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A History of Fife and Drum Music and of the Kentish
Guards Fife and Drum Corps - http://www.kentishguards.org/fifendrumhistory.htm
BRIEF HISTORY OF DRUMMING. By ALLAN CHATTO -
http://www.cadre-online.ca/drumhistory.html
The Drum Major
It is probable that the function of the Drum Major,
but not the appointment, has existed as long as there have been drummers.
Originally, his role was that of senior drummer on parade, beating his
own drum rather than leading with his familiar staff. Because each drummer
paraded with his company, it was not until the 'band of musick' came into
being that he was always required to march in front.
As a result of putting down his sticks to take up a staff, the Drum Major
needed a distinctive cross-belt, as described in a military treatise of
1786; '... the loops on the Drum-major's Belt to be entirely on the left
Side, as he should make a Cross of it with his Sword Belt, and carry his
sticks constantly in the Loops, as a Badge of Office when on Duty', and
the sticks '... should be of Ebony tipt with Silver, it being part of
the Foppery to be allowed in his Appointments, for no other purpose, but
merely shew.' [Bennett Cuthbertson, A System for the Compleat Interior
Management and economy of a Battalion of Infantry, Dublin, 1768, p123-24]
Duties
The duties of the Drum Major are recorded as early as 1683;
...hee is to receive his directions from the major of the regiment, at
what hour he is to beat to the watch, when the dian, and when the tap-too,
wherewith he is to acquaint the several drummers of companies and to appoint
them by turns of their beatings: he is also to order them in what divisions
each of them shall beat, when the regiment marcheth; and they are to obey
all his directions punctually.
It is also noted that: 'In some places he gets a third more of pay than
other drummers.' [Sir James turner Pallas Armata 1683 cited by Francis
Grose, Military Antiquities 2nd edn London, 1812 Vol.I,pp250-51.]
Responsibility, however, went with this extra renumeration, for 'when
new Drums are issued, the Drum-major must be directed, to take them entirely
to pieces, in order to examine, if every part is formed in a proper manner,
both for Sound and Service, that all Defects (should there be any) may
be made good, before they are delivered to the Drummers.' [Cuthbertson
op cit p122]
It would appear, however, that it was the shortcomings of the drummers
themselves that compelled the authorities to institute the office of Drum
Major to regulate the beats on which the Army's movements depended.
A warrant appears to have been published in 1610, and re-issued by order
of King Charles I in 1632, to enforce the accurate beating of the 'English
March';
...And the march of this our English nation, so famous in all honourable
achievements and glorious warres of this our kingdome, in forraigne parts
(being by the approbation of strangers themselves, confest and acknowledged
the best of all marches) was, through the negligence and carelessnesse
of drummers, and by long discontinuance, so altered and changed from the
antient gravitie and majestie thereof, as it was in danger utterly to
have been lost and forgotten.
The warrant goes on to '...set down and ordaine the present establishment
hereunder expressed, willing and commanding all drummers within our kingdom
of England and principalitie of Wales, exactly and precisely to observe
the same, as well in this our kingdom as abroad in the service of any
forraigne prince or state, without any addition or alterations whatsoever.'
[Grose op cit Vol.II, p45]
The duties of the drum major were not just musical. It became customary,
certainly in some regiments of foot, for the Drum Major to bring the regimental
colours from their stand in the officers' mess and hand them over to the
ensigns on ceremonial occasions. Similarly, it was the task of the Drum
Major or the drummers to case and uncase the colours and to attach a laurel
wreath if the colours were paraded on the anniversary of a battle honour.
These tasks would entail both liquid and financial compensation from the
ensigns. It is probable that this association grew from 'forming square',
when the colours and drummers would be enclosed in the centre behind musket
and bayonet.
The Leading Staff
Staffs and batons have long been recognised as
marks of office. The earliest Drum Majors' staffs bear a striking resemblance
to those of beadles and footmen, having a very small head and thin shaft.
Amongst the earliest in existence is that of the Honourable Artillery
Company, presented by Sir Matthew Andrews in 1671. These staffs had the
obvious practical application of clearing the way in front of a formed
body of men.
