this day. The Royal Artillery Band is the senior State band of the British Army, and an unusual detail to the ceremonial uniform worn by its musicians, is that each musician wears a sword. The band swords were presented to the band, by the Duke of Kent, father to Queen Victoria. The 'sister' bands of the Royal Artillery are, in order of seniority, the Band of the Royal Engineers, and the Band of The Royal Signals. These three bands are placed right of the line, and before those of the Household Cavalry, and the Guards Division.
The bands of the Royal Marines Bands Service take precedence over all bands because the Royal Marines (once belonging to the Army) now belong to the Royal Navy, and in the absence of navy bands, represent music in the Senior Service.
In the United Kingdom
, massed military bands perform at Trooping the Colour
, an annual ceremony held every June on Horse Guards Parade
to mark the official Queen's Birthday celebrations. The Massed Bands and Massed Mounted Bands play a central role in this ceremony.
The term "Massed Bands" denotes the formation of more than one separate band performing together, whether belonging to one or more regiments, or indeed countries.
most Union
regiments had both types of groups within the unit. However, due to changes in military tactics
by the end of World War I
field musical had been mostly phased out in favor of the brass bands. These performed in a concert setting for entertainment, as well as continued to perform drill and martial events. In the United States
, these bands were increased in instrumentation to include woodwinds, which gives us the modern military band in the United States, as well as the basis for high school
and college
marching band
s and concert band
s.
Field music is still popular at ceremonial functions, with many organizations such as police, fire, and veterans groups maintaining pipe and drum, fife and drum, or drum and bugle corps.
In the United States Army
, the band is attached to the headquarters element and one of its duties is to provide security for the command post. Modern-day military musicians often perform a variety of other styles of music in different ensembles, from chamber music
to rock and roll
.
General Formation Format (British Army
Composition of British Army mounted bands
Royal Marines Formation Format (Royal Marines Band Service
Since the 1903 Coronation Pageant, The Royal Marines Bands Service, as the representative military music service of the Royal Navy (as the Armed Forces' Senior Service) and the Corps of Royal Marines, use this band formation format, unique to the British Armed Forces military bands. Due to the absence of bands in the RN, these are the only remaining military bands in its service rosters.
The various youth military uniformed services of the UK have their own bands using the very same formations mentioned:
The British General bands format is also used by the Liberty High School Grenadier Band in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
since 1967, adapted and made suitable for the American high school marching bands with the addition of Sousaphone
s, Mellophone
s, Baritone horn
s and fewer trumpet
s. The LHSGB also has a pipe band section and 12 herald trumpeters. This format is also used by some other US high school bands. The format used by the RM is the formation used by the Valley Forge Military Academy and College Regimental Band in Wayne, Pennsylvania, led and staffed by retired RMBS personnel, and by the United States Merchant Marine Academy Regimental Band, also modeled on Royal Marines bands.
British style brass band
s have the same positioning as British Army bands as it is composed of only brass instruments, saxhorn
s and percussion, and sometimes have saxophones.
Christ's Hospital Band
Although not a military marching band, attached to a regiment in the British Army, Christ's Hospital band is the foremost school-based Military Marching Band in the UK. All instrumentalists are between the ages of 11 and 18, and are currently students at the school. The band is run by Terry Whittingham, a former Band Master for the Queen's Royal Highlanders, and is always lead by the Band Captain, who is always the most dedicated musician in the final year at Christ's Hospital.
The band performs annually at Lord's Cricket Ground
in London, and also in the Lord Mayor's Show
as well as in a St. Matthews day parade through the City of London. The band has also played at The White House, Twickenham Stadium
, and many other world famous areas. The band also performs a Beating the Retreat ceremony at the end of each academic year, and the school's concert band, professional Big Band, and many other musical ensembles perform in many concerts at the school in West Sussex
.
s, marching baritone, contrabass bugle
s and sousaphones), following a formation format that is similar to the Royal Marines and French military bands.
Formation of Malaysian military bands
Ever since the American Revolution ended in 1781, American military bands march to the fast tempo of French military bands, owing to their fast marching pace as compared with the slow marching pace of British bands. The instrumental positioning, even though inspired by the British, is also a mix of other influences, including French and German influences. An uniquely American type of military band still remains to be the Ancient Fife and Drum Corps
and only the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
is the only band of this type.
The largest military marching band in the world is in the United States, that of the "Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
" of Texas A&M University
. It is entirely composed of ROTC cadets from the university's Corps of Cadets and subdivided into two bands: The Infantry and Artillery bands.
For American military bands, the formation formats is as follows:
1st Formation
2nd Formation
There are four types of military bands today in France: military marching bands (subdivided into marching and mounted brass bands), Corps of Drums (only in the French Foreign Legion
), Fanfare band
s (attached to the marching band or as separate marching bands) and Pipe bands (more known in Brittany). Examples of these are the Marching and Fanfare Bands of the French Republican Guard, the Mounted Band of the French Republican Guard
and the Central Band of the French Foreign Legion, the only remaining French military band to use the fife.
Instrumentation of French military bands
Military marching bands, Fanfare bands and Pipe bands
Mounted brass bands
Other distinguishing features are the presence or absence of the Turkish crescent
in the military bands when they are on parade and the band's conductor being assisted by a Drum major
and in Chile and Mexico by a bugle major. Another key feature, seen in some military bands in Brazil and in the Pipe band of the Colombian Navy's Naval Academy "Admiral Jose Prudencio Padillia", is the presence of bagpipes in the bands, and as seen in the Marching Band of the Brazilian Marines, the use of more bugles types like baritones and mellow phones. In Bolivia, the use of the Turkish crescent with the addition of vertical banners and standards is standard practice in its military bands.
