The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation serves as the official service of
military band
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...
s in active service within the
Russian Armed Forces and formerly the
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...
. It is part of the Military Band Service Directorate of the
.
Senior Directors
![Музыкального фестиваль 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/%D0%9C%D1%83%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%84%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C_03.jpg)
* Major General
Semyon Tchernetsky
Major General Semyon Alexanderovich Tchernetsky (Russian language, Russian:Семё́н Алекса́ндрович Черне́цкий) was a Ukrainian-born, Russian and Soviet military conductor. He is credited as the founder of modern Russia ...
(1924–1949)
* Major General Ivan Petrov (1950–1958)
* Major General
Nikolai Nazarov
Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to:
People Royalty
* Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855
* Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...
(1958–1976)
* Major General
Nikolai Mikhailov (1976–1993)
* Lieutenant General
Viktor Afanasyev (1993–2002)
* Lieutenant General
Valery Khalilov
Valery Mikhaylovich Khalilov (; 30 January 1952 – 25 December 2016) was an Uzbek-born Russian military band conductor and composer. A lieutenant general in the Russian military, he was the Senior Director of Music of the Military Band Servic ...
(2002–2016)
* Major General
Timofey Mayakin (2016–Present)
History
![2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade-24](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/2010_Moscow_Victory_Day_Parade-24.jpeg)
For a country that has not just one of the largest armed forces in the world but also has produced some of the greatest composers and musicians, the MBS-AFR is one of the oldest institutions of military music in Europe and the world, founded by
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
as per Ukaz № 2319 enacted on Feb. 19, 1711,
which mandated the formation of military bands and field music formations within both the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
and the nascent
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...
following the Western practices. As both the Army's two foundation regiments (the
Preobrazhensky Regiment
The Preobrazhensky Life-Guards Regiment (russian: Преображенский лейб-гвардии полк, ''Preobrazhensky leyb-gvardii polk'') was a regiment of the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Russian Army from 1683 to 1917.
The P ...
and the
Semyonovsky Regiment
The Semyonovsky Lifeguard Regiment (, ) was one of the two oldest guard regiments of the Imperial Russian Army. The other one was the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 2013, it was recreated for the Russian Armed Forces as a rifle regiment, its na ...
) had their own bands and corps of drums, which would also inspire the formation of the bands and fanfare band units within the artillery and the cavalry, the age of Peter the Great, aside from laying the foundation of the armed forces, also began centuries of the Russian military band tradition, which continues until today. In the 1870s, a post called the Inspector of Naval Bands, held by composer
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov until its abolishment, became the starting point for the official organized arrangement of military bands. In 1922, the Inspectorate of the Military Bands of the Red Army and Navy was formed, renamed in 1955 as the current Military Band Service. In October 1924, the post of Inspector of Military Bands of the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
. As of 1947, Inspectorate of Military Bands reported directly to the head of the 3rd Division of the Combat Training Department of the Soviet Army Headquarters, where it was transferred to on 1 December 1931. Its modern functions and duties were established in an order signed by the
Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff.
List
* Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States)
* Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia)
* Chief of General Staff (Af ...
Viktor Samsonov on 22 November 1996. In November 2007, by the approval of President
Dmitry Medvedev, the band service created a charter for the conductors of garrison bands to have more authority over their events and activities. In 2011, the service celebrated 300 years of Russian military music.
Activities
![Valery Khalilov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Valery_Khalilov.jpg)
Annual concert activity of the military band service began inside the hall of the Philharmonic Society of
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in November 1813.
Senior Director of Music and regional directors
The office of Senior Director of Music of the Military Band Service is the operational and administrative leader of the service. His/her role is laid out in a decree from Soviet Defence Minister
Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (russian: Родио́н Я́ковлевич Малино́вский, ukr, Родіо́н Я́кович Малино́вський ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander. He was Marshal of the Sov ...
dating back to July 1963. Local military bands of military garrisons and units are managed by the chiefs of the military bands services of the military districts, with their appointment being as the Senior Director of Music. As such, local conductors report to the director and are accountable to him/her only.