The early staffs were plain, bearing a single title or device, but like
so many articles used by the British Army, extra devices were added, and
as battle honours were awarded from Gibraltar (1704-05) onwards, these
too were engraved or placed on scrolls in the head or the shaft. In the
late nineteenth century it became customary for senior officers to provide
staffs at their own expense. These were naturally more ostentatious than
those issued by the Army or used by the regiment quartered next door.
The Foot Guards continued, as in so many aspects of their dress and appointments,
to use the issue item, a practice which they still maintain.
The staff is particularly useful for signalling commands to a Band or
Corps of drums when their playing precludes verbal orders. As early as
1811 it was required that '...they should be attantive not to deviate
in the most trifling degree from the time which will allow, within the
minute, the exact number of steps prescribed by H M Regulations.' [Regulations
For The Army 1811, cited by H G Farmer The Rise of Military Music, London,
1912, p74]
Whilst on the march the Drum Major assumed a steady pace by continued
movements of the staff which he was required to turn '...with an easy
air once round, so as to keep time, and plant it every fourth pace.'[Loc
cit.] Here lies the origin of the distinctive 'stage walk' used by the
Drum Major in slow and quick time on ceremonial occasions.
www.drummajor.co.uk
The folowing text is taken from Follow the Drum,
an exhibition catalogue published in 1988 by the National Army Museum
(ISBN 0-901721-12-3), London. The text was written by Ian D Hook, former
Drum Major of the Honourable Artillery Regiment, then curator at the National
Army Museum, and now Keeper of the Essex Regiment Museum. The original
publication was my first at the museum, and may still be available from
the shop there. Please try and buy it for the whole illustrated text.
The Drum Major
It is probable that the function of the Drum Major,
but not the appointment, has existed as long as there have been drummers.
Originally, his role was that of senior drummer on parade, beating his
own drum rather than leading with his familiar staff. Because each drummer
paraded with his company, it was not until the 'band of musick' came into
being that he was always required to march in front.
As a result of putting down his sticks to take up a staff, the Drum Major
needed a distinctive cross-belt, as described in a military treatise of
1786; '... the loops on the Drum-major's Belt to be entirely on the left
Side, as he should make a Cross of it with his Sword Belt, and carry his
sticks constantly in the Loops, as a Badge of Office when on Duty', and
the sticks '... should be of Ebony tipt with Silver, it being part of
the Foppery to be allowed in his Appointments, for no other purpose, but
merely shew.' [Bennett Cuthbertson, A System for the Compleat Interior
Management and Oeconomy of a Battalion of Infantry, Dublin, 1768, p123-24]
References to the office of Drum Major appear as early as the 1590s, but
the rank does not appear on regimental establishments of the early seventeenth
century. During the Commonwealth, a particularly low period for the art
of drumming, the appointment seems to have been lost. At the Restoration,
only the Foot Guards, and later the Royal Artillery, appear to have had
official blessing for a Drum Major. The marching regiments seem to have
gone without an official Drum Major until 1810, although one existed in
practice, when an extra sergeant was allowed to hold that position. Hitherto,
the senior was always shown in returns in the Grenadier Company among
the drummer and fifers with the suffix 'D.M.'. Between 1881 and 1928 the
time-honoured title was abolished in favour of 'sergeant drummer' although
the holder continued to enjoy the dress and privileges of a Staff Sergeant.
Duties
The duties of the Drum Major are recorded as early
as 1683;
...hee is to receive his directions from the major of the regiment, at
what hour he is to beat to the watch, when the dian, and when the tap-too,
wherewith he is to acquaint the several drummers of companies and to appoint
them by turns of their beatings: he is also to order them in what divisions
each of them shall beat, when the regiment marcheth; and they are to obey
all his directions punctually.
It is also noted that: 'In some places he gets a third more of pay than
other drummers.' [Sir James turner Pallas Armata 1683 cited by Francis
Grose, Military Antiquities 2nd edn London, 1812 Vol.I,pp250-51.]