In types of ensemble, these bands are called as:
Instrumentation
Military Band, Regimental Band and Bugles, Mounted Band, Mounted Fanfare Band
Corps of Drums, Fanfare Band/Section, Bugle Section, Pipe section
The Alto Peru Fanfare Band of the Argentine Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers is an all-brass mounted band using the same brass and percussion instruments mentioned. Other mounted bands like the Mounted Fanfare Band Company of the 1st Mechanized Cavalry Regiment "Glorious Junin Hussars(Peru's Liberators)" of the Peruvian Army, the Mounted Band and Bugles of the 1st Cavalry Regiment "Grenadiers" and the Band and Bugles of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment "Hussars" of the Chilean Army and the Mounted Band of the Ecuadorian National Police use both brass, woodwinds and percussion, and also utilize bugles.
By the time that the Russian SFSR (and later Soviet) Armed Forces came into being in 1918, military bands began to change for the better. With the establishment of the NKVM Central Military Band by Semen Chernetskiy in 1927 came the birth of today's Russian and ex-Soviet Union military band culture. In the 1930s the typical Soviet Massed military bands that perform on May 1, November 7 and from 1945 onward, May 9, would be composed of a Military band and a Drummers Band and later a Corps of Drums marching past and until the 1970s would later join the military band in place.
Soviet military bands in the 1930s and 1940s tend to have a drum major, a conductor and an optional two to three deputy conductors in the front of the band.
Instrumentation and positioning of Soviet Military bands in the 1930s-1940s
The Soviet military bands of the pre-war days played not only on May Day and Revolution Day, but in the National Sports Day parades at the Red Square, the various sports competitions and other occasions and after the Second World War, at Victory Day celebrations across the USSR. In the 1930s, the Turkish crescent holders were shaking during the sports parades, but in the 1940s, they were not shaking them.
By the 1950s, Soviet Military bands evolved in instrumentation. Their positioning, especially in the Moscow bands, changed for the better as newly composed Soviet Military marches soon created the Soviet military band sound common to Westerners during the Cold War days.
A conductor and one to four drum majors and several bandmasters led the military bands of the Soviet Union into a new decade of progress for Soviet military music.
Instrumentation and positioning of Soviet Military bands of the late 1940s-1950
Instrumentation and positioning of Soviet military bands from the 1960s - 1970s
1965
1977
Same instruments, but with the addition of a single Sousaphone in the Moscow military bands.
1981 onward
Under the leadership of Major General Nikolai Mikhailov from 1976 to 1993 as Overall Director of Music of the Military Bands Service of the Ministry of National Defense of the USSR, what would become the modern military bands of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Russian Federation were born and rose to greatness and international appeal.
The military bands in the last 10 years of the USSR and the first 2 years of the CIS would be composed of:
Beginning in 1981 through the collapse of the Soviet Union, field drummers were added to the massed bands during the famous Red Square parades in between the chromatic fanfare trumpeters. Parades in other Soviet cities only used the chromatic fanfare trumpeters in file formation in front of the bands.
Instrumentation and formation of Russian Military bands in the 1990s-2000s
1995
With the advent of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Military Bands Service, Major General Mikhailov's term as its first Director of Music ended in 1993, and was replaced by Lieutenant General Viktor Afanasbev, who was later replaced by the current Sr. Director of Music, Lt. Gen. Valery Khalilov, who was then a Colonel, in 2002.
The 1995 Victory Day Parades at Red Square
and Moscow's Poklonnaya Hill
created the modern Russian Military band we know today. The Afanesbev band formation in the 1990s is as follows:
In 2000, the formation setup was partially revised so that the field drums and fanfare trumpets are now clearly separated, with the fanfare trumpeters at the sides and the field drummers now holding the center of the band, with the Directors of Music in between the two groups of field drummers. This is the formation used today in Moscow, but in other Russian cities band formations tend to differ in usage.
Formation of military bands in St. Petersburg today
Especially during the Trooping of the Colours ceremonies in Bangkok every December 2 since 1953, Royal Thai Armed Forces military bands perform at every military function attended by the Royal Family and other military officers and local executives, together with the general public.
Thai military bands' formations closely follow either that of the Royal Marines Band Service
, being that the percussion are at the front rather than the middle, followed by the main band itself or that of the British Army
's Household Division
Foot Guards
Bands, being that the percussion are at the middle of the main band. But another formation followed is that of the Brazilian military bands, wherein the percussion are in front of the brass and winds, with the bass drums as the lead instruments.
and the Korean People's Security Forces follow the general instrumental setup of Daechwita
s, the Korean traditional military bands.
Instrumental formation
During the Boxer Rebellion
, the xenophobic Chinese General Dong Fuxiang
who commanded the Muslim Kansu Braves, refused to allow his troops to play western musical instruments, making them play traditional Chinese instruments such as the Sheng Jia.
or the People's Armed Police
) play indigenous and locally composed military marches, during official ceremonies and other events as called for
Instrumental Positioning
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster
Bandmaster
A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a military band, brass band or a marching band.-British Armed Forces:In the British Armed Forces, a Bandmaster is always a Warrant Officer Class 1 . A commissioned officer who leads a band is known as the Director of Music...
or Director of Music. Ottoman military band
Ottoman military band
Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching band in the world. Though they are often known by the Persian-derived word mahtar in the West, that word, properly speaking, refers only to a single musician in the band...
s are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching band in the world.
The military band should be capable of playing ceremonial and marching
Marching
See also: Loaded marchMarching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady and rhythmic walking forward, usually associated with military troops.Marching is often performed to march music, and often associated with military parades....
music, including the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
s and patriotic songs of not only their own nation but others as well, both while stationary and as a marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
. Military bands also play a part in military funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
ceremonies.
