The Troop – Forming the Guards

The main purpose of The Troop appears to be for mounting the guards.

After the Guards have been inspected by their Adjutant’s on their Regimental Parade and their drummers have returned to them, they wait for the signal to march to the Grand Parade for Mounting the Guard.

To signal this, the musicians beat The Troop for the purpose of mounting the guards. This appears to refer to the Singlings-Doublings sequence seen and explained in many manuals.

Performing the Troop

The corps on the Grand Parade, as well as the Guard drummers who are with their individual regiments, play The Troop.

The corps of musicians march along the head of the guard, beginning at the center and marching to the right, then marching to the left, and then back again to the center, just as they did while beating the Assembly. The Guard drummers play in their correct position with their regimental guards to march them to the Grand Parade (Bland 156).

The corps continues playing as the officers draw their guards and the men are organized into their assignments (Bland 155-6). Presumably the guard drummers cease playing once they arrive, as they will be organized into their guard assignment.

Order of The Beatings

The Signal Strokes
- Recall, there are musicians in several different locations (5 in this example). The Signal Strokes would ensure that everyone is ready to begin – the musicians, but also the several different guard detachments.
- Not confirmed in British original manuals or military treatises. However, Americans and French are using Signal Strokes to coordinate these kinds of large-scale actions.
The Three Rolls or Cheers
- Again, unclear if the British are using these at this point. Based on the likely American use of the Three Rolls / Cheers and the existence of the Three Chords in Potter and later British manuals, it seems likely that some form exists.
Raising of the Troop once through by the lead drummer.
- Fife music that fits YDA’s drum beating can be found in Buttrey No. 61.
- Only by the lead drummer plays this, based on Ashworth.
- This short segment might serve as a command “Forward March”. If true, probably only the drummer of the main corps plays it at the Halt.
- Potter notes “March off with the Raising” – it’s unclear if this means what I said above, or if it means to step off to the Raising.
- We see similar mechanisms of using a short phrase (roughly 4 bars) to signal a marching maneuver. The drummers performed the beginning of the Foot March at the Halt to signal the direction of march and the command “Forward-March”. They also played The Retreat once through as a preparative to signal About-Face to begin a retreat.
1^st Singlings of the Troop – continued at the pleasure of the Drum Major
- The lead drummer plays the final drum stroke as a poing stroke, rather than soft, as a signal to transition.
- Note, when the entire corps of drummers plays the final stroke consistently soft and when the musicians are attentive, a change from a soft stroke to a hard stroke or poing stroke is a clear enough transition.
1^st Doublings of the Troop – continued at the pleasure of the Drum Major
2^nd Doublings of the Troop – continued at the pleasure of the Drum Major
2^nd Singlings of the Troop – continued at the pleasure of the Drum Major
1^st Doublings of the Troop, with Rolls – continued at the pleasure of the Drum Major
Ends with the Cheers?
Ends with a Drag & a Stroke?

This sequence is explained in The Young Drummer’s Assistant.

Later variations

In the later 1812-era methods seen in Ashworth, Rumrille, and Potter, they comment to perform the Rising, Singlings (at pleasure), Doublings (at pleasure), Singlings, and close with the Rolls and the Doublings once through (or the Drag and Stroke, in Potter).

That organization is still the same as YDA, except that YDA specifically implies two separate tunes for The Doublings, whereas the 1812 either only perform one or assume two is understood.

When YDA returns to the Doublings in No. 8, he refers to a Rolling variant of The Doublings. This may be the same as or a precursor to the American habit of performing The Three Cheers + The Doublings to close The Troop.

Notice that the structure builds in the flexibility to extend or cut short each tune based on how far away the parade grounds are, how quickly the drawing occurs, etc.

Download a pdf of my interpretation of The Troop Sequence.

Singlings and Doublings: The Beatings

In terms of the beatings, we should assume that the drummers are beating the prescribed beatings included in YDA and seen later in Potter, Ashworth, Rumrille, etc.

Recall, musicians from several different regiments are performing these beatings together as a particular signal and therefore the beatings should be standardized.

Singlings and Doublings: The Tunes

The Fife Tunes are a much greater mystery, but knowing the system better, we can make some assumptions.

The musicians mounting the guard appear to all be drummers; therefore, since they are playing the standard beating, it doesn’t matter what the fifers in the main corps play. The function of the fife part is simply to provide melody while the men march to the Grand Parade and then as entertainment while the men are sorted and organized.

For that reason, anything known as A Troop, Singlings, or Doublings, likely was performed during this time.

Download a pdf of various Troops found in Fife Tutors and MSs or found in Buttrey’s MS.

In most fife tutors, a number of tunes titled ‘Singlings’ and ‘Doublings’ are often listed under the official English Duty, and others are listed later surrounded by marches and quicksteps.

Notice that YDA implies two different Singlings and two different Doublings were performed during this time. Likely the Drum Major announced the tunes prior to commencing The Troop and they changed every day.

Time Signatures: Singlings v. Doublings

Here seems the best time to comment on a tendency (though hardly an absolute rule) on the relationship between Time Signature in Singlings and Doublings.

Tunes named Singlings of the Troop appear to be traditionally a 3/8.

Occasionally written in 3/4, we might be able to assume that these tunes/beatings are actually performed like cut time. In a survey of troops included in 18^th century tutors and Buttrey, of 62 Troops, 16 clearly identify themselves as “Singlings”.

