The ("Grand Tattoo", "Beating Retreat") is a military

ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil ...

performed in Germany and Austria. It is similar to the

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ' ('turn off the tap'), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeepers near military g ...

ceremony performed in English-speaking countries, and is the most important ceremonial act executed by the German federal armed forces, the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

, and by the Austrian federal armed forces Bundesheer. The Zapfenstreich is performed only during national celebrations and solemn public commemorations, to honour distinguished persons present at such special events. Examples are the farewell ceremony for a German federal president, or at the conclusion of large military exercises. It takes place in the evening hours and consists of a military formation of at least one military band, two

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

s of armed infantrymen, and two lines of soldiers carrying torches, in total about 400 men. When foreign heads of state or military units are honoured, their respective national anthems are played.

History

The Zapfenstreich originated in the military as a sign of the end of daily activities in both field and garrison. The term was mentioned for the first time in 1596. The Saxon major Hans von Fleming described this military custom for the first time in detail in his book ''Der vollkommene deutsche Soldat'' (''The Perfect German Soldier'', 1726). The Zapfenstreich was a trumpet signal to end the selling of liquor in the military quarters and to prepare for lights out. To underline that order, the

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

walked across the military camp and struck the taps of the casks with a stick. The word ''Zapfenstreich'' ("tap strike") is similar to the Dutch "tap toe", from which the English word ''tattoo'' comes. Like the tattoo military ceremony, the Zapfenstreich signifies completion of the day's work. In 1813 the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n king

Friedrich Wilhelm III Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

witnessed the evening ceremony of the Russian army after the battle of Großgörschen near Berlin. He was deeply impressed by the religious parts of the ceremony, especially a choral version of the Lord's Prayer. The king ordered that a similar ritual be incorporated in the Prussian Zapfenstreich. In 1838, a Zapfenstreich in nearly its present form was prepared by Wilhelm Wieprecht, director of music of the music corps of the Prussian Guard Corps, who arranged a great ("monstre") outdoor concert for the king and his guest, Tsar

Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

, in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

. On 12 May over 1,000 musicians performed the Prussian tattoo signals, a newly composed tattoo march, and the evening hymn "'" ("I pray to the power of love"), composed by the Russian Royal musician Dmitry Bortniansky with text by Gerhard Tersteegen. After the founding of the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (, from ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German ''Volk'' ("na ...

in 1871, the emperor's hymn Heil Dir im Siegerkranz became part of the Zapfenstreich, but only when the emperor was present at the ceremony. Following the

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

the new national anthem, the "

Deutschlandlied The "", officially titled "", is a German poem written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben . A popular song which was made for the cause of creating a unified German state, it was adopted in its entirety in 1922 by the Weimar Repub ...

" by Hoffmann von Fallersleben, replaced the old imperial hymn in 1922. Due to the militaristic nature of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, the Großer Zapfenstreich was used extensively during the Third Reich, especially by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

and

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

. The practice was also expanded to the German Police, when in 1938 Wilhelm Schierhorn composed ''Großen Zapfenstreich der Deutschen Polizei'' and it was renamed ''Großer Abendruf der Deutschen Polizei'' in 1940. The performance was intended only for the music corps of the police and the Allgemeine-SS.Erwin B. Boldt, Martin Graf: ''Leben und musikalisches Werk von Wilhelm Schierhorn. Ein Beitrag zur Musikgeschichte der deutschen Polizei''. Frankfurt 2010, S. 93–95. The

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

reinstated the Großer Zapfenstreich in 1962 in an updated version, supplementing the traditional German ceremony with music based on "elements of the progressive military inheritance" including the song "For the Peace of the World" by Soviet composer

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

and a medley of songs and marches drawn from the German and international working-class movements. The hymn was replaced by a Russian funeral march honoring the martyrs of the Russian and German revolutions. The GDR national anthem replaced the Deutschlandlied. Other elements of the traditional Prussian ceremony—especially the torchlight procession, flourishes, and the Zapfenstreich March—were retained. The additions were an opening fanfare, inspection report of the unit commander, with the unit at present arms and eyes right, the presentation of the National People's Army Colors by the unit color guard, two fanfare calls by the fanfare section and kettle drummers, and a parade march past of the unit present in front of the honored guests after the reformation of the torchbearers and of the parade unit. The GDR's version, made official in 1981 and performed on March 1, NVA Day, and October 7, the GDR's National Day, and on several other occasions when needed, was made possible due to the support of longtime Director of Music of the NVA itself, Colonel Gerhard Baumann, who arranged some of the pieces that were used in the ceremony. The practice spread to Austria: the first ever ''Großer Österreichischer Zapfenstreich'' for the Bundesheer was performed in 1965.