There are two types of historical traditions in military bands. The first is military field music. This type of music includes bugle
Bugle (instrument)
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
s (or other natural instruments such as natural trumpet
Natural trumpet
A natural trumpet is a valveless brass instrument that is able to play the notes of the harmonic series.-History:The natural trumpet was used as a military instrument to facilitate communication ....
s or natural horn
Natural horn
The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
s), bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
, or fifes
Fife (musical instrument)
A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer...
and almost always drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s. This type of music was used to control troops on the battlefield as well as for entertainment. Following the development of instruments such as the keyed trumpet
Keyed trumpet
The keyed trumpet is a brass instrument that, contrary to the traditional valved trumpet, uses keys. The keyed trumpet is rarely seen in modern performances, but was relatively common up until the introduction of the valved trumpet in the early nineteenth century...
or the saxhorn
Saxhorn
The saxhorn is a valved brass instrument with a conical bore and deep cup-shaped mouthpiece. The sound has a characteristic mellow quality, and blends well with other brass.-The saxhorn family:...
family of brass instruments, a second tradition of the brass and woodwind military band was formed.
The term "military band" is not, however, confined to military organizations, nor does it necessarily imply that the ensemble is a marching band. It is the correct term for a wind ensemble comprising both woodwinds, and brass, together with percussion, with an instrumental complement that was always typical in service bands. It is the inclusion of woodwind instruments that makes a military band different from a brass band, and the two terms should never be confused.
There is a certain amount of confusion between the terms 'military band' and 'concert band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
' (or 'symphonic wind band'). The latter may play music written for military band, but describes a larger (usually non-military) ensemble that includes all symphonic instruments, except for bowed stringed instruments.
United Kingdom
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Dance Orchestra, better known as The Squadronaires
The Squadronaires
The Squadronaires is a Royal Air Force band which began and performed in England during and after World War II. The official title of the band was 'The Royal Air Force Dance Orchestra', but it was always known by the more popular title "The Squadronaires"....
, served to entertain troops and support morale.
Regular British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
musicians are all members of the Corps of Army Music
Corps of Army Music
The Corps of Army Music is a corps of the British Army. It was formed in 1994 as an umbrella organisation, centred on the Royal Military School of Music, to oversee the 29 new permanent Military Bands formed following Options for Change, although each band continues to wear the capbadges and Full...
. As a secondary role they are trained to work in NBC 'Casualty Decontamination Areas'. One exception to this are members of the Pipe bands in the Royal Regiment of Scotland who are all members of that regiment and are fully trained infantrymen as well as musicians.
The oldest of all British military bands, is the Royal Artillery Band, which also has the distinction that its musicians are double-handers, performing on both stringed instruments and wind instruments. The orchestra is the oldest symphony orchestra in Britain, as both band and orchestra were formed in 1557 at the Battle of St. Quentin, and continue to this day. The Royal Artillery Band is the senior State band of the British Army, and an unusual detail to the ceremonial uniform worn by its musicians, is that each musician wears a sword. The band swords were presented to the band, by the Duke of Kent, father to Queen Victoria. The 'sister' bands of the Royal Artillery are, in order of seniority, the Band of the Royal Engineers, and the Band of The Royal Signals. These three bands are placed right of the line, and before those of the Household Cavalry, and the Guards Division.
The bands of the Royal Marines Bands Service take precedence over all bands because the Royal Marines (once belonging to the Army) now belong to the Royal Navy, and in the absence of navy bands, represent music in the Senior Service.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, massed military bands perform at Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points...
, an annual ceremony held every June on Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London, at grid reference . It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and Beating Retreat.-History:...
to mark the official Queen's Birthday celebrations. The Massed Bands and Massed Mounted Bands play a central role in this ceremony.
The term "Massed Bands" denotes the formation of more than one separate band performing together, whether belonging to one or more regiments, or indeed countries.
United States
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
most Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
regiments had both types of groups within the unit. However, due to changes in military tactics
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
by the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
field musical had been mostly phased out in favor of the brass bands. These performed in a concert setting for entertainment, as well as continued to perform drill and martial events. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, these bands were increased in instrumentation to include woodwinds, which gives us the modern military band in the United States, as well as the basis for high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s and concert band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
s.
Field music is still popular at ceremonial functions, with many organizations such as police, fire, and veterans groups maintaining pipe and drum, fife and drum, or drum and bugle corps.
In the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, the band is attached to the headquarters element and one of its duties is to provide security for the command post. Modern-day military musicians often perform a variety of other styles of music in different ensembles, from chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
to rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
.
Russian Federation
Bands in the Russian Federation are also of the headquarters element, and also provide musical support to the different units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The military bands here also provide musical support in civil and military events, in a wide range of groups and ensembles. Some can even continue the old Russian military band traditions by donning the old imperial military uniforms of the Russian Empire, especially the uniforms of the bands.Military band formations worldwide
In military bands, the woodwind, brass and percussion instruments give composition and are important in military and civil parades, concerts and other events in which the band takes part.United Kingdom
British Armed Forces bands, whatever service they belong, would have the following instrument formation formats depending on service: General Formation Format (British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Corps of Army MusicCorps of Army MusicThe Corps of Army Music is a corps of the British Army. It was formed in 1994 as an umbrella organisation, centred on the Royal Military School of Music, to oversee the 29 new permanent Military Bands formed following Options for Change, although each band continues to wear the capbadges and Full...
, Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Bands Service)
- Herald/FanfareFanfareA Fanfare is a relatively short piece of music that is typically played by trumpets and other brass instruments often accompanied by percussion...
Trumpets (optional) - Field drums (optional)
- TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s - CornetCornetThe cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s, FlugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
s - EuphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
s - TubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
s - Marching percussionMarching percussionMarching percussion instruments are specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum to a special harness worn by the drummer. The drums are designed and tuned for maximum articulation and projection of sound, as marching activities are almost always outdoors or...
