The Life Guards
raised
1st and 2nd Life Guards amalgamated to form The Life Guards |
The Band of The Life Guards
The history of The Life Guards begins in 1659 at the Court of the exiled King Charles II in Holland. A number of loyal gentlemen led by Lord Gerard of Brandon formed themselves into the King's Life Guard, a personal duty to the Monarch that has been carried on through the centuries by the Household Cavalry and that is symbolised today by the Guard Mounting Ceremony at Horse Guards, Whitehall in London.
A year later, by the time of the Restoration, the Life Guards had grown in number from the original 80 to some 600, and in recognition of their loyalty, they were accorded the honour of escorting the King on his entry into London on 29 May 1660. Even at this early stage, music was important to the Guard, it being recorded that each of the three Troops that day was preceded by its own kettledrummer and four trumpeters.
The following year, with the disbandment of the Commonwealth Army, the King issued orders establishing 'His Majesties Own Troope of Guards, His Highness Royal the Duke of Yorke his Troope of Guards, and His Grace the Duke of Albemarle his Troope of Guards' - the official forebears of the Life Guards. Music still featured prominently in the new regiments, each Troop of the Guards having one kettledrummer and four trumpeters, who held warrants of appointment from the King and were paid 5/- per diem. In 1678 their uniforms were of velvet with silver lace and it is from this that the present-day State Dress originates. The trumpets and drums were silver and the banners were of crimson damask, gold fringed, and bore the Royal Arms worked in gold embroidery. The horses were of the Clydesdale type (probably black).
They were in attendance for all state occasions, and when required for dismounted purposes, the drums were carried on a man's back with the kettledrummer walking behind him. The French opera composer Robert Cambert, who lived in London between 1673 and his death in 1677, is reputed to have been the Master of the Trumpeters of the Life Guards.
In 1678, Horse Grenadiers were attached to each Troop of Life Guards, bringing with them a new instrument then becoming fashionable on the Continent, the hautboy. The establishment for the King's Troop allowed for one drummer and two hautboys, and for the other Troops two hautboys each, their pay being 2/6d per diem.
At a time when officers and gentlemen settled their differences by duelling with swords, it is interesting to note a report in the Weekly Post of 19 September 1719:
On Sunday night last, Mr Darvin the famous trumpeter of the 1st Troop of Guards fought a duel; at the Red Cow, behind St Clements, in which he received three wounds, two in the breast seven inches each, and one in the belly ten inches, yet they are not supposed to be mortal. Clearly Mr Darvin the famous trumpeter was a tough customer.
The Household Cavalry was reorganised in 1788. The existing two Troops of Horse Guards, together with the two Troops of Horse Grenadier Guards became the 1st Life Guards, whilst the old Scottish Troops of Horse (or Life) Guards and Horse Grenadier Guards became the 2nd Life Guards. Although the new establishments did not include hautboys, it is unlikely that their services were allowed to lapse, and it is assumed that they became troopers, while continuing to perform musical duties. It was from this combination of the hautboys and trumpeters that the 'Music' of the Regiment gradually emerged.
In September 1799, the kettledrummer and trumpeters were taken off the strength of the Regiments, though they continued in the Royal Household. They were replaced by attested soldiers who received the pay of 2/6d per diem. Although there are no official records of the music of this period, contemporary writers do make mention of various Courts and functions at which the bands performed, one mentioning that 'detachments from both Regiments with their Bands of Music attended at St James's Palace on the occasion of the marriage of the Princess Royal with the Duke of Wurtemberg.'
The muster rolls of the period shown many foreign names, mainly German, and a considerable number of these were mentioned as musicians under the heading of 'trade before enlistment'. In keeping with the style of the day, there were also several black musicians in the Band, and as late as 1840 the 2nd Life Guards still had three such serving.
In 1811, a Trumpet-Major was added to the establishment of each of the Regiments. According to Standing Orders, they were responsible for the discipline and instruction of the Trumpeters and Music. With the appointment of a Trumpet-Major to be in charge, the Band assumed greater importance and prestige, and civilian musicians were employed as Bandmasters. They had no military rank until 1863, when authority was given for a 'Bandmaster Corporal with the rank of 1st Class Staff Corporal'. The first known civilian bandmaster was a Mr Bies who was originally a member of the Duke of Kent's Band.
At the Proclamation of King George IV, the Band of the 1st Life Guards was in the procession and it was reported that it consisted of hautboys, french horns, trumpets and a kettledrummer. Parade States of the 1st Life Guards show that on a Review on 21 July 1820 there were nine trumpeters on parade, whilst at a similar function a few weeks later on 5 August there were 22 present. However the first mention of a full band is to be found on the Parade State of a Review by the Duke of York on 1 June 1822 when the number given was 20.
