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The Royal Artillery Mounted Band is a British military band consisting of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments, and military unit, founded in 1886, and in existence until 1984, representing the Royal Artillery, and the Royal Horse Artillery, and augmenting the Royal Artillery Band at royal and state occasions. ==Origins== From 1886 to 1939, the Royal Artillery Mounted Band served as the mounted counterpart of the Royal Artillery Band for horse artillery units of the Royal Artillery under the banner of the Royal Horse Artillery and was the United Kingdom's, and one of Europe's most famous mounted bands, and the favourite of Queen Victoria's. At the funeral of Queen Victoria on 2 February 1901, the Royal Artillery Mounted Band preceded the royal hearse, and the ceremonial troops of both the Royal Horseguards and the Lifeguards, followed by the Royal Artillery (Woolwich) Band. It was the first military band in Great Britain to ever appear on cinematic film. Like all bands of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the Band maintained a full orchestra capability for which it was in great demand, particularly throughout Europe during the Cold War years. The Band was disbanded in 1984 as a result of Ministry of Defence cost-cutting measures. ''"...the largest mounted band ever seen" '(Times, June 1984 ).'' The first documented accounts of music in the 'English Artillery' date back to 1557 at the battle of St. Quentin (1557), where the Artillery had their "drumme and phife". Bands known as 'Hoboys' from the ''hautbois'' (''oboes'') of the French Horse Grenadiers, appeared throughout the cavalry and foot guards regiments. Twenty musicians from the 'Artillerie Band' augmented the Royal Band of King George II aboard a barge on the River Thames, situated "close to the Royal Barge" for the first performance of the 'Water Music', by George Frideric Haendel ''(Händel)'', in 1717. It is likely that the Artillery raised additional musicians on ''ad hoc'' terms especially for the occasion (the title 'Royal' was first used in 1720). In 1731 we find the ''Hoboys'' of the Honourable Artillery Company, which consisted of three oboes, a curtall "and no more". The composer Händel once again enlisted the services of the now 'Royal' Artillery Band on 27 April 1749 at the Royal Fireworks in Green Park. The number of musicians who augmented the Royal Band on that occasion is unspecified, but particular mention of the Artillery kettledrums is well documented. Also, the King had requested that "no fidels (stringed instruments) be used, but the composer wrote on the score that all the oboe and bassoon parts be doubled on strings (these players were again drafted from the Royal Artillery Band). Fifers were added to the Royal Artillery Corps of Drummers in 1748 on a permanent basis, and the Corps continued until after the Crimean War, when it became a bugle band. It soon became apparent that the bandsmen were becoming bored with the limited five-note compass of the instrument, and so they persuaded the instrument maker, Henry Distin to supply them with sets of his newly patented chromatic attachments, to enable the bugle to have the same compass as the cornet. This proved very successful, particularly after the furore created on Woolwich Front Parade, when two buglers performed the Mess Call, playing 'The Roast Beefe of Olde England' in (inadvertent) two-part harmony. The original kettledrums of the Royal Regiment of Artillery were of a uniquely large pattern, and were mounted on a carriage, designed especially for the purpose. In 1772 the carriage was used at the funeral of the first Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill. Until 1756 the carriage remained in permanent use, and then was stored in the Tower of London (where the artillery guns were made), where it was eventually destroyed by fire in the mid-nineteenth century. The uniform worn by the kettle-drummer, the driver, and the leader, was not the usual uniform of the Royal Artillery. Instead, they wore court livery, as is still seen worn by the drum majors and mounted musicians of the Household Cavalry, on royal, and State occasions today. The entitlement of the Royal Artillery Band to wear court livery (or State dress) still remains, though nowadays it is never exercised, and largely forgotten, most probably because they are not members of the Household Division. However, the Royal Artillery Band does maintain the distinction of being the only band, in which all of its members wear, as part of their ceremonial uniform, a band sword, at the waist. These distinctive swords were presented to the band by the Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria. The Royal Artillery bands were the only ones in the British Army, to wear gold belts, and gold crossbelts (all other musicians and bandsmen wear white, or composite patterned), as well as a uniquely styled musician's lyre badge, on the right forearm (all other musicians or bandsmen wear the British Army Bandman's Lyre on the upper arm). In 1994, because of the Band's role supporting the ceremonial duties of the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, it was granted 'State' status, thereby becoming the eighth, and only non-Household Division band to carry that status. It is for this reason, that the Band will continue to remain at Woolwich, instead of relocating with the Regiment to Larkhill, the new permanent home of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. On 7 February 2012, the King's Troop relocated from St. Johns Wood, to Woolwich. Both the Royal Regiment, and the Royal Artillery Band, have always been particularly close to the hearts of our reigning monarchs. Indeed, Her Majesty the Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, as well as holding the honorary appointment of 'Colonel-In-Chief' of several other regiments, also holds the more prestigious appointment of 'Captain General' of both the Royal Artillery, and the Honourable Artillery Company. Towards the end of the Seven Years' War ''(1756 - 1763)'', the Royal Artillery Band was formed, at the battle of Minden in Germany in 1762. Upon its arrival at Woolwich in 1762, where it would be permanently stationed, the status of the Band was made official. In 1763 other bands were adopted by various regiments and gradually became officially recognized. Prior to this period all bands (other than the RA Band) were raised only for special occasions and purposes, and were not paid for by the State, but by the officers of their particular regiments. Immediately afterwards they were dissolved. The Royal Artillery Band numbered eight players who "should be proficient upon the () and () - four of each instrument". The articles of the band were written in German, but were also available translated into English, by virtue of the fact that the first eight musicians employed were German military personnel. The fact that the band was raised in Germany is by no means unusual, since most of our nation's senior military bands were also formed there. By November 1787, the Band (by now stationed at ()) was under the command of its 'Master-Musician' Friederich Wiele, also an outstanding violinist. Among the eight musicians, there now numbered five Englishmen, and all of the musicians were capable of performing on stringed, as well as on wind, instruments. In 1795 the bandmaster George McKenzie described the band as possessing fifteen musicians. The proficiency of the musicians led to the desirability of more bands to entertain the numerous artillery regiments of the day. It is worth bearing in mind that although the Royal Artillery Band is the oldest permanent military band in Great Britain, its former years were not always within British shores, and because it remained unrecognized officially until 1762, 'official' bands existed first in the United States of America. By 1763 the second, and all subsequent military band in Britain became recognized officially. Indisputably, the Royal Artillery Band, with its well documented pedigree, is the oldest permanent employer of professional musicians in the kingdom, and the Royal Artillery Orchestra predates the first permanent civilian orchestra in the kingdom by 50 years (among those, there exists a long-standing rivalry between the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Hallé Orchestra of Manchester, to claim this title) thereby making it Britain's oldest orchestra, with an entirely unbroken history. There are spurious claims by two other military bands, for being the oldest in the kingdom, but these cannot be substantiated, and that there is a significant difference between bands of drums and fifes, or trumpets, and those in which all instruments play in both four part harmony and counterpoint. In the case of the Artillery, their musicians were also required to play stringed instruments. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Royal Artillery Mounted Band」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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