- Snare drumSnare drumThe snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
s - Bass drumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
s - CymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s (clash) - Single Tenor drumTenor drumA tenor drum is a cylindrical drum that is higher pitched than a bass drum.In a symphony orchestra's percussion section, a tenor drum is a low-pitched drum, similar in size to a field snare, but without snares and played with soft mallets or hard sticks. Under various names, the drum has been used...
s - GlockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
s (optional)
- Snare drum
- HornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s - Baritone hornBaritone hornThe baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
s - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s(Alto/Tenor/Baritone/Soprano)/BassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s - ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s (Soprano/Bass/Alto), OboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, FluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s and PiccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
s - Corps of DrumsCorps of DrumsA Corps of Drums is a type of military band, which originated in European armies in the 16th century. The main instruments of a Corps of Drums are the drum and the flute or fife. Unlike 'full' military marching bands, Corps of Drums exist within an infantry battalion. A Drum major is the leader of...
(Army bands)- Snare Drums
- Bass Drums
- Single Tenor Drums
- Cymbals
- Keyed Flutes/BugleBugleBugle is a brass musical instrument.Bugle may also refer to:* Contrabass bugle, lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline* Bugle , common names of flowering plant genus Ajuga...
s - Glockenspiels (optional)
- Pipe bandPipe bandA pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
/Pipes and Drums (Royal Regiment of Scotland and other Army units/RAF Pipe bands)- Bagpipes (Great Highland bagpipeGreat Highland BagpipeThe Great Highland Bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland. It has achieved widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world. It is closely related to the Great Irish Warpipes....
) - Highland Snare Drums
- Bass Drum
- Single Tenor Drums
- Bagpipes (Great Highland bagpipe
- Bugle platoon team (The RiflesThe RiflesThe Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
and the Brigade of GurkhasBrigade of GurkhasThe Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that of...
)- Bugles
Composition of British Army mounted bands
- 1 Drum Horse (with TimpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
) - State Cavalry Trumpeters
- Tubas
- Trombones
- Cornets
- Euphoniums
- Horns
- Saxophones, Bassoons
- Flutes and Piccolos
- Clarinets and Oboes
Royal Marines Formation Format (Royal Marines Band ServiceRoyal Marines Band ServiceThe Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy. It currently consists of five Bands and its headquarters is the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth dockyard.-History:...
of the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and the Royal MarinesRoyal MarinesThe Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, formerly used by the RN Bands until 1950)
- RM Corps of Drums
- Field Drums/Bugles
- Marching Percussion
- Snare Drums
- Bass Drums
- Cymbals
- Single Tenor Drums
- Trombones
- Tubas
- Euphoniums, Baritone horns
- Horns
- Saxophones
- Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Clarinets, Oboes, Flutes, Piccolo, Bassoons
Since the 1903 Coronation Pageant, The Royal Marines Bands Service, as the representative military music service of the Royal Navy (as the Armed Forces' Senior Service) and the Corps of Royal Marines, use this band formation format, unique to the British Armed Forces military bands. Due to the absence of bands in the RN, these are the only remaining military bands in its service rosters.
The various youth military uniformed services of the UK have their own bands using the very same formations mentioned:
- The Army Cadet ForceArmy Cadet ForceThe Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...
bands and the air cadet organization bands in the UK under the banner pf the Royal Air Force Air Cadets use the general formation used by the British Army and the RAF - The RM formation is standard practice for Sea Cadet Corps (United Kingdom)Sea Cadet Corps (United Kingdom)The Sea Cadet Corps is a UK national youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Navy and open to young people between the ages of 10-18 years old. The SCC is the UK's largest Naval Cadet Force with over 30,000 cadets and adult volunteers...
, Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps and the Combined Cadet ForceCombined Cadet ForceThe Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
bands.
The British General bands format is also used by the Liberty High School Grenadier Band in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
since 1967, adapted and made suitable for the American high school marching bands with the addition of Sousaphone
Sousaphone
The sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
s, Mellophone
Mellophone
The mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn in marching bands or drum and bugle corps....
s, Baritone horn
Baritone horn
The baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
s and fewer trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s. The LHSGB also has a pipe band section and 12 herald trumpeters. This format is also used by some other US high school bands. The format used by the RM is the formation used by the Valley Forge Military Academy and College Regimental Band in Wayne, Pennsylvania, led and staffed by retired RMBS personnel, and by the United States Merchant Marine Academy Regimental Band, also modeled on Royal Marines bands.
British style brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
s have the same positioning as British Army bands as it is composed of only brass instruments, saxhorn
Saxhorn
The saxhorn is a valved brass instrument with a conical bore and deep cup-shaped mouthpiece. The sound has a characteristic mellow quality, and blends well with other brass.-The saxhorn family:...
s and percussion, and sometimes have saxophones.
Christ's Hospital BandChrist's Hospital BandChrist's Hospital is the marching band of Christ's Hospital. It is conducted by Terry Whittingham who is a housemaster at CH and the previous bandmaster of the Queen's Own Highlanders.The band plays for the daily parade at the school and other events....
Formation Format (of Christ's Hospital School, West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
)
- Drum Majors (who do not conduct the band but are there purely to direct marching and for show)
- Marching percussion
- Snare drummers
- Bass and tenor drummers
- Cymbals
- Trombones (1st, 2nd, and bass)
- Tubas and Euphoniums
- 1st and 2nd Trumpets
- French and tenor horns
- Alto saxophones (1st and 2nd)
- Tenor saxophones
- Oboes
- Bassoons
- Flutes (1st, 2nd and 3rd)
- Piccolos
- Clarinets (1st, 2nd and 3rd)
Although not a military marching band, attached to a regiment in the British Army, Christ's Hospital band is the foremost school-based Military Marching Band in the UK. All instrumentalists are between the ages of 11 and 18, and are currently students at the school. The band is run by Terry Whittingham, a former Band Master for the Queen's Royal Highlanders, and is always lead by the Band Captain, who is always the most dedicated musician in the final year at Christ's Hospital.