Mass service-wide events
Over 1,000 musicians of the service divided into 40 bands participate in the annual
Victory Day
Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...
parades and before 1991 the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
and
May 1
Events Pre-1600
* 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
* 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
*1169 – N ...
parades as well.
The service is an active sponsor of the annual
Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo
The Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival is an annual military music event and military tattoo held in Moscow on Red Square. Participating in the festival are Russian and foreign military bands, folk groups, and honor guard units o ...
in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. Joint military concerts are commonly held between the bands of the service and foreign military bands on Russian and foreign soil. Mass events were held on the service's tricentennial in 2011. Every couple of years, officials from the service conduct contests to identify the best bands in the service as well as inspections to identify those that retain the standard for bands. In 1928, the first national competition of military bands being held.
Individual bands
The military band service provides military bands for the
Kremlin Regiment
The Kremlin Regiment (russian: Кремлёвский полк, Kremlyovskiy polk), also called the Presidential Regiment (russian: Президентский полк, Prezidentskiy polk), is a unique military regiment and part of the Russian F ...
and the
154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment during special occasions and
state visit.
Composition
![90th anniversary of the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/90th_anniversary_of_the_Central_Military_Band_of_the_Ministry_of_Defense.jpg)
The composition of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation include:
* General Office of the Military Band Service of the Russian Defense Ministry
* Exemplary Bands (bands that have specific duties and representative activities that therefore make them the seniormost in the armed forces)
**
Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia
Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, also known as the Red Army Band is a military band unit of the Russian Armed Forces. It is a branch of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia. The current head of the ba ...
**
Central Navy Band of Russia
The Central Exemplary Concert Band of the Russian Navy "Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov" ( Russian:Центральный концертный образцовый оркестр ВМФ им. Н.А. Римского-Корсакова), also known as the C ...
**
Exemplary Military Band (Honor Guard)
* Training Schools
** Military University College of Military Music and Military Band Conductors School (formerly the Military Bandmaster department of the Moscow State
Tchaikovsky Conservatory
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
)
**
Moscow Suvorov Military Music College Lieutenant-General VM Khalilov
* Regional Bands
** Headquarters bands of
military districts
** Unit bands
** Bands of
groups of forces
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
and separate armies
** Bands of
naval fleet
A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land.
Purpose
In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but not ne ...
s and marine bases
* Bands within military units and formations and in military schools
Not under the armed forces but affiliated to the Band Service:
*
Presidential Band of the Russian Federation
The Presidential Band of the Commandant's Office of the Moscow Kremlin of the Federal Protective Service of the Russian Federation (Russian language, Russian:Президентский оркестр Службы коменданта Москов ...
– under the
Kremlin Regiment
The Kremlin Regiment (russian: Кремлёвский полк, Kremlyovskiy polk), also called the Presidential Regiment (russian: Президентский полк, Prezidentskiy polk), is a unique military regiment and part of the Russian F ...
of the Federal Protective Service
*
Military Band Service of the National Guard of Russia
*
Military Band Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia
*
Central Band of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia
*
Police Band Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
The Band of the Moscow Garrison is in that it consists of the 190 quality musicians who come together from different exemplary bands throughout the former
Moscow Military District
The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military Di ...
. At one time, it included the Headquarter Band of the MVO, the Combined Band of the Internal Troops, the Band of the Military Institute of Military Conductors, the Band of the Military Academy of the Strategic Rocket Forces, the Band of the Moscow Higher Military Command School, and the Band of the 147 Automobile Base of the Ministry of Defense. The support all important state events and special events in the Russian capital, including
military parades
A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...
on Red Square and international music festivals.