The traditional association of the Regiments with kettledrums was reinforced when silver kettledrums were presented to the 2nd Life Guards at Windsor by King William IV on 6 May 1831, and to the 1st Life Guards on 23 July of the same year. But the Life Guards were also in the forefront of new technology, and the 2nd were the first Regiment in this country to use the valve attachment for brass instruments. On a visit to St Petersburg around 1830, Earl Cathcart, the Colonel of the Regiment, was much impressed by the Band of the Imperial Guards' use of a new invention called the chromatic trumpet, and the Czar - noting the impact the instrument had had on his guest - presented him with a complete set for use in the Regiment. Referring to the 2nd Life Guards, the United Service Journal for June 1831 reported, 'After saluting and marching past the King . . . God Save The King was played by the famous Russian chromatic trumpet band of the Regiment (the only one in England).'
In 1832, following in the footsteps of two continental Bandmasters of whom nothing is known, James Waddell was appointed Bandmaster of the 1st Life Guards. Under his direction, the Band soon became renowned for its high standard of musical efficiency, due partly to Waddell's prowess as a band trainer, and partly to the special arrangements he made of classical works.
This talent for arranging was noted at the first grand military concert ever given in England in June 1851. The programme was varied and included 'Le Prophete' (march), 'Fest' (overture), 'Maritana' (overture), 'Camp of Silesia', 'Euryanthe' (overture), 'Ne touches pas a la reine', 'L'Huguenots', 'Lucia de Lammermoor', 'Nino', 'Norma' (march), a quick step by Boosé, waltzes by Karl Buller and D'Albert, and Labitzky's famous 'Quadrille of the Nations'. The Times, commenting on the concert, reported:
The execution of these pieces was so admirable, the ensemble so good, and the energy and decision of the conductors so remarkable that the unequivocal satisfaction of the auditors was not to be wondered at. We only regretted that with such splendid means so little of real musical importance was effected. The overture to Euryanthe alone among the 14 pieces was worthy of consideration as an artistic performance. 'Euryanthe', needless to say, was arranged and conducted by James Waddell.
|  State Trumpeters of The Life Guards, Windsor Castle |
After thirty-one years, Waddell finally retired in 1863, and was succeeded by one of his own musicians. James Waterson had served with the 1st Life Guards for several years and was a noted performer on the clarinet, being best remembered today for his compositions for that instrument. Charles Gounod, the French composer, was a personal friend and during his stay in England in 1870/1, he was a frequent visitor to the bandroom. The first recorded Bandmaster with the 2nd Life Guards was Herr John Waetzig. Very little is known of him save than that he was appointed in 1838, and that the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians refers to him as an excellent bassoon player and a member of the Court Band of George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria. |
The first bandmaster to be appointed by Kneller Hall to the 2nd was Carl Zoeller, who had been educated at the Royal Academy of Art, Berlin. It is not known whether he joined the British Army as a bandsman, since the first record of him is as passing the bandmasters' examination at Kneller Hall and being appointed to the 7th Hussars. In 1906, under the leadership of Charles Hall, the 2nd Life Guards visited Canada, performing at the Toronto Exhibition and in most of the principal cities and towns. During the First World War, the Bands of both Regiments went to France. The 1st under George Miller toured in 1917 and again in 1919, whilst the 2nd, still led by Charles Hall, visited in 1918. Lt-Gen Sir Alexander Godley, writing in the Household Brigade Magazine, related an incident when the 2nd were under fire from the enemy:
In 1922, the two Regiments amalgamated and resumed their original title of The Life Guards. The Band establishment was fixed at: the director of music, trumpet-major, a corporal of horse, one further corporal, 24 musicians, a kettledrummer, eight trumpeters and four boys. During the Second World War, the Band was very active in playing to the troops, and toured Europe from the Summer of 1944 until the Spring of 1945. During their eight month tour, they travelled 20,000 miles in France, Belgium and Holland. One of the outstanding engagements was performing at a dinner given in Brussels by Field-Marshall Montgomery for all the senior officers who had served with him at El Alamein. Despite the enormous demands placed on the Band - every member having to maintain his equestrian standard, double on additional instruments when mounted and be medically trained in case of emergencies - the premier Regiment of the British Army still has one of the finest military bands in the services.
 The Life Guards on parade in Paris, August 1945
The History of British Military Bands, Volume One: Cavalry & Corps
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