The band performs annually at Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
in London, and also in the Lord Mayor's Show
Lord Mayor's Show
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile...
as well as in a St. Matthews day parade through the City of London. The band has also played at The White House, Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
, and many other world famous areas. The band also performs a Beating the Retreat ceremony at the end of each academic year, and the school's concert band, professional Big Band, and many other musical ensembles perform in many concerts at the school in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
.
Malaysia
Malaysian military bands are led by the percussion (snare drums either slung or mounted, bass drums, single and multiple tenor drums, cymbals and sometimes glockenspiels), and followed by the brass and woodwinds (with the addition of trumpets, mellophoneMellophone
The mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn in marching bands or drum and bugle corps....
s, marching baritone, contrabass bugle
Contrabass Bugle
The contrabass bugle, usually shortened to contra, is the lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline. It is essentially the drum corps' counterpart to the marching band's sousaphone: the lowest-pitched member of the hornline, and a replacement for the concert tuba on the...
s and sousaphones), following a formation format that is similar to the Royal Marines and French military bands.
Formation of Malaysian military bands
- Marching Percussion
- Snare drums, field drums
- Bass Drums
- Cymbals
- Single tenor drums
- Multiple tenor drums
- Glockenspiels (optional)
- 1st Sousaphones, tubas, baritones and alto horns (optional)
- 1st Trumpets, Cornets (optional)
- Clarinets, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos
- Saxophones
- 2nd Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Horns, Mellophones, 2nd Baritones, marching baritones, 2nd Alto horns
- Trombones
- Tubas, Sousaphones
United States of America
Even though American military bands inherited the British military traditions, there is no doubt that the US has its very own military band traditions. Composers like John Philip Sousa developed the American military band sound that has become a worldwide sensation.Ever since the American Revolution ended in 1781, American military bands march to the fast tempo of French military bands, owing to their fast marching pace as compared with the slow marching pace of British bands. The instrumental positioning, even though inspired by the British, is also a mix of other influences, including French and German influences. An uniquely American type of military band still remains to be the Ancient Fife and Drum Corps
Ancient Fife and Drum Corps
An Ancient Fife and Drum Corps is a traditional, typically American fife and drum corps that plays fifes and wooden rope tension snare and bass drums.-History:...
and only the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps is one of four premier musical organizations of the United States Army. Members perform using musical instruments and wearing uniforms similar to those used by military musicians of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.It is the...
is the only band of this type.
The largest military marching band in the world is in the United States, that of the "Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 300 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military marching band in the world...
" of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. It is entirely composed of ROTC cadets from the university's Corps of Cadets and subdivided into two bands: The Infantry and Artillery bands.
For American military bands, the formation formats is as follows:
1st Formation
- Bugles
- Trombones
- Horns
- Clarinets, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos
- Saxophones
- Marching Percussion
- Snare drums
- Bass drums
- Cymbals
- Single and multiple tenor drums
- Glockenspiels
- Trumpets, Flugelhorns, Cornets
- Saxhorns, baritone and alto horns
- Sousaphones, Contrabass bugles
2nd Formation
- Bugles
- Clarinets, Oboes
- Flutes, Piccolos ,Saxophones, Bassoons
- Trumpets, Flugelhorns, Cornets
- Marching Percussion
- Snare drums
- Bass drums
- Cymbals
- Single and multiple tenor drums
- Glockenspiels
- Trombones
- Horns
- Saxhorns, Baritones
- Tubas, Sousaphones, Contrabass Bugles
France
France has a long established military band tradition and is reflected mostly on the instrumentation of these bands what somewhat mirror the British Royal Marines and American military band traditions expect it is uniquely French. These bands are led by a conductor and a drum major.There are four types of military bands today in France: military marching bands (subdivided into marching and mounted brass bands), Corps of Drums (only in the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
), Fanfare band
Fanfare band
Fanfare Bands, Fanfare Corps, Fanfare Battery or Trumpet and Drum Bands are the Marching bands composed of percussion instruments, Natural horns and Fanfare trumpets which are common in Germany and France...
s (attached to the marching band or as separate marching bands) and Pipe bands (more known in Brittany). Examples of these are the Marching and Fanfare Bands of the French Republican Guard, the Mounted Band of the French Republican Guard
French Republican Guard
The Republican Guard is part of the French Gendarmerie. It is responsible for providing security in the Paris area and for providing guards of honor.Its missions include:...
and the Central Band of the French Foreign Legion, the only remaining French military band to use the fife.
Instrumentation of French military bands
Military marching bands, Fanfare bands and Pipe bands
- Trombones
- Horns
- Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Bugles, fanfare bugles, fanfare trumpets, natural trumpetNatural trumpetA natural trumpet is a valveless brass instrument that is able to play the notes of the harmonic series.-History:The natural trumpet was used as a military instrument to facilitate communication ....
s, natural hornNatural hornThe natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
s, Cors de chasse - Fifes (only in the French Foreign Legion)
- Bagpipes (optional and in several military bands)
- Marching percussion (marching, fanfare and pipe bands)
- Field snare drums
- Snare drums
- Bass drums
- Cymbals
- Single tenor drums (optional)
- Multiple tenor drums (optional)
- Glockenspiel (optional)
- Turkish crescentTurkish crescentA Turkish crescent, is an elaborate percussion instrument traditionally used by military bands...
