Musicians.

Hi everyone,

I post this topic to have an idea about how much and which musicians will (try to) participate during LBE. I will defenitely try to be there as drummer for the 7th of line (Belgium). So please, if you know something about the musicians of your "army unit", or another, share it with us down below on this topic .

Greetings,
Bram.

Hi Bram,

I come with my bagpipe - but to LEB not in my Uniform
So we can have a little bit fun in the evening?

Greetings
Nanny

It would be great to play some music in the evening! So now you'll bring your real bagpipe! If I'm not mistaken, it was just a practise bagpipe you brought last year, is that right?

Hi Bram,

You are right. Last year i had only my practice chanter with me, but i was not lucky without my bagpipe Now I'll carry some more with me and will be happy for it

I can believe you weren't happy without the bagpipe, it is way cooler when you can play an instrument when you like. I have a jawharp now, but I don't think I will be able to play it when you play the bagpipe .

Ah! when i was young i learned to play a jawharp too. Very funny!
I can sing, if you play it (its not so loud as my bagpipe) and we will be a whole orchestre.

Nanny,

You are more than welcome to bring your bagpipe. I'm sure that it will be a most wanted distraction on the bivouac and being a civilian, you don't really have to tug the military line.

Lowie,

I do want to try and get the drummers (and fifers) together to be able to beat out battle signals so as to save time with transmitting orders which could compromise our action. I also want them to be the "heart-beat" of the camp life signalling when to wake, when to clean, when to eat, when to assemble, etc. etc.

Likewise, I also want to use the cavalry tumpeters (we'll have 2 apparantly) in the same set-up.

Thank you Marc.
I think it will be a nice thing to make music in the bivouac. It will generate a good mood for our soldiers.
To play a tune in the line I've other places

Hey Marc,

we've got also a fifer in our battalion, he was also in LBE last year. We know some signals as well, but most of our unit wouldn't even recognise them.... But maybe we can teach them on friday or on a proceeding evenement....

Greetings Bram.

Hello Bram,

I think that we might not need to do all the signals for all the occasions. But if we could have possibly a signal for assembly, a signal for duties and a signal for "get ready" in the camps, we would be already alittle further immersed.

For battle and marching, we could have signals for "advance" (British Grenadiers for example?), "retreat" and a couple of others. It would just need some thinking on our part to find melodies that people can easily identify and link to a particular action.

Marc

Hi Marc,
The Rifles and Light Infantry can work from whistles of course. How those serjeants love to blow!
Cheers, Ben

PS How do we pay subs over to you?

Of course Ben, though I would say that the whistling would come after the relevant signal (advance, retreat, etc.) for the whole army has been beaten.

(You can pay the subs over PayPal if you so wish)

Marc, if you want, we can invent some signals for those thing you mentioned. We have documents with the original sheet music, but we don't find very much orders there that we can use.... But we can invent something if you want us, please let me know.

Depends on what you mean by "invent" because I believe that we should be more in the mind-set of "re-recreating".

Yeah, I know, it's just that there aren't so many original orders available, I don't even know if there even were musical orders for retreat, go forward and such (in our area's).... Maybe there are more orders from the British army, so if somebody can pass me some of these original orders, we can learn those, it would be a great help....

I suggest that you have a look on this link to the Drum Major's page of the 2nd Foot:
http://www.2ndfoot.org.uk/Main/2nd%20B%28Queen%27s%20Royal%29%20Regiment%20of%20Foot%20-%20DM.html

But the idea, apart from the camp calls, is to have general signals that are easily identifiable and that can be linked to specific movements. For exemple:

British Grenadiers - The army is to advance. So when this is heard, everyone one on the battlefield knows that a general advance is wanted.

I would say that we would need a tune for advancing and a tune for retreating (perhaps a Dutch tune?)...the rest can be pretty much taken from the link above.

Haven't yet seen any musicians coming back on the numbers lists.....

James Regimental companion is available on-line (google books) and contains appropriate drum and bugle signals.

Hi guys,

I'm the fifer of the 7th Foot (Dutch-Belgian troops), whom Lowie was talking about.

I'm really glad to see that there will be much more usage of the fifes 'n drums this year. As I recall, we were forbidden to play camp duties last year, and during battle one officer called out for us to start
up a tune, while the other would call out for us to shut up in order to hear the orders properly... ;')

If you like, I would be glad to work out a list of signals etc with/for you, Marc, which will be used throughout the event.