4 = 3/4
4 = 3/8
6 = 6/8
2 = 2/4 * (Note: one of these, the 4^th Troop in most 18^th century tutors, is largely composed of triplets, giving it a 3/4-like experience)

We can see that this assumption largely pans out. If we assume the 3/4 are played like 3/8 and we acknowledge no significant distinction between 6/8 and 3/8, then 15 of 16 Singlings are in triple time.

Learn more about Performing Triple Time and Tempo.

Tunes named Doublings of the Troop appear to be traditionally Common Time (2/4, C, or Cut).

As the Doublings might also have some connection to quicktime, we might assume that 6/8 can be included. In the same survey, only 8 tunes clearly identified as Doublings.

2 = 6/8
6 = 2/4

Based on this, we might loosely confirm that Doublings should be 6/8, 2/4, or associated with quicktime.

Learn more about Performing Common Time and Tempo.

Do you have any thoughts on the connection between Singlings / Doublings and Time Signature? Please contact me or comment below.

Marching v. Trooping: Performing The Troop for Mounting the Guards

In military manuals and treatises, they make a point to distinguish when the men should “March” or “Troop,” often using the phrase the drums beat a Troop or a Short Troop.

An older military treatise, Warlike Directions by Thomas Fisher, explains that the difference between a Troop and a March depends on whether the men are marching in open or closed order.

A Troop signals that:

“the Commander intend[s] to keepe them close in their order which is three foot, the readier with advanced Pikes”
Fisher (2)

A March on the other hand signals the men:

“to shoulder their Armes, and march, if the march be beaten in a longer distance of time then is usuall; then they must open their Files and Rankes to the next distance which is six foot, the Body marching very leisurely”
Fisher (3)

While such a distinction is never clearly made in 18^th century manuals, there does appear at least some remnants of it, which may help us to understand how the Singlings and Doublings should be performed and thought of.

Similarity to marching in Review

When an inspecting officer reviews the men, they march in review. Most manuals explain this process – Bland, Windham, and the ’64 manual. The ’64 manual explains most simply:

The men form in closed order. Then wheel and march along the length of the line.
- Fisher’s definition would suggest the music beats a Troop.
When they reach the end of the line, they wheel and go into open order.
- Now in the open order, Fisher’s comments suggest the music beat a March.
When they reach the end of the line, the men return to closed order to wheel back into line.
- Back in closed order, a Troop seems most appropriate.

When we compare this maneuver to what the musicians are doing while performing the Troop, the movements are largely the same. Thus, it’s possible that the musicians are either 1) marching in closed and open order or 2) imitating this practice musically, if not physically. Thus, we might think about marching The Troop:

Rising of the Troop – beaten at the Halt, by the lead drummer
1^st Singlings – Drummers march in closed-order to the right of the parade
1^st Doublings – after completing their first wheel, commence the Doublings and march in open order the length of the parade
2^nd Doublings – while still in open order, switch tunes; perhaps to mark passing the mid-point of the parade
2^nd Singlings – return to closed-order to wheel and then continue in closed-order to the center of the parade
1^st Doublings with Rolls – might be performed while stationary at the center point. Since this appears to indicate a form of The Three Cheers, performed standing makes the most sense.

Similarities to Trooping the Line in 19th Century American Military

Although we have no proof of this method of performance, we might note that by the 1860s Trooping the Line during Guard Mounting and Dress Parade follows a similar concept:

Three Cheers – stationary
Troop – performed at the Slow March, to march from the right to the left of the line
Wheel
Quickstep – to return to position
Three Cheers – stationary

similarities to marching to the Reveille

In an early-18^th century American manual, we also see a similar method of performing the Reveille. In Hulbert’s Fifers Museum (1807), he explains:

“After all the Officers have assembled, the Musicians may parade in front of the house, and play the first part of the Revalee, which is music’s call, then wheel to the right, and march the second part forward once over, then wheel to the left about, and march back so as to end the tune in front of the house, then take the third tune and still march forward, observing to wheel at the end of the tune, and to end the tune in front of the house, observing also to play the cheers standing still in front of the house, the cheers falling between the tunes. At the end of the last tune, play six cheers, and end with the general salute standing.”
Hulbert

Hulbert’s Reveille performance is not identical, but there are some similar themes. The musicians perform The Cheers standing at the center. They perform a tune once on the way out and then once on the way back to the center. This would be a similar idea of the Singlings on the way out, the Doublings to the center, a new Doublings on the way out, and a Singlings on the way back.

Tamplini (British; 1850) also explains the method of marching to the Reveille. As the musical sequence is the same as Potter, we can reasonably assume this information is true for him as well. Tamplini instructs the musicians to play The Three Camps standing, the tune itself played at the Double Quick Time. The musicians play the Rolls before the Scotch in Slow Time. They march in Quick Time to The Scotch Reveille, as many time as preferred. They play the final tune, The Three Camps, standing at the Double Quick Time. This method also demonstrates a slow march component, followed by a quicktime component.

Do you have questions about how to march to The Troop? Or do you have any thoughts on the relationship between the Singlings and the Doublings to the Common Step v. the Quickstep? Contact me or comment below.

To find out more, continue to my next section “Trooping the Colors”.

Or, continue to “Summarizing the Troop” where I finalize my findings and offer thoughts on future research.