(only in the French Foreign Legion and the 1st Spahi Regiment)
- Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos
- Saxophones
- Saxhorns, Euphoniums, Tubas, HeliconHeliconMount Helicon is a mountain in the region of Thespiai in Boeotia, Greece, celebrated in Greek mythology. With an elevation of , it is located just off the Gulf of Corinth.-Greek mythology:...
s, Sousaphones
Mounted brass bands
- Timpani
- Fanfare bugles, fanfare trumpets, natural trumpets, natural horns, cors de chasse
- Trombones
- Horns
- Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Saxhorns, Euphoniums, Tubas, Helicons
Germany, Austria, South and Central America
German and Austrian (and South/Central American) military bands have two or more components depending on instrumentation. Military bands in Germany's Bundeswehr today only comprise of a Military band and a Corps of Drums while Military bands in Chile have the same instrumentation with the addition of Sousaphones and Bugles on the Corps of Drums, the same thse with military bands from the Spanish-speaking South American countries, with a few unique additions. Argentine military bands have field drummers and occasionally buglers and fifes (as is the case with the Tacuari Drummer military band of the Regiment of Patricians, which has two fifers) accompanying the main band while bands in Peru and Ecuador have the percussion on the front and the woodwinds and brass behind them.Other distinguishing features are the presence or absence of the Turkish crescent
Turkish crescent
A Turkish crescent, is an elaborate percussion instrument traditionally used by military bands...
in the military bands when they are on parade and the band's conductor being assisted by a Drum major
Drum Major
A drum major is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major, who is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or corps, is responsible for providing commands to the ensemble regarding...
and in Chile and Mexico by a bugle major. Another key feature, seen in some military bands in Brazil and in the Pipe band of the Colombian Navy's Naval Academy "Admiral Jose Prudencio Padillia", is the presence of bagpipes in the bands, and as seen in the Marching Band of the Brazilian Marines, the use of more bugles types like baritones and mellow phones. In Bolivia, the use of the Turkish crescent with the addition of vertical banners and standards is standard practice in its military bands.
In types of ensemble, these bands are called as:
- Corps of Drums (Spielmanszug, Tambourkorps, Trommlerkorps, Banda de Guerra, Banda Marcial, Banda Musico Marcial/Tradicional Marcial (in Colombia), Peloton Comando (in Ecuador))
- Military/Music/Marching Band (Musikkorps, Musikkappele, Orchester, Banda de Musico/Musica, Banda Militar, Banda Marcial (in Brazil), Banda instrumental)
- Drum and bugle bands (Banda de Guerra (in Mexico))
- Brass bandBrass bandA brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
s (Blasorchester, Blaskappelle) - Fanfare bandFanfare bandFanfare Bands, Fanfare Corps, Fanfare Battery or Trumpet and Drum Bands are the Marching bands composed of percussion instruments, Natural horns and Fanfare trumpets which are common in Germany and France...
s (Fanfarenzug, Fanfarenkorps) (civilian bands only) - Bugle bands (Regiments-blaser korps, Banda de Guerra (in Mexico))
- Mounted band (Trompeterkorps, Kavalleriemusik, Kavallerieorchester, Kavallerie Fanfare, Fanfarekavalleriekorps, Banda Montada)
Instrumentation
Military Band, Regimental Band and Bugles, Mounted Band, Mounted Fanfare Band
- Tubas
- Trombones
- Trumpets, FlugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
s, Keyed bugles, Cornets - Horns
- Saxophones, Flutes, Piccolos, Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons
- Glockenspiels
- Wagner tubaWagner tubaThe Wagner tuba is a comparatively rare brass instrument that combines elements of both the French horn and the tuba. Also referred to as the "Bayreuth Tuba", it was originally created for Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Since then, other composers have written for it, most...
s , Alto hornAlto hornThe alto horn is a brass instrument pitched in E...
s, Euphoniums, Baritone horns - Sousaphones, HeliconHeliconMount Helicon is a mountain in the region of Thespiai in Boeotia, Greece, celebrated in Greek mythology. With an elevation of , it is located just off the Gulf of Corinth.-Greek mythology:...
s - Bass drums
- Single and multiple tenor drums
- Cymbals
- Snare drums, Field drums
- Bagpipes (in several military bands)
- Turkish crescentTurkish crescentA Turkish crescent, is an elaborate percussion instrument traditionally used by military bands...
- TimpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
(for mounted bands and optional for massed bands) - Fanfare bugles, Fanfare trumpets (optional)
- Bugles (also optional)
Corps of Drums, Fanfare Band/Section, Bugle Section, Pipe section
- Snare drums
- Field/Precision snare drums
- Single/multiple tenor drums
- Bass Drums
- Cymbals
- Turkish crescent
- FifeFife (musical instrument)A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer...
s/Flutes/Piccolos - Bugles (Austrian, Chilean, Venezuelan, Colombian, Argentine, Brazilian, Peruvian and Ecuadorian military bands)
- Bagpipes (in several military bands)
- Fanfare trumpets, Fanfare bugles, Natural trumpetNatural trumpetA natural trumpet is a valveless brass instrument that is able to play the notes of the harmonic series.-History:The natural trumpet was used as a military instrument to facilitate communication ....
s, Natural hornNatural hornThe natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
, Cors de chasse - Glockenspiels
The Alto Peru Fanfare Band of the Argentine Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers is an all-brass mounted band using the same brass and percussion instruments mentioned. Other mounted bands like the Mounted Fanfare Band Company of the 1st Mechanized Cavalry Regiment "Glorious Junin Hussars(Peru's Liberators)" of the Peruvian Army, the Mounted Band and Bugles of the 1st Cavalry Regiment "Grenadiers" and the Band and Bugles of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment "Hussars" of the Chilean Army and the Mounted Band of the Ecuadorian National Police use both brass, woodwinds and percussion, and also utilize bugles.