Composition of the Military Grand Tattoo

West Germany/Germany (1952-53-present) * Staff Band of the Bundeswehr (with 4

fanfare trumpet A fanfare trumpet, also called a herald trumpet, is a brass instrument similar to but longer than a regular trumpet (tubing is the same length as a regular Bb trumpet but not wrapped), capable of playing specially composed fanfares. Its extra l ...

ers and

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

) *

Corps of drums A corps of drums, sometimes known as a fife and drum corps or simply field music, is a traditional European military music formation. Historically, a Corps of Drums' primary role was communication. Today, the primary role of a Corps of Dru ...

* Two escort platoons of the

Wachbataillon The Wachbataillon (full name: ''Wachbataillon beim Bundesministerium der Verteidigung'' (WachBtl BMVg) (Guard Battalion at the Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany), Federal Ministry of Defence)) is the Germany, German ''Bundeswehr's'' honour gu ...

or another deputized unit of the Bundeswehr * Torchbearers (if drawn from the Wachbataillon, uniforms of the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

are worn) * Perlenkette (torchbearers forming a row and wearing uniforms of the

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

if drawn from the Wachbataillon)

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(1962–89) * Central Band of the NVA (with fanfare section and 2 Timpani) * Corps of Drums * Honor battalion from the Friedrich Engels Guard Regiment of the

National People's Army The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (DDR) from 1956 until 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Bord ...

* Sailors company from the

Volksmarine The (VM, ; ) was the Navy, naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence ...

* Colour guard of the NVA * Torchbearers

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

* Gardemusik Wien (in Vienna) or any regional band of the Austrian Armed Forces (two trumpet soloists from the band play during the ceremony) * Two escort companies from the Austrian Armed Forces * Color party * Flag lowering section * Torchbearers

Performance

Modern German

The German Großer Zapfenstreich consists of various components today: * Marching-up of the formation, the military band plays the

Yorckscher Marsch "Yorckscher Marsch" was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1808 or 1809 as a march for the Bohemian militia. It was the first of three military marches written by Beethoven. History From the name of the Prussian Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg , G ...

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

* Forming up and dressing the formation, post march of the torchbearers * Report of the commanding officer formally opening the ceremony * "Serenade": up to three or four songs chosen by the honoured person (in case of the Zapfenstreich performed at a dismissal), otherwise chosen by the acting military band * Großer Zapfenstreich proper: **Locken zum Zapfenstreich (Announcing the tattoo proper) by the drummers and fifers **Preußischer Zapfenstreichmarsch (Prussian Tattoo March) by the band and the drummers **Retraite mit drei Posten (Retreat with three posts, i.e. traditional old

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

signals) by the band and timpanist **Ruf zum Gebet (Calling to prayer) by the drummers and fifers **Gebet: "Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe" ("Kol Slaven" by Dmytro Bortniansky) by the band, timpanist and the drummers **Ruf nach dem Gebet (Call after the prayer) by the drummers and fifers and the band and timpanist **National anthem of Germany by the band, timpanist and the drummers * Report for conclusion of the ceremony, return post march of the torchbearers * Reformation into full parade order * Marching out of the formation, the military band plays the Prussian Tattoo March again (in some civil bands, the is used to signal the march-off and march past, and the Tattoo March is played optionally, instead another march is played by the band) The Großer Zapfenstreich is the highest honour that the German Federal Armed Forces can render to a civilian. Two of the most impressive "Großen Zapfenstreiche" were those to mark farewell to the allied troops in Berlin in 1994 and on the occasion of the departure from office of the German chancellor

Helmut Kohl Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ; ; ), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the r ...

in 1998. People who are entitled to be honoured with a "Großer Zapfenstreich" are: * The

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

* The

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of Germany * The

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

of Germany *

Generals A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. Ma ...

and

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

s ( Admirals and

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

s) of the

* Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) * Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC) Participants in the Großer Zapfenstreich involve at least a military band (with a timpanist and a minimum of 4-6 fanfare trumpeters) with an additional Corps of Drums of drummers and fifers, two escort platoons or companies, and an honor formation of torch carriers. There may be regional variations by state. For example, the performance of the "Großer Zapfenstreich" in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

differs slightly from the above: instead of the "Prussian Tattoo March" the "Bavarian Tattoo March" is played, and instead of the "Gebet: Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe" the "Bavarian Military Prayer" by Johann Caspar Aiblinger is played. The Saxon variant march, the "Saxon Tattoo March" is played when a Grand Tattoo is held in Saxony. In each case the state anthem is played before the German national anthem on state level occasions.