Responsibility, however, went with this extra renumeration, for 'when
new Drums are issued, the Drum-major must be directed, to take them entirely
to pieces, in order to examine, if every part is formed in a proper manner,
both for Sound and Service, that all Defects (should there be any) may
be made good, before they are delivered to the Drummers.' [Cuthbertson
op cit p122]
It would appear, however, that it was the shortcomings of the drummers
themselves that compelled the authorities to institute the office of Drum
Major to regulate the beats on which the Army's movements depended.
A warrant appears to have been published in 1610, and re-issued by order
of King Charles I in 1632, to enforce the accurate beating of the 'English
March';
...And the march of this our English nation, so famous in all honourable
achievements and glorious warres of this our kingdome, in forraigne parts
(being by the approbation of strangers themselves, confest and acknowledged
the best of all marches) was, through the negligence and carelessnesse
of drummers, and by long discontinuance, so altered and changed from the
antient gravitie and majestie thereof, as it was in danger utterly to
have been lost and forgotten.
The warrant goes on to '...set down and ordaine the present establishment
hereunder expressed, willing and commanding all drummers within our kingdom
of England and principalitie of Wales, exactly and precisely to observe
the same, as well in this our kingdom as abroad in the service of any
forraigne prince or state, without any addition or alterations whatsoever.'
[Grose op cit Vol.II, p45]
The duties of the drum major were not just musical. It became customary,
certainly in some regiments of foot, for the Drum Major to bring the regimental
colours from their stand in the officers' mess and hand them over to the
ensigns on ceremonial occasions. Similarly, it was the task of the Drum
Major or the drummers to case and uncase the colours and to attach a laurel
wreath if the colours were paraded on the anniversary of a battle honour.
These tasks would entail both liquid and financial compensation from the
ensigns. It is probable that this association grew from 'forming square',
when the colours and drummers would be enclosed in the centre behind musket
and bayonet.
The Leading Staff
Staffs and batons have long been recognised as
marks of office. The earliest Drum Majors' staffs bear a striking resemblance
to those of beadles and footmen, having a very small head and thin shaft.
Amongst the earliest in existence is that of the Honourable Artillery
Company, presented by Sir Matthew Andrews in 1671. These staffs had the
obvious practical application of clearing the way in front of a formed
body of men.
The early staffs were plain, bearing a single title or device, but like
so many articles used by the British Army, extra devices were added, and
as battle honours were awarded from Gibraltar (1704-05) onwards, these
too were engraved or placed on scrolls in the head or the shaft. In the
late nineteenth century it became customary for senior officers to provide
staffs at their own expense. These were naturally more ostentatious than
those issued by the Army or used by the regiment quartered next door.
The Foot Guards continued, as in so many aspects of their dress and appointments,
to use the issue item, a practice which they still maintain.
The staff is particularly useful for signalling commands to a Band or
Corps of drums when their playing precludes verbal orders. As early as
1811 it was required that '...they should be attantive not to deviate
in the most trifling degree from the time which will allow, within the
minute, the exact number of steps prescribed by H M Regulations.' [Regulations
For The Army 1811, cited by H G Farmer The Rise of Military Music, London,
1912, p74]
Whilst on the march the Drum Major assumed a steady pace by continued
movements of the staff which he was required to turn '...with an easy
air once round, so as to keep time, and plant it every fourth pace.'[Loc
cit.] Here lies the origin of the distinctive 'stage walk' used by the
Drum Major in slow and quick time on ceremonial occasions.
Drum Majors have always been gifted showmen, but have at the same timeset
an example in turnout and bearing. Tricks performed with the staff have
become part of the folklore of the Army. Stories of these feats are legion;
for example, the Drum Major Cox of the Essex Regiment was famed in the
1930s for throwing his staff over the barrack gates at Warley and retrieving
it on the other side without even breaking step. The addition of so many
battle honours has meant that the modern staff is much heavier and harder
to throw and spin than its earlier counterparts, but whilst officially
frowned upon, the practice o throwing the staff was condoned, if not encouraged,
by a battalion's officers away from the barrack square. Again the Foot
Guards are an exception, in that it is considered disrespectful to the
sovereign and undignified for a man appointed as state drummer to the
monarch to toss or spin his badge of office. The Drum Majors of line regiments
have shown fewer scruples, however, in performing the tricks within sight
of Buckingham Palace.
