Ancient Fife and Drum Corps - History

History

Fifes are an ancient instrument, referred to in Europe as the "Schweizerpfeife", or Swiss flute. Fifes have been in use by armies (in its modern form) since the 16th century. Fifes originally accompanied companies of men providing music on the march, usually songs from home. Drums have always had a military role going far back into history.

The rise of the modern army begins in the late 16th and evolves throughout the 18th century. Drilling to precise and increasingly complicated geometric movements, armies adapted and trained drummers and fifers to signal preparatory alerts and execution signals as well as times of days for the troops. It became customary for each company of 100 or so men to be assigned 2 fifers and 2 drummers to sound signals, hours and alarms, as well as play popular music on the march. This pattern was also practiced in the U.S. services from the Revolutionary War up until the late 19th Century. When the companies of a Regiment or Battalion were gathered together, it was customary to assemble the fifes and drums from all the companies into a 'band' to march at the head of the column on parade. When a regimental military band (woodwinds and brass) were also present, the fifes and drums marched at the head, followed by the military band. This is still the custom with British Regimental bands. To this day, the drum major's preparatory command to move a British Army band is, "Band and Drums...". This is referring back to the segregation of the fifes and drums as a separate entity from a military band.

Fifes have always been an infantry musical instrument. The infantry used the side drums (snare/field, long drum/tenor drum and the bass drum). When detached to the companies, the drummers used only side drums. Cavalry and Dragoon (mounted infantry) units never used them. The only remaining fife and drum corps in the American Military is the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, who are attached to The 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, a ceremonial Army unit based out of Ft. Myer, VA. The British Army also still uses them. Of interest here, is many of John P. Sousa's marches were written for Military band and Marine 'Drum & Bugle Corps' which supplanted the older Marine 'Fife & Drum Corps'. The buglers were used to signal the hours of the daily routine and orders and combat signals. Two marches that come immediately to mind are 'the Thunderer' and Semper Fidelis'. Marine bands used to parade together with the drum and bugle bands. Line Marine Drum & Bugle Corps were phased out by the end of WW II. Drum & Bugle bands, in this peculiar military style remained active, largely in American Legion and VFW bands until recently although they are scarce now. These Drum & Bugle bands should not be confused in any way with modern drum and bugle corps (à la DCI/DCA), high school, or college marching bands. Today, the French military is almost exclusively the preserver of these traditional military bugle bands.

Also of ancillary interest is the little known fact that the origins of the oboe in European music rises from the oboe's equivalent role to the infantry fife as the 'band of music' for Dragoon regiments. The earliest oboes were based on the Turkish 'Zurna' of the Janissary bands. A Dragoon regiment of the British Army might have a mounted band of 6 oboes and a pair of kettle drums (exclusively used by horse-mounted units). Trumpeters were also assigned to companies as signaling musicians. The earliest oboes had a larger reed than the modern instrument, and thus produced a louder sound. A close approximation of the sound of a cavalry military band of the early 18th century can be heard in the well-known PBS 'Masterpiece Theater' theme, composed by Mouret for Trumpets, oboes, strings and kettle drums.