Drum Calls
by Jeff Nordin and Charles Knutson
Introduction and Bylaws
Interpretive
Clothing
Scottish Culture
History
Music and Dance
Military Life
Language
Bibliography, Sources
and Library Materials
These six orders of the drum were standardized in 1632 by
Charles I. The system of notation used is open to interpretation. A
potential interpretation has been found and is being used by Clann
Tartan. Any difference between the historical actuality and our
interpretation is justified by the lack of standardization prior to
1632. The "voluntary" is beat before all of the 6 orders. Its use is to
communicate that the order that follows is only an order for the troops
that claim the voluntary as their own. This helps avoid confusion when
two or more nationalities are involved in one battle. The compliment of
drummers for our period would be 2 drummers per company, and 1 drummer
for the Colonel of a regiment.It was Dr. Henry G. Farmer's belief (1882-1966, A prolific author on military and Scottish music) that notation for English drum calls has not survived from the 17th century. The earliest he could find dates from the 1700's. In order to fill this gap, Clann Tartan has adapted portions of the "English March". The reasons for this are three:
It is clear that certain nationalities did have distinctive, recognizable marches that they called their own by this period. But the great number of period military writers who spoke about the importance for troops to recognize the calls suggests that standardizing the calls would have been a higher priority than standardizing a marching cadence.
Playing the same beats as both the calls and as a cadence should facilitate the learning of the drum calls by the drummers and the troops.
The way the lines in original notation for the "English March" are broken up, rather than written all together as is customary for single piece of music, might imply that it also saw duty as calls. However, it also may simply have been written that way to enable drummers to learn it section-by-section. The proclamation by Charles I does definitely refer to the piece as a "March”.
An alternative for Scottish troops may be to select portions of the drum lines from the "Scots Duty" (Discussed below, under Camp or Duty Calls.) for use as calls. These are distinctly Scottish in origin, if not firmly dated to the 1600's, and appear to contain distinctive repeating rhythms that could become recognizable to non-musical troops.
Calls of the Drum and Their Meaning
(As explained by Barrife, 1643)
The Call. "By a Call, you must understand to prepare to heare present proclamation, or else to repaire to your ensign”. Stop all, and listen for an announcement or the call to arms. If the call is stand to your arms, post on your corporal, line up on his left. Company Ensign report to your Captain. Colonel with his Ensign, drum and guard have given the order and are in place at the point of rendezvous.
The Gathering. (Scottish term, also known as the "Troop".) "By a Troop, understand to shoulder your musquettes, to advance your pikes, close your ranks and files to their Order, and to troope along with (or follow) your officer to the place of Rendezvous, or elsewhere”. Shoulder weapons, close ranks and files and follow your officers to the place of rendezvous.
The March "By a March, you are to understand to take your open order in rank, to shoulder both musquette and pike and to direct your march either quicke, or slow according to the beat of the Drum”. Take open order, shoulder all weapons, march to the beat of the drum where the Captain directs. Captain, Company Ensign and drums lead each company.
Preparative. "By a Preparative, you are to understand to close to your due distance for skirmish, both in rank and file, and to make ready, that so you may execute upon the first command”. Close to your proper distance for battle and make ready to execute the first command. Company ensigns move to the midst of the pikes, Captains to the fore, Lieutenants in the rear. All drummers form on the Colonel.
The Battell. "By a Battell, or Charge you are to understand the continuation, or pressing forward in order of Battell without lagging behind, rather boldly stepping forward in the place of him that falls dead, or wounded before thee”.
The Retreat. "By a Retreit, understand an orderly retiring backward either for reliefe, for advantage of ground, or for some other political end, as to draw the enemy into some ambushment, or such like. Much more might be written concerning the Drum, but this may suffice for the present”. As directed by each Captain.
“When the Drums beat to gather the Company together the corporals are immediately to be in readinesse themsleves, and to call together their divisions, and with them he shall repaire to their ensign, and if any be without leave, they shall give notice thereof to the Captain and shall prosecute their said offence to the punishment of them”.
-Venn, Thomas. Military and Maritime Discipline in Three Books. London: 1672.
To date, we have found no reference in a primary or secondary source that mentions drums being used for more complex signals such as facings, turns, or to command specific "postures" or movements in the weapons drill. The only camp or duty calls found are: Reveille, Retreat, Tattoo, Postures Tune, Tune for the Motions, Falling Off Tune. We have also seen no suggestion of specific calls during the 17th century for such things as sounding on the hour of the clock, pay call, dinner call, etc.