The Bass Drummer:
The bass drummer of a British regiment was attached to the “Band
of Music." This unit was separate from the Drums, and was comprised
of civilian professional musicians hired, paid and clothed at the expense
of the regimental officers. Most of the band’s musicians played
instruments such as clarinets, flutes, horns and trombones. The band also
had a percussion section, which played instruments of Middle-Eastern origin,
such as the bass drum, triangle, cymbals, and a bell tree known as the
“Jingling Johnny,” which were termed “Janissary”
instruments, being named after a famous Turkish military unit. The percussionists
were often dressed in expensive uniforms that were a blend of European
and Middle-Eastern fashions. To increase the outlandish look, men of African
or Middle-Eastern background were frequently hired to play the Janissary
instruments.
The Drums’ bass drummer wears a percussionist bandsman’s coatee
patterned directly from a drawing in a military tailor’s pattern
books (known as the “Pearse” notebooks - currently in the
possession of the Canadian War Museum) circa 1802, and modified to suit
the unit colours of the Drums. The loose red trousers were known as “seroual”,
and were copied from a form popular amongst the Arab peoples of the Middle
East, although the example shown here are unusually baggy and bright,
reflecting the extravagant amounts of money often lavished on bandsmen’s
uniforms. The Arabic influence on the uniform is also demonstrated by
the turban-wrapped shako worn by the drummer, and the oriental “scimitar”
sabre with which he is armed.
Ross Flowers - http://www.drums1812.org/
Plummets
"Rules & Regulations for His Majesty's
Forces" 1801:
Plummets, which vibrate the required times of march
in a minute, are of great utility; they must be in possession of, and
constantly referred to, by each instructer of a squad and the drum-major;
the several
lengths of plummets swinging the times of the different marches in a minute,
are as follows:
Common time, ninety steps in a minute.
Plummet, seventeen inches and thirty-eight hundredths (3/8) of an inch
in length.
Quick time, one hundred and twenty steps in a minute.
Plummet, nine inches and seventy-eight hundredths (3/4) of an inch in
length.
A musket ball, suspended by a string not liable
to stretch, and on which are marked the different required lengths, will
answer the above purpose, may be easily procured, and should be frequently
compared with an accurate standard in the adjutant’s possession.
The length of the plummet is to be measured from the point of suspension
to the centre of
the ball.
James Hulbert, Jr. - Complete Fifer's Museum 1807
(note: measurements are longer probably due to much slower definitions
of common, quick time, etc.):
Method of Beating with a Pendulum--Let your Pendulum,
be made of wood, about the size of an egg, extended on a thread, of different
lengths, as the time requires.
For Common Time Marches, make your=
20thread 31-1/2 inches;
for a Quick Step 16;
for a Double Drag, 27;
a Trio 22 inches."
Winfield Scott US Unfantry Tactics 1815:
PLUMMETS which vibrate the required times of march
in a minute, are of great utility,(and canalone prevent or correct uncertainty
of movement;) they must be in the possession of, and constantly referred
to, by each instructor of a squad, -the several lengths of plummets, -swinging
the times of the different marches in a minute are as follows:
In Hund.
Common Time - 90 steps in the minute 17.38 inches
Quick Time - 120 9.78 inches
A musket ball suspended by a string which is not
subject to stretch, and on which are marked the different required lengths,
will answer the above purposes, may be easily acquired, and should be
frequently compared with an accurate standard in the adjutant's, or serjeant-major's
possession. The length of the Plummet is to be measured from the point
of suspension to the centre of the ball.
Accurate distances of steps must also be marked out on the ground, along
which the soldier should be practised to march, and thereby acquire the
just length of pace.