East German

The East German Großer Zapfenstreich, although using the Prussian practice, was different in all respects. Its components, when summarized, are as follows: * Formation march in, the military band plays the NVA Parade March no.1 * Formation halts in place, torchbearers post march followed by the formation turning into lines * Formation then stands at ease, then falls in to be dressed * Opening fanfare by the military band, fanfare section and timpanists * Report of the commanding officer for the beginning of the ceremony proper * Großer Zapfenstreich proper: **Locken zum Zapfenstreich (Announcing the tattoo) by the drummers and fifers **Preußischer Zapfenstreichmarsch (Prussian Tattoo March) by the band and the drummers and fifers **Festliche Zapfenstreichmusik (Festive Zapfenstreich Medley) by the band, Corps of Drums, fanfare section and timpanists. The medley is a potpourri of the various German and international socialist songs arranged for the band. ** First fanfare by the fanfare trumpeters and timpanists ** Ehrung der Opfer des Faschismus und Militarismus (Honors to the victims of Fascism and Militarism): the color guard marches in slow time to the center, then when it halts the color is then lowered to the tune of the Russian revolutionary funeral march "You Fell Victim" by the military band in honor of all those who died during the first German Communist revolutions of 1918-19, the Nazi regime and the subsequent resistance during the Second World War, and after the color is recovered the color guard marches off in quick time back to its place to the tune of the Corps of Drums ** Second fanfare by the fanfare trumpeters and timpanists ** Nationalhymne der DDR (National Anthem of the German Democratic Republic -

Auferstanden aus Ruinen "" (; 'Risen from the Ruins') was the national anthem of East Germany. Background In 1949, the Soviet occupation zone of Allied-occupied Germany became a socialist state under the name of the "German Democratic Republic" (GDR). For the new sta ...

) by the band, fanfare section and timpanists ** Zapfenstreichfinale (Grand finale of the Zapfenstreich) by the military band, fanfare section and timpanists - "For the Peace of the World" by Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich * Reformation of the torchbearers * Parade falls in attention and forms again into parade order * March off and march past, the military band plays the Yorckscher Marsch as the parade marches past the dignitaries and when it marches off

Austrian

The Austrian version is different from the German one in many respects, and is more modern (the ceremony was first done in 1965). The ceremony is as follows: * March in of the formation * Forming up and dressing the formation, post march of the torchbearers * Report of the commanding officer formally opening the ceremony * Serenade by the band * Großer Zapfenstreich proper ** Opening fanfare and drumroll ** Old Austro-Hungarian Zapfenstreich ** Fanfare call by trumpeters ** Drummer's Call ** Retreat by the Band ** Marches ** Feu de Joie ** Call to prayer ** Evening Hymn ** Prelude to the National Anthem ** Performance of the National Anthem, Land der Berge, Land am Strome,

Ode to Joy "Ode to Joy" ( ) is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by the German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller. It was published the following year in the Thalia (German magazine), German magazine ''Thalia''. In 1808, a slightly revi ...

and the relevant state anthem, fife and drum sections omitted (including the lowering of the national flag) ** Finale * Final report of the commanding officer * Formation into parade order * March off of the formation

Adaptation on civil events and occasions

The ''Grosser Zapfenstreich'' is also performed on civil occasions, or else called for by event organisers. In Germany, the difference is that civilian

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

s and civilian

Corps of Drums A corps of drums, sometimes known as a fife and drum corps or simply field music, is a traditional European military music formation. Historically, a Corps of Drums' primary role was communication. Today, the primary role of a Corps of Dru ...

are separated but play together during the ceremony.

Fanfare band A fanfare band, fanfare corps, fanfare battery, fanfare team, horn and drum corps, bugle band, drum and bugle corps, or trumpet and drum band (including the German ''Fanfarenzug'', ''Fanfarenkorps'' and ''Regimentsbläserkorps'', the Dutch ''drumb ...

s (the German ''Fanfarenzug'' and ''Fanfarenkorps'') are optional participants in the ceremony. They also have torchbearer formations, just as in the military version, when the ceremony is held in the evening or nighttime, but daytime ceremonies have none or have an optional use for the torchbearers. Only a civilian marching band does the Austrian version during civil events. Some ceremonies call for armed civilian companies, while others opt for unarmed escorts. Special uniforms are worn by the civilian escort companies for the ceremony. In several German towns and cities, colours guards are also a part of the ceremony, with the Flag of Germany and the Flag of Europe as first in precedence among all the flags, together with organisational flags and guidons. The same is true in some Austrian towns and cities, as the Flag of Austria takes precedence over the other flags if there are any.

Composition of the Civilian Grand Tattoo

* Military band/Marching band/Brass band (with timpani and optional fanfare trumpeters, Germany only) * Corps of Drums (Germany only) *

(Germany only) * Civilian Escort Company/Battalion/Brigade (armed or unarmed) * Colour/Colours Guards * Colour party (if any, Austria only) * Torchbearers The full performance order of the ceremony is very much the same as in the military version, but a Feu de joie and an entrance of colours would be added in some cases (if these are present they are to be lowered when ''Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe'' (only in Germany) and the National Anthem are played). For the German civil ceremony the report to the reviewing officer or the guest of honour would optionally also have musical accompaniment by the band and the Corps of Drums, playing the '' Preussischer Präsentiermarsch'' if appropriate, in keeping with tradition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grosser Zapfenstreich 1838 establishments in Prussia Military history of Austria Military history of Germany German military music Military tattoos Bundeswehr Frederick William III of Prussia