Russia/CIS military bands
In the days of the Imperial Russian Armed Forces, military bands followed the German style military bands, with the addition of the chromatic fanfare trumpet. Some but not all Russian marches then were made in Germany as the rest were locally composed military marches. They would usually have a conductor, and a drum major using his mace or a bugle major playing the chromatic fanfare trumpet.By the time that the Russian SFSR (and later Soviet) Armed Forces came into being in 1918, military bands began to change for the better. With the establishment of the NKVM Central Military Band by Semen Chernetskiy in 1927 came the birth of today's Russian and ex-Soviet Union military band culture. In the 1930s the typical Soviet Massed military bands that perform on May 1, November 7 and from 1945 onward, May 9, would be composed of a Military band and a Drummers Band and later a Corps of Drums marching past and until the 1970s would later join the military band in place.
Soviet military bands in the 1930s and 1940s tend to have a drum major, a conductor and an optional two to three deputy conductors in the front of the band.
Instrumentation and positioning of Soviet Military bands in the 1930s-1940s
- Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets
- Trombones
- Marching Percussion
- Snare Drums
- Bass Drums
- Cymbals
- Turkish Crescents
- Glockenspiels
- Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Clarinets (soprano/alto/bass), Oboes, Flutes and Piccolos
- Horns, Saxophones
- Wagner Tubas, Saxhorns, Euphoniums, Alto and Baritone horns
- Tubas, Helicons, Sousaphones (rain catcher type)
- Corps of Drums (from 1940 onward)
The Soviet military bands of the pre-war days played not only on May Day and Revolution Day, but in the National Sports Day parades at the Red Square, the various sports competitions and other occasions and after the Second World War, at Victory Day celebrations across the USSR. In the 1930s, the Turkish crescent holders were shaking during the sports parades, but in the 1940s, they were not shaking them.
By the 1950s, Soviet Military bands evolved in instrumentation. Their positioning, especially in the Moscow bands, changed for the better as newly composed Soviet Military marches soon created the Soviet military band sound common to Westerners during the Cold War days.
A conductor and one to four drum majors and several bandmasters led the military bands of the Soviet Union into a new decade of progress for Soviet military music.
Instrumentation and positioning of Soviet Military bands of the late 1940s-1950
- Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets
- Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Saxophones (Alto/tenor/Baritone)
- Marching percussion
- Snare drums
- Glockenspiels
- Turkish crescents
- Bass drums
- Clash cymbals
- Clarinets
- Oboes
- Flutes, Piccolos
- Horns
- Wagner tubas
- Euphoniums
- Trombones
- Baritone horns
- Tubas
Instrumentation and positioning of Soviet military bands from the 1960s - 1970s
1965
- Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets
- Front snare drums (Leningrad MD bands)
- Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Saxophones
- Marching percussion
- Snare Drums
- Turkish crescents
- Glockenspiels
- Bass Drums, Clash cymbalsClash cymbalsClash cymbals or hand cymbals are cymbals played in identical pairs by holding one cymbal in each hand and striking the two together.-Terminology:The technical term clash cymbal is rarely used...
- Horns
- Trombones
- Clarinets, Oboes, Flutes, Piccolos
- Wagner tubas, Baritone Horns, Saxhorns, Euphoniums
- Tubas
1977
Same instruments, but with the addition of a single Sousaphone in the Moscow military bands.
1981 onward
Under the leadership of Major General Nikolai Mikhailov from 1976 to 1993 as Overall Director of Music of the Military Bands Service of the Ministry of National Defense of the USSR, what would become the modern military bands of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Russian Federation were born and rose to greatness and international appeal.
The military bands in the last 10 years of the USSR and the first 2 years of the CIS would be composed of:
- Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets, Field Drums
- Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Marching Percussion (1st and 2nd since 1988)
- Snare Drums
- Bass Drums, Clash Cymbals
- Turkish Crescent
- Glockenspiels
- Trombones
- Horns
- Clarinets, Oboes, Flutes and Piccolos, Saxophones
- Wagner Tubas, Baritone horns, Tenor horns, Saxhorns
- Euphoniums, Tubas and Sousaphones
Beginning in 1981 through the collapse of the Soviet Union, field drummers were added to the massed bands during the famous Red Square parades in between the chromatic fanfare trumpeters. Parades in other Soviet cities only used the chromatic fanfare trumpeters in file formation in front of the bands.
Instrumentation and formation of Russian Military bands in the 1990s-2000s
1995
With the advent of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Military Bands Service, Major General Mikhailov's term as its first Director of Music ended in 1993, and was replaced by Lieutenant General Viktor Afanasbev, who was later replaced by the current Sr. Director of Music, Lt. Gen. Valery Khalilov, who was then a Colonel, in 2002.
The 1995 Victory Day Parades at Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
and Moscow's Poklonnaya Hill
Poklonnaya Hill
Poklonnaya Gora is, at 171.5 metres, one of the highest spots in Moscow. Its two summits used to be separated by the Setun River, until one of the summits was razed in 1987...
created the modern Russian Military band we know today. The Afanesbev band formation in the 1990s is as follows:
- Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets, Field Drums
- Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
- Marching Percussion
- Snare drums
- Bass drums and Cymbals
- Turkish crescents
- Glockenspiels
- Trombones
- Horns
- Clarinets, Oboes, Saxophones, Flutes and Piccolos
- Wagner Tubas, Baritone horns, Tenor horns, Saxhorns, Euphoniums, Tubas, Sousaphones
In 2000, the formation setup was partially revised so that the field drums and fanfare trumpets are now clearly separated, with the fanfare trumpeters at the sides and the field drummers now holding the center of the band, with the Directors of Music in between the two groups of field drummers. This is the formation used today in Moscow, but in other Russian cities band formations tend to differ in usage.
