Meaning & Performance
Like the British & American Three Cheers, Locken (Swiss: Rapell; French: L’Appel) is a warning to coordinate the various corps of music before major calls.
When To Beat
All drummers beat Locken at the center of their respective battalion flags before Reveille, Vergatterung, Kirchen-Parade, General Marsch, and Zapfenstreich.
How to Beat
- Drummers of the Main Guard beat the Locken.
- Drummers of the Battalions echo the Locken:
- Foremost line first, starting from center and moving to the wings.
- Second line after, beginning again from center to the wings.
Hessian Regulations, 1767, p. 240, 272, 327, 510
Prussian Regulations, 1750, p. 179
Three Rolls
Kastner’s 1846 Prussian music lists Locken as a series of three short rolls, which appear to be 9-stroke rolls.
This is confirmed in Kruger’s 1950s manual.
Three short rolls is consistent with the British & American performance, though they seem to play longer rolls, like 15s or 17s. (Though mid-19th century American performance, like in B&E is two 9-stroke rolls and one 17-stroke roll.)
Fife Tunes
No German fife tune exists for Locken. However, if the Hessians or Prussians were using ‘The Three Rolls / Cheers’ like the British, the fifers may have played simple chords as cheers, embellishing them at liberty.
Below, the British chords have been added to the Prussian Locken as an option for fifers.
Prussian Locken
Interpretation for Hessian Use
Note 1: Use the appropriate key based on the tune that will follow.
Note 2: The chords can be played with embellishments, such as trills or 32nd notes leading up to the note.
To learn more about the British and American performance of the Three Rolls or The Three Cheers, check out “The Major Duty Calls: The Three Cheers“.
To learn how to play the duty calls played after Locken, check out:
Have more information about Hessian or Prussian music, contact me or comment below.