Abstract of US Infantry Tactics for Militia 1825:
The use of music or the drum, in instruction, or
to regulate the time of march of troops in movement, is positively forbidden;
and i
n marches of parade, where the music is allowed to play, it must scrupulously
observe the ordered times of march, whether ordinary or quick, and use
no times but such as are particularly adapted to such rates of march.
The drums and fifes are to be trained to such habit, and the leader is
not to be allowed to trust to his own ear, or apprehension, but always
to have a plummet, and to make frequent use of it, in order to preserve
the correct time. When the battalion is not in movement, as on the parade,
or on other occasions when the music is ordered, or allowed to play, there
is no necessity for its being confined to the preceding rule.
In instruction, and in the exercise of a battalion,
five or six strong strokes on the drum, given in the exact times of the
swing of the plummet, and just before the word march is pronounced, cannot
fail of confirming the measure of time on every mind, and transferring
it to the step.
Plummets, which vibrate the required times of march
in a minute, are of great utility; they must be in possession of, and
constantly referred to, by each instructor of a squad and the drum-major;
the several lengths of plummets swinging the times of the different marches
in a minute, are as follows:
Common time, ninety steps in a minute. Plummet,
seventeen inches and thirty-eight hundredths Of an inch in length.
Quick time, one hundred and twenty steps in a minute.
Plummet, nine inches and seventy-eight hundredths Of an inch in length.
A musket ball, suspended by a string not liable
to stretch, and on which are marked the different required lengths, will
answer the above purpose, may be easily procured, and should be frequently
compared with an accurate standard in the adjutant’s possession.
The length of the plummet is to be measured from the point of suspension
to the centre of
the ball.
H.L. Scott's 1861 "Military Dictionary":
Pendulums, also called plummets, which vibrate
the required times of march in a minute, are of great utility; they must
be in the possession of, and constantly referred to, by each instructor
of a squad.
From the:
MANUAL and PLATOON EXERCISES, FORMATIONS, FIELD-EXERCISE,
AND MOVEMENTS OF
HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES.
FOR THE USE OF THE
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE
BRITISH ARMY.
PLUMMETS which vibrate the required times of march
in a minute, are of great utility, and can alone prevent or correct uncertainty
of movement; they must be in the possession of, and constantly referred
to, by each instructor of a squad, -the several lengths of plummets, -swinging
the times of the different marches in a minute are as follows:
Inch Hundred.
Ordinary Time - 75 steps in the minute 21 96
Quick Time - 108 12 03
Quickest or Wheeling time - 120 9 80
A musket ball suspended by a string which is not
subject to stretch, and on which are marked the different required lengths,
will answer the above purposes, may be easily acquired, and should be
frequently compared with an accurate standard in the adjutant's, or serjeant-major's
possession. The length of the Plummet is to be measured from the point
of suspension to the centre of the ball.
Accurate distances of steps must also be marked
out on the ground, along which the soldier should be practised to march,
and thereby acquire the just length of pace.
Brent
PLUMMETS which vibrate the required times of march
in a minute, are of great utility, and can
alone prevent or correct uncertainty of movement; they must be in the
possession of, and constantly
referred to, by each instructor of a squad, -the several lengths of plummets,
-swinging the times of
the different marches in a minute are as follows:
In Hund.
Ordinary Time - 75 steps in the minute 21 96
Quick Time - 108 12 03
Quickest or
Wheeling time - 120 9 80
A musket ball suspended by a string which is not subject to stretch, and
on which are marked the
different required lengths, will answer the above purposes, may be easily
acquired, and should be
Rules and Regulations
1816 Drill Manual Page 18
frequently compared with an accurate standard in the adjutant's, or serjeant-major's
possession. The
length of the Plummet is to be measured from the point of suspension to
the centre of the ball.
Accurate distances of steps must also be marked out on the ground, along
which the soldier should
be practised to march, and thereby acquire the just length of pace.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE
1 Jan. 1807 RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE MANUAL and PLATOON EXERCISES,
FORMATIONS, FIELD-EXERCISE, AND MOVEMENTS OF HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES.
FOR THE USE OF THE NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE BRITISH ARMY.
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