Camp or Duty Calls
These are distinguished from the "Points of War", or signaled commands, as dividing the time of day or change in duties in the camp or garrison. By the 17th century Scottish Regiments had their own martial music and calls, distinct from English and Irish troops. Gordon of Rothiemay stated in 1637-8 that Scottish drummers were beating "Tattoos, reveilles and marches”, and were teaching the troops to distinguish between "the marches of several nationes...The Scottish Marche...the Irish Marche...the English Marche”. In the 18th century this music was known as the "Scots Duty" and the "English Duty”. The actual notation has been preserved from as early as 1750-60. According to Farmer:
"The earlier history of this particular music cannot be traced with any degree of certainty, but as the army was rather conservative in most matters of routine in those days, it is more than likely that both Scots Duty and English Duty, as mentioned above, contain elements at least of what was practised in the seventeenth century”.
He has offered two points to suggest it is reasonable that the airs of the 1700's may be at least variations of those of the 1600's: While the fife fell into dis-use during the late 1600's, fifers of the time were most often boys "of tender years". Therefore, there is no reason why their memory of the airs could not have been preserved when the fife was revived in 1745-7, even if the notation has disappeared. The hoboy (or "hautboy", a form of oboe) replaced the fife until the 1740's, and there is a reasonable probability that it took over the existing fife airs, which were well within its abilities. While there is no direct evidence that hoboys in British service ever played calls, "such a contingency might be assumed from Grose's statement that about the year 1759 the dragoons exchanged hoboys for trumpets”.
Four parts of the Scots Duty were reprinted by Farmer: "The Reveilly," "The General" (Beat only when the whole are to march, and is the signal to strike the tents and prepare to march), "The Retreat," and "The Taptoo”. These fife airs were apparently combined by him with drum beats of the same names, but located in another manuscript. Arrangements of these have been included here, and it is left to the judgment of the individual interpreter or reenactment unit to decide to whether there is sufficient reason to adopt them for use. Other melodies included in this monograph are suggested as appropriate period Scottish tunes for filling this gap. Since fifers or pipers were optional to a military unit there may not have been a great deal of standardization. To maintain morale and esprit de corps a wise officer might select tunes which were already been popular with the men, although the commander's or musician's whims may have affected the selection as well. Some of the following explanations come from 1638 when they were described by William Barriffe from a display of musketry that was regulated by the beat of the drum and tune of the fife. Other sources have been used to supply the rest of the Scots Duty such as "To Arms"
The fife melodies for the Postures, Motions and "Falling off" were reprinted by Henry G. Farmer in The Rise and Development of Military Music, and arrangements have been provided here. While these three are not Scottish, they do represent the earliest English fife music to have survived the centuries and provide a reasonable option for interpretive purposes. The original printed by Farmer included some errors in rhythm, (The Posture Tune has only two bar lines marking measures) therefore some artistic license has been used to make them playable in a recognizable beat.
REVEILLE, Sun-rise. “A Revally is beaten in the morning by day light, at which time the sub-officers are to take off their out sentinels”. -Thomas Venn “Beaten in the morning by daylight, at which time the sub officers are to take off their sentinels" who had been posted the previous night. Until research reveals something specific, let the music be the ranking officers' choice.
RETREAT, Half hour before sunset. One-half hour to get down for the night. The officer of the watch make the rounds to be sure all sentries are set and know their duties for the night. The inspection should take one half hour, and at the Last Post the Tattoo is played. A retreat is also played when the Watch Mount relieves the last sentries of the previous day's watch.
TATTOO, Sun-set. “The Tattoo is beaten when the Watch is set at the discretion of the Governor; after which in most places or garrisons of note, there is a Warning piece discharged, so that none are to be out of their houses without the word is given them”. -Thomas Venn. The night watch is set. A gun discharges meaning none may be out of camp, or garrison without the (pass) word being given. It was also the signal to tavern keepers that it was time to cut off their military customers for the night. The origin of the word coming from the Dutch phrase "Die Den Tap Toe!" (turn off your taps) while the English were serving in the Low Countries in the late 1500's.
POSTURES TUNE A tune played to keep time during drills.
TUNE FOR THE MOTIONS (or Almain Tune) Played while the soldiers do the motions, or marching maneuvers.
FALLING OFF TUNE "For the manual exercise the "falling Off Tune was used - once over for each rank”. Played after the men have been drilled in the postures.
From the Scots Duty:
THE GENERAL Beat only when the whole are to march, and is the signal to strike the tents and prepare to march.
TO ARMS The signal for assembling the troops in case of alarm.
THE PARLEY To request a conference with the enemy, also used later by U.S. Troops to bring the troops to church call.
THE ASSEMBLY The Signal to repair to the colors.
Source: Barty-King, Hugh. The Drum.
Farmer lists 3 different sources for the airs of the Scots Duty:
A Compleat Tutor for the Fife… Printed for David Rutherford, London (c. 1750-55).
A Complete Tutor for the Fife containing… London, Thompson & Sons (C. 1759-60)
Young Drummer’s Assistant… London: Longman & Broderip, 1785
The drum accompaniment he located in a manuscript which originally belonged to Robert Collins, Fife-Major, Royal Artillery, 1806-34.
Source: Time/Life Books, Powers of the Crown.
Selected drum calls can be found in the Music Files portion of the CD.