I have access to a variety of period manuals such as Cushing's fifer's companion #1 (1805), Compleat (sic) tutor for the fife (1760), Ashworth's system of drum beating (1812), Handleiding voor Tamboers en Pypers, J. Rauscher (1814) etc.
And also a bit more recent works which are still a treasure trove of reliable sheet music: Bruce & Emmet's Guide for Fifers and Drummers (1862), American Veteran Fifer (lots of British tunes) (1905), ...
And a personal collection of about 500 bits & pieces of sheet music that I've collected and traded over the internet over the last couple of years.

For every order that can be given, I should find an authentic signal for it (why didn't you just ask me, Lowie? ;-) )

I'd suggest using an "eclectic" collection of signals and marches, as we do have a range of nationalities on the coalition's side.

I already have the correct British signals for advance, retreat, etc. But to make it a bit simpler for everyone, maybe we should indeed use well known tunes that are recognizable to everyone like, as you said, British grenadiers and the like?

If you could give me a list of the orders/camp duties that we are to signal at the event, I will look into it and discuss it with Lowie.

And indeed, it would be fun to play a bit of music in the evening! I'll come fully armed with two fifes, two tin whistles and a jawharp (if anyone else should want to play.. )
Nanny and Lowie, maybe you could help me to finally play that blasted jawharp? ;D

Cheers

Hi,
nice to think for me, but its 30years ago that I played it, so i can singing, when you playing . And: I'm a piper and it will be a honour for me to play my Pipes in the evening (It's important for me . Ordinarily I train every day 2 hours, so that I better find the connection with the other Napoleonic Pipers. The time to Malta in November passes so fast!)

Hello,

Indeed, I've put alot more place for the muscians this year and I think that we can indeed come to a mutual list of signals and tunes.

Bearing in mind that it is Wednesday now, we can either discuss the matter online with MSN Messenger or the like OR discuss face to face on Friday what I would expect.

Here's a proposal:

CAMP
Reveille - Perhaps a tune like "Over The Hills and Far Away" but I'm also thinking that that song might be better suited to form up the troops.
Form up - See above note.
Meals/Tavern - Perhaps a lively civilian tune?
Warning to form up - Perhaps a series of drum rolls followed by a clicking of sticks? (3x rolls for 15 minutes, 2x rolls for 10 minutes and 1x roll of 5 minutes)?
Officer meeting - ?

GENERAL MANOEUVRES
Advance - ?
Retreat - ?

I take it that we will also need to have some tunes just to play whilst fighting to inspire "fighting spirit" or to help people on the march but that won't get mis-interpreted as a signal?

Marc

Hi,

I have in the meantime already composed a draft list of about 20 signals that could be used. (about half will not be used, I think; but at least we're prepared if the need should arise -> a flogging, perhaps? ;D)
I don't think we'll be able to discuss it today, as I'm not at home right now and I won't be until some time around 8-9 PM.
But I will be briefly on msn when I get home, my address is anthey9@hotmail.com. Otherwise it may be best to discuss it tomorrow.

Anyways, I'll send you the list right now and if at all possible, could you give me some feedback via mail?

With regard to your proposed list:

For the Reveille I proposed in my list, as you will see, to use the Réveille signal from the 1814 J.Rauscher manual (the correct Dutch signal)
For the assembly/ forming up I suggested to use the "Appèl", also a correct period Dutch signal.
We also have a Dutch drum beating that was used to signal breakfast & lunch; however whereas the Dutch réveille & assembly signals are easily recognized; the various correct drum beatings may not be;
If you prefer I could switch the drum beatings by "The Gobby-O" which is in essence a jig (or a reel, can't remember ;')) But I think it's best to discuss it Friday so you can hear the beatings for yourself.

Your "warning to form up" idea is quite interesting, I'll try to speak to the drummers about it, should be no problem.

I've also been thinking to let one drummer sound the drummer's call which is used to assemble all the musicians prior to playing a camp duty signal such as réveille, etc.
But maybe that would be a bit 'over-kill'?, besides there are only three musicians, all from the same unit.

There is a very, very lengthy Dutch signal "Vergadering" that was used to announce an officer's meeting, but at this point we can't play it yet and one afternoon is too short to learn it
So I guess we could use a British tune, perhaps Lilliburlero or Rule Britannia?

For Advance, I've written down British Grenadiers as per your request and for retreat I have a Dutch march: Mars Voor de Gezwinde Pas nr.4


And lastly, maybe we should play a few of the battle signals such as advance and retreat on friday so that everyone can later distinguish them from other tunes which have no meaning attached to them?

Anthony