Trumpeter Corps
A trumpeter corps was the intelligence force of a mounted troop, i.e. the cavalry or field artillery in the field. In peacetime it worked as a music corps .
The trumpet corps had their heyday in the 19th century. They existed in Prussia , Saxony , Bavaria , Austria (until 1866), the United Kingdom , Sweden and France . France, England and Sweden still maintain trumpet corps for representation purposes.
occupation
Cavalry music consists only of brass instruments: flugelhorns (formerly called pistons), trumpets in Bb and Eb, bass trumpets , alto and tenor horns , baritone , trombones , tubas ( bombardon ) and helicons . Clarinets , flutes , oboe , saxophones and the bassoon are missing . French horns were also not occupied. These belonged to the music corps of the hunter battalions . As a rule, only the kettledrum was permitted as percussion . Nevertheless, the bass drum and snare drum can sometimes be seen in old pictures .
In the 19th century it was common for each regiment to have a musical corps. In the German Reich there were 110 cavalry and 96 field artillery regiments, which resulted in a total of 206 trumpet corps. Only 26 regiments of these had regular kettledrums. They were rare, especially in the kingdoms of Saxony and Bavaria.
uniform
The cavalry regiments traditionally had a wide variety of uniforms. There were cuirassiers , heavy riders, lancers , dragoons , Chevaulegers, hussars and hunters on horseback. The trumpet corps were also uniformly colored in different colors. The military musicians could always be recognized by the so-called swallow nests . These were red approaches at the top of the sleeve, with white strands that ran downwards. In the case of the trumpeters of the cavalry and field artillery, these ran slightly forward.
Ranks in the German Reich
- Rod Trumpeter (Head of the Trumpeter Corps)
- Timpanist (kettle drum, also deputy head)
- Sergeant Trumpeter (Deputy Head)
- NCO trumpeter (professional soldiers)
- Trumpeter (professional soldiers in private status)
- Auxiliary trumpeter (conscripts in the lowest team rank; three years of conscription)
Task and commitment
The Trumpeter Corps only existed in times of peace in the German Reich. They were dissolved in the war. While the so-called in the infantry hautboists (musicians of the infantry) were used in the battle as a medic, they had in the stage quite back musical duties for entertainment and distraction of the force, for parades and Präsentierungen temporarily support even the marching of Troop by marching music .
The trumpeters (musicians of the mounted troops) were always assigned to the squadrons as signal trumpeters . They had to convey the orders to the troops musically, because with the noise of battle they were no longer understood through words. Only in the regimental unit did they appear as a trumpet corps in peace.
The trumpet corps had other tasks in parading and presenting. Parades were held on foot and on horseback. There were separate marches for each gait, which were assigned to the regiment by war ministerial decree. The parade march on foot for the marching regiment in regimental column. The parade marches at walk (on horseback), trot and gallop . The latter was extremely rare because a lot of dust was thrown up at the gallop and this was rather annoying to the representation of a parade. It was also difficult for the musicians to blow at a gallop. Another march, the presentation march, was dedicated to presenting to a high person.
A signal trumpeter had to be able to blow at least 40 horn signals offhand . Especially when exercising, he was required to pass every command on to his squadron immediately as a trumpet signal. Finally, each trumpeter corps also rehearsed for concerts in the garrison . There were often Sunday morning concerts to edify the population. Likewise, his skills were gladly shown when a high personality visited the garrison. In some years the music master organized concert tours at home and abroad. The corps treasury was improved and instruments that were not in line with the budget were procured - sometimes even string instruments that were mastered by every musician in the 19th century.
Everyday life in peace
The everyday life of a trumpeter in peacetime was something like this: In the barracks the “trumpeters of the guard” blew the “wake-up” early in the morning with three guards (cf. tattoo of the mounted troops). The troop got up, made their beds, and prepared breakfast.
Each cavalryman was ordered to take care of his horse by the signals “fetch food” and “feed”. In any case, a stable guard ensured that no horse was left without care when it was sick. Then the squadron was informed by the signals "saddle up", " sit up " and "move out" that they were riding to the garrison training area for exercise. There was a separate signal for each of the five squadrons of a regiment, the regimental call, so that everyone knew who was meant. Of course, each of the 110 cavalry regiments also had its own regimental reputation.
If the marching out took place in regimental column, the trumpet corps rode ahead in full line-up, so with kettledrum. This moving out and moving in was a daily attraction for the civilian population, and they were very open-minded. Munich citizens greatly regretted it when their 1st Heavy Cavalry Regiment moved to the new Prince Leopold Barracks near the Oberwiesenfeld military training area in 1902 and this daily ritual was canceled.
After moving out, all trumpeters gave their brass instruments to the regimental staff and hurried to their squadrons to practice combat. The signal trumpets had already been put on in the morning when they started up. Now they were needed all the time. In the evening the brass instruments were taken up again with the staff and played in formation when they moved in.
Usually at 10:00 at night the “trumpeter of the guard” blew the “tattoo of the cavalry” with his three guards. This was the sign of the night's rest in the barracks.