Now that we understanding what the Singlings and the Doublings are on both the fife and the drum, we can consider how it all comes together in the full Tattoo Sequence.
Ending the Tattoo
From 1812 and on, the Americans play the Doublings one final time after the Three Cheers. This is a common ending for many duty calls for the Americans – including The Retreat, The General, and The Troop.
Based on Potter and Tamplini, this is not a British tradition; instead the Tattoo closes with 2 Drag & Strokes after the Cheers. Unfortunately, without a clearer explanation in YDA, we can’t be certain which method of closing The Tattoo was used by the British (or the Americans) during the American Rev War, but there is more evidence to suggest that it was Potter’s method rather than a repeat of the Doublings.
If you look in any Fife Tutor that includes the English Tattoo, you’ll see that the final measure is double barred, separating it from the B line. This measure very closely resembles the fife ending that Potter pairs with the Drag & Strokes. This suggests the possibility that the British were ending the Tattoo with the Cheers and at least some variant of the Drag & Stroke ending, and not the full Doublings repeated.
Check out my discussion of The Three Cheers and this ending, for more information.
Summary: The English Tattoo
Essentially, think of the English Tattoo as a brief concert, that probably lasted from 15-30 minutes.
There is no evidence that any particular types of tunes were used for the Tattoo; however, later American traditions suggest that it was common to include one of everything: a common time march, a quickstep in 2/4, a quickstep in 6/8, a Retreat, and a Troop.
Probably The Tattoo was shorter in the winter months and during bad weather, whereas in the summer and good weather, the Tattoo may have been played longer.
English Tattoo: Singlings & Doublings in Music
If you’re interested in seeing a musical description of my interpretation of the English Tattoo, check out the download available below.
Click here to download a pdf of the English Tattoo sequence.
English Tattoo: Recommendation for Re-enactments
Admittedly, the incorporation of the Singlings between lines in a tune is very challenging.
I worked full time for a while as an interpreter at a museum and practiced this daily with my fifer. While we could play it and performed it a few times, we could never quite find the rhythm of it and it was a HUGE mental game to get right.
For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend that interpretation for general use at re-enactments when the corps are so often cobbled together.
Instead, I’d recommend a simplified version, based largely on the mid-19th century pattern. You can check out a summary explanation in my blog article “The English Tattoo: Performance at Re-enactments?“
I’ve included here an example of a “standard” English Tattoo, including common tunes and beatings.
Any corps or musician can use this music as their standard Tattoo. Please feel free to print or reproduce. Download a standard English Tattoo here.
Do you have resources or observations about the function or performance of The Tattoo? Contact me.
If you found learning about this Major Duty Call interesting, check out my discussions on the other major duty calls: