Military brass band: a triumph of harmony and strength

For several centuries, military brass bands have created a special atmosphere at celebrations, ceremonies of national importance and many other events. The music performed by such an orchestra can intoxicate every person with its special ceremonial solemnity.

A military brass band is a regular orchestra of a military unit, a group of performers playing wind and percussion instruments. The orchestra’s repertoire includes, of course, military music, but not only: when performed by such a composition, lyrical waltzes, songs, and even jazz sound great! This orchestra performs not only at parades, ceremonies, military rituals, and during drill training of troops, but also at concerts and generally in the most unexpected situations (for example, in a park).

From the history of the military brass band

The first military brass bands were formed in the medieval era. In Russia, military music occupies a special place. Its rich history dates back to 1547, when, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the first court military brass band appeared in Russia.

In Europe, military brass bands reached their peak under Napoleon, but even Bonaparte himself admitted that he had two Russian enemies – frosts and Russian military music. These words once again prove that Russian military music is a unique phenomenon.

Peter I had a special love for wind instruments. He ordered the best teachers from Germany to teach soldiers how to play instruments.

At the beginning of the 70th century, Russia already had a fairly large number of military brass bands, and under Soviet rule they began to develop even more actively. They were especially popular in the XNUMXs. At this time, the repertoire expanded noticeably, and a lot of methodological literature was published.

Repertoire

Military brass bands of the 18th century suffered from an insufficient supply of music. Since at that time composers did not write music for wind ensembles, they had to make transcriptions of symphonic works.

In the 1909th century, music for brass bands was written by G. Berlioz, A. Schoenberg, A. Roussel and other composers. And in the XNUMXth century, many composers began to write music for wind ensembles. In XNUMX, the English composer Gustav Holst wrote the first work specifically for a military brass band.

Composition of a modern military brass band

Military brass bands can consist only of brass and percussion instruments (then they are called homogeneous), but they can also include woodwinds (then they are called mixed). The first version of the composition is now extremely rare; the second version of the composition of musical instruments is much more common.

Usually there are three types of mixed brass band: small, medium and large. A small orchestra has 20 musicians, while the average is 30, and a large orchestra has 42 or more.

Woodwind instruments in the orchestra include flutes, oboes (except alto), all types of clarinets, saxophones and bassoons.

Also, the special flavor of the orchestra is created by such brass instruments as trumpets, tubas, horns, trombones, altos, tenor trumpets and baritones. It is worth noting that altos and tenors (varieties of saxhorns), as well as baritones (varieties of tuba) are found exclusively in brass bands, that is, these instruments are not used in symphony orchestras.

No military brass band can do without such percussion instruments as small and large drums, timpani, cymbals, triangles, tambourine and tambourine.

Leading a military band is a special honor

A military orchestra, like any other, is controlled by a conductor. I would like to draw attention to the fact that the location of the conductor in relation to the orchestra members can be different. For example, if a performance takes place in a park, then the conductor takes a traditional place – facing the orchestra and with his back to the audience. But if the orchestra performs at the parade, then the conductor walks ahead of the orchestra members and holds in his hands an attribute that is necessary for every military conductor – a tambour pole. The conductor who directs the musicians in the parade is called a drum major.