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MILITARY MUSIC (1500-1700). 35 |
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"glorious 29th of May, 1660, headed by the King's Life Guards, with their kettledrums and trumpets in front."7 The first-named were the military instruments par excellence on the Continent, but quite new to us. Mr. W. Barclay Squire, who has given us a mine of information on this subject, is of the opinion that the use of these instruments for the cavalry came from Germany, and quotes Fronsperger's " Kriegsbuch" (1566) and Tabourot's " Orchesographie" (1588) as evidence of their early use by German troops.8 There is, however, a still earlier record—that in 1542 our own King Henry VIII sent to Vienna for kettledrums that could be played on horseback "after the Hungarian manner," together with men that could make and play them skilfully.9 That they were not then generally adopted in this country, we may gather from Nicholl's " Procession of James I."10 Then we have the word of Sir James Turner (writing in 1671) who assures us that , * " they are not ordinary," and only used by corps d'elite, noblemen and general officers.1 To fix the restoration f as the date of their adoption by our army, would accord with Samuel Butler's mention of them in "Hudibras" (1663) among Magnano's "warlike engines."
'Cannon, "Historical Records of the Life Guards." 'Grove, "Dictionary of Music" (article, Military Sounds and Signals).
'Fortescue, "History of the British Army," 1899.
"Day, "Descriptive Catalogue of Musical Instruments," etc.
•Turner, "Pallas Armata," 1683. |
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