Formation of military bands in St. Petersburg today
- Trumpets
- 1st Trombones, Horns and Woodwinds
- Marching Percussion
- Snare Drums
- Bass drums
- Cymbals
- Turkish cresent (since 2011)
- Glockenspiels
- 2nd Trombones and Horns
- 2nd Woodwinds
- Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos
- Saxophones
- Saxhorns, Baritone and tenor horns, Euphoniums, Wagner Tubas
- Tubas, Sousaphones
Thailand
Inspired by British military bands, military bands in Thailand play uniquely Thai military marches.Especially during the Trooping of the Colours ceremonies in Bangkok every December 2 since 1953, Royal Thai Armed Forces military bands perform at every military function attended by the Royal Family and other military officers and local executives, together with the general public.
Thai military bands' formations closely follow either that of the Royal Marines Band Service
Royal Marines Band Service
The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy. It currently consists of five Bands and its headquarters is the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth dockyard.-History:...
, being that the percussion are at the front rather than the middle, followed by the main band itself or that of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's Household Division
Household Division
Household Division is a term used principally in the Commonwealth of Nations to describe a country’s most elite or historically senior military units, or those military units that provide ceremonial or protective functions associated directly with the head of state.-Historical Development:In...
Foot Guards
Foot Guards
-British Army:The Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six regiments of foot guards, five of which still exist. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a reserve formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900-1901...
Bands, being that the percussion are at the middle of the main band. But another formation followed is that of the Brazilian military bands, wherein the percussion are in front of the brass and winds, with the bass drums as the lead instruments.
Korean military band formations
In both parts of the Korean Peninsula, military band formations differ in the two Korean countries' armed forces.Democratic People's Republic of Korea
The bands of the Korean People's ArmyKorean People's Army
The Korean People's Army , also known as the Inmin Gun, are the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission...
and the Korean People's Security Forces follow the general instrumental setup of Daechwita
Daechwita
Daechwita is a genre of Korean traditional music consisting of military music played by wind and percussion instruments, generally performed while marching...
s, the Korean traditional military bands.
Instrumental formation
- Fanfare trumpets
- Horns
- Clarinets, Bassoons
- Flutes, Piccolos
- Saxophones
- Trumpets
- Marching Percussion
- Snare drums
- Bass drums, Cymbals
- Concert bass drums
- Suspended cymbalSuspended cymbalright|thumb|Classical suspended cymbalA suspended cymbal is any single cymbal played with a stick or beater rather than struck against another cymbal. A common abbreviation used is sus. cym., or sus. cymb. .-History:...
s
- Saxhorns, Alto horns, Baritone horns
- Trombones
- Euphoniums
- Wagner Tubas
- Tubas, Sousaphones
Republic of Korea
Although patterned after American and British military bands, the bands of the Republic of Korea are also inspired by the daechiwtas of the old Korean kingdoms.China (mainland and Taiwan)
Chinese military bands both in the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan play a mix of foreign and native marches and musical pieces.During the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
, the xenophobic Chinese General Dong Fuxiang
Dong Fuxiang
Dong Fuxiang , a Chinese, was born Gansu, China. He commanded an army of Chinese Muslim soldiers, which included the later Ma clique generals Ma Anliang and Ma Fuxiang. According to the Western calendar, his birth date is in 1839.- Religion :Conflicting accounts are given about his religion and...
who commanded the Muslim Kansu Braves, refused to allow his troops to play western musical instruments, making them play traditional Chinese instruments such as the Sheng Jia.
Hong Kong SAR
Military bands in Hong Kong (save of the Band of the PLA HK Garrision), although now having to play Chinese and international marches, still retain the British and Commonwealth influences and the band formation is one such proof, as well as the use of pipe bands. They use the format for the bands in the British Army.People's Republic of China
Even through inspired by Soviet military music from the very start of the nation, the military bands of the People's Republic of China (either belonging to the People's Liberation ArmyPeople's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
or the People's Armed Police
People's Armed Police
The People's Armed Police , officially Chinese People's Armed Police Force is a paramilitary or gendarmerie force primarily responsible for civilian policing and fire rescue duties in the People's Republic of China, as well as provide support to PLA during wartime.In contrast to public security...
) play indigenous and locally composed military marches, during official ceremonies and other events as called for
Instrumental Positioning
- Marching Percussion
- Snare drums/field drums
- Bass drums
- Cymbals
- Tenor drums (optional)
- Clarinets
- Trumpets
- Trombones
- Horns
- Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos
- Saxophones
- Saxhorns, Alto horns, tenor/baritone horns, Wagner tubas
- Tubas, Euphoniums, Sousaphones
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Military bands of the R.O.C. can trace their origins to the 1911 revolution. Existing units including the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, the Army Band, the Navy Band, and the Air Force Band.All these bands are inspired by American and German military band traditions.See also
- Martial musicMartial musicMartial industrial, also known as martial music, is a music genre originating in late 20th century Europe. It often borrows musically from classical music, neofolk, neoclassical, traditional European marches and from elements of industrial and dark ambient.-Origins:The genre name military pop was...
- drum and bugle corpsDrum and bugle corps (classic)Classic drum and bugle corps are North American musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units returning from World War I and succeeding wars. Traditionally, drum and bugle corps served as signaling units as early as before the American Civil War, with these signaling units...
- March (music)March (music)A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
- Marching bandMarching bandMarching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
- Mehter (considered to be the oldest type of military marching band in the world)
- Military parade
- Military tattooMilitary tattooThe original meaning of military tattoo is a military drum performance, but nowadays it sometimes means army displays more generally.It dates from the 17th century when the British Army was fighting in the Low Countries...
- ParadeParadeA parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
- Pipe bandPipe bandA pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
- Ruffles and flourishesRuffles and flourishesRuffles and flourishes are preceding fanfare for honors music .Ruffles are played on drums, and flourishes are played on bugles...
External links
- Military Music in American and European Traditions, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Brassmusic.Ru — Russian Brass Community — German Military Music
- The International Military Music Society (IMMS)
- www.militarytattoo.org - Information Website