The Coldstream Guards Troop Their Colour MOD 45165212

The Bands of the Household Division refer to the grouping of the seven military bands of the Household Division.

Bands

The bands are: * Band of the Household Cavalry *

Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra The Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra (CWSO) is a 24-member string band from the British Army's Royal Corps of Army Music. It is currently the only independent full-time string band in the British Armed Forces. It is named after Sophie, Counte ...

*Foot Guards Bands ** Band of the Grenadier Guards ** Band of the Coldstream Guards ** Band of the Scots Guards **

Band of the Irish Guards The Band of the Irish Guards is one of five bands in the Foot Guards Regiments in the Household Division whose main role is to guard the British monarch. The Band supports the Regiment by providing the musical backing to which much of the ceremo ...

Band of the Welsh Guards The Band of the Welsh Guards is the youngest of the five bands in the Foot Guards Regiments in the Household Division, specifically the Welsh Guards which primarily guards the British monarch. History The Welsh Guards Band was formed in 1915, ...

The massed bands numbers around 250 musicians who are members of the Royal Corps of Army Music rather than the named regiments. These are on show in the

Changing of the Guard Guard mounting, changing the guard, or the changing of the guard, is a formal ceremony in which sentries performing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The ceremonies are often elaborate a ...

ceremony at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. Similarly, both the Household Cavalry regiments have their own mounted bands and also their own regimental quick and slow marches.

Trooping of the Colour

Band Trooping the Colour, 16th June 2007

The Massed Bands and Mounted Band are featured annually at Trooping the Colour. In addition to the occasional pipers that join the bands, the presence of the Bands of the Household Division totals to approximately 400 musicians. It is responsible for performing the Royal Salute ('' God Save the King''), providing music for the inspection of the line, the trooping through the ranks, and the march past in slow and quick time. One of the unique roles it has is the trooping of the band. This occurs once the King is seated, to which the command "Troop!" is given by the Field Officer. Upon hearing the command, three strikes on a

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

and a playing of one note by the bands give the signal for the Massed Bands to begin. Under the command of the Senior Drum Major, the Massed Bands march and countermarch on Horse Guards Parade in slow and quick time. The slow march music is traditionally the Waltz from ''

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work suc ...

'' while the quick march is generally a chosen tune. During the quick march, a lone drummer from the Corps of Drums breaks away to post himself just to the right of No. 1 Guard to sound the lone drummer's eight-bar "Drummer's Call". This initiates the Trooping of the Colour phase, by means of signalling the

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of No. 1 Guard to cede his command to the

Subaltern Subaltern may refer to: *Subaltern (postcolonialism), colonial populations who are outside the hierarchy of power * Subaltern (military), a primarily British and Commonwealth military term for a junior officer * Subalternation, going from a univer ...

of No. 1 Guard. The call having been sounded, the lone drummer returns to the Massed Bands.

Spinwheel

As the Escort to the Colour slow-marches down the field towards No. 6 Guard to begin their colour trooping, the massed bands perform a maneuver unique to their unit and the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

known as the anti-clockwise " spinwheel". It is a 90° turn in restricted space, and is the specific responsibility of the Garrison Sergeant Major. Lieutenant-Colonel Rodney Bashford, Director of Music for the Grenadier Guards from 1960-1970, was quoted as saying the following about on the spinwheel: ::''"A 'wheel' is not an easy manoeuvre with even a small body of troops, and with a block of 400 men the normal wheel is impossible. The massed band therefore pivots on its own centre, so that certain outer ranks and files march long distances in a hurry while the centre and inner ranks loiter with extreme intent, or merely mark time. Yet others not only step sideways but backwards as well. This highly complex movement is called a 'spin-wheel', the details of which can be found in no drill book or manual of ceremonial. Its complexity defies description, and if the truth were known, many of the participants know not whither they go or, on arrival, how they got there. The spin-wheel is almost an art form and each performance of it, although similar in essentials, is different in detail. Most of the performers are adjusting their actions to suit the needs of the spin-wheel of the moment, having adjusted their movements quite otherwise on other occasions.

Beating Retreat

The Beating Retreat is a massive gathering of the band's of the Household Division on Horse Guards Parade. It is based on a 16th-century military ceremony in England that was first used to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle. It is held each year, on the Wednesday and Thursday evenings preceding Trooping the Colour, with the Massed Bands, Pipes and Drums and Corps of Drums of the Household Division, supported by The King's Troop and visiting military bands from around the world.

Senior Director of Music

The first bandmaster to be commissioned was

Daniel Godfrey Daniel Godfrey may refer to: * Daniel Godfrey (bandmaster) (1831–1903), bandmaster, composer and arranger of compositions for military bands * Dan Godfrey (1868–1939), his son, British music conductor * Daniel Strong Godfrey Daniel Strong G ...

of the Grenadier Guards, this being a personal award coming with a

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as part of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Honours in 1887. In the Foot Guards, personal commissions would later be granted to Lieutenant Colonel John Mackenzie Rogan and Captain Albert Williams. As a result, on 6 June 1914, the term "Director of Music" was introduced to distinguish those with a commissioned rank from warrant officers. Since 2020, the senior director of music has become known as 'Commanding Officer, Household Division Bands'. List of Senior Directors of Music since 1914: {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; line-height:20px;" , - ! Name !! Regiment !! Term , - , Lieutenant Colonel John Mackenzie Rogan , Coldstream Guards , 1914–1920 , - , Captain Albert Williams , Grenadier Guards , 1920–1921 , - , Captain Frederick Wood , Scots Guards , 1921–1929 , - , Major Andrew Harris , Welsh Guards , 1929–1938 , - , Lieutenant Colonel George Miller , Grenadier Guards , 1938–1942 , - , Lieutenant Colonel ''Jiggs'' Jaeger , Irish Guards , 1963–1968 , - , Major Rodney Bashford , Grenadier Guards , 1968–1970 , - , Lieutenant Colonel James H. Howe , Scots Guards , 1970–1975 , - , Major Gerald Horabin , Irish Guards , 1975–1977 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Richard Ridings , Coldstream Guards , 1977–1985 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Derek Kimberley , Grenadier Guards , 1985–1987 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Michael Lane , Irish Guards , 1987–1989 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Peter Hannam , Welsh Guards , 1989–1993 , - , Lieutenant Colonel David Price , Irish Guards , 1993–2000 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Hills , Grenadier Guards , 2000–2002 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Chatburn , Irish Guards , 2002–2005 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Bob Owen , Scots Guards , 2005–2007 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Graham Jones , Coldstream Guards , 2007–2011 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Barnwell , Welsh Guards , 2011–2013 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Roberts , Welsh Guards , 2015–2017https://www.cenotaph-requiem.net/conductor , - , Lieutenant Colonel Darren Wolfendale , Irish Guards , 2017–2021 , - , Lieutenant Colonel Simon Haw , Coldstream Guards , 2021–Present

References