Current Formation of Massed Bands
![Russian Fanfare Trumpets](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Russian_Fanfare_Trumpets.jpg)
Formation in Moscow
* Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets, Field Drums, 1st Glockenspiels
* Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns
* 1st Trombones
* 1st and 2nd Marching Percussion
** Snare drums
** Bass drums and Cymbals
** Turkish crescents
** 2nd Glockenspiels
* 2nd Trombones
* Horns, Mellophones
* Clarinets, Oboes, Saxophones, Bassoons, Flutes and Piccolos
* Baritone horns, Tenor horns, Saxhorns
* Euphoniums, Wagner Tubas, Tubas, Sousaphones
Formation in St Petersburg
![Orchestra of the St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Orchestra_of_the_St._Petersburg_Garrison.jpg)
* Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets (optional)
* Field Drums (optional)
* Trumpets
* 1st Trombones, Horns and Woodwinds
** Clarinets, Saxophones
* Marching Percussion
** Snare Drums
** Bass drums
** Cymbals
** Turkish crescent (since 2011)
** Glockenspiels
* 2nd Trombones and Horns
* 2nd Woodwinds
** Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos
** Saxophones
* Saxhorns, Baritone and tenor horns, Euphoniums, Wagner tubas
* Tubas, Sousaphones (optional)
Formation in Yekaterinburg
* Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets
* Field Drums (optional)
* Trumpets, Cornets
* Trombones and Horns
* Saxophones
* Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos
* Marching Percussion
** Snare Drums
** Bass drums
** Cymbals
** Turkish crescent
** Glockenspiels
* Saxhorns, Baritone and tenor horns, Euphoniums, Wagner tubas
* Tubas, Sousaphones (optional)
Symbols
File:Great emblem of the Special Exemplary Military Band of the Guard of Honor Battalion of Russia.svg, Emblem
File:Great emblem of the Military Band Service of the Russian Armed Forces.svg, Variant Emblem
File:Mo narznaki113 1.png, Shoulder patch
File:USSR Military musicians emblem.jpg, Shoulder Patch (1960-1991)
File:Mo narznaki114 1.png, Patch for Organs of the Military Band Service Directorate
File:Mo narznaki115 1.png, Patch of the Moscow Military Conservatory
File:Mo narznaki116 1.png, Patch of the Moscow Military Music College
File:Mo narznaki117 1.png, Patch of the Band of the Ministry of Defence
The emblems and patches of the band service were adopted by order of Defence Minister
Sergei Ivanov
Sergei Borisovich Ivanov ( rus, Сергей Борисович Иванов, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈrʲisəvʲɪtɕ ɪvɐˈnof; born 31 January 1953) is a Russian senior official and politician who has served as the Special Representative of ...
on 7 February 2005.
Common elements of military band symbols include:
*
Lyre (traditional emblem of military musicians worldwide)
*Red color (traditional color of the instrument cloth of military personnel in military bands)
*Emblem of the Russian Armed Forces
*Oak wreath
References
See also
*
Russian military bands
Russian military bands fall under the jurisdiction of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia, which is the official music service for the Russian Armed Forces, and led by the Senior Director of Music, a billet of an officer wit ...
*
Music Branch (Canadian Forces)
*
Royal Corps of Army Music
The Royal Corps of Army Music (RCAM, widely known by its former acronym CAMUS) is a Corps of the British Army dedicated to the provision and promotion of military music.
History
The formation of the Corps of Army Music was triggered by a defen ...
*
Military Music Center of the Bundeswehr
The Military Music Center of the Bundeswehr (german: Zentrum Militärmusik der Bundeswehr, ZMilMusBw) is the office in charge of managing the military bands of the Bundeswehr. It was established on 25 August 2009 as part of a restructuring of the ...
*
Australian Army Band Corps
The Australian Army Band Corps (AABC) is the Australian Army's musical branch. It is roughly the equivalent of the Music Branch (Canadian Forces) and the Royal Corps of Army Music of the British Army. The Corps was formed on 2 August 1968 an ...
*
Military Band Service (Kazakhstan)
The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan (MBS-AFK) ( Kazakh: Қазақстан Республикасы Қарулы Күштерінің әскери оркестрі қызметі, ''Qazaqstan Respýblıkasy Qarýly Kúshteri ...
*
Swedish Armed Forces Music Corps
The Swedish Armed Forces Music Corps ( sv, Försvarsmusiken, FöMus) heads all bands of the Swedish Armed Forces: the Royal Swedish Army Band, the Life Guards' Dragoon Music Corps and the Royal Swedish Navy Band in Karlskrona and the 25 bands of ...
{{Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia
Russian military bands