Period Redcoat Music

[Colin_Fraser]

Found this series of British soldiers's songs on YouTube. I bought this LP from the National Army Museum almost 40 years ago. The link is "Sahagun" but you can choose other options from the same poster. The guys who do the songs will never be on the top of the Pops but they do bring across a convincing feeling of singing soldiers' sings.



Colin

 

[Waterman]

I had one that I bought around 1959, it was called Regimental Marches of the British Army, played by the band at Knellar Hall. It had marches of Regts that have marched into history long ago, but I can still remember a lot of the tunes. One very poignant one was Ca Ira, and it was being played by a French Regt during some Battle in the Napoleonic Wars, against the Border Regt I believe, and things were not going too well. The Bandmaster was summoned, and told that if we couldn't beat them with our own tune then we would damn well beat them with theirs. He ordered the Regt Band to strike up Ca Ira, and they then went on to win the Day. This then became the Regimental March from then on. I believe it to be a popular revolutionary song of that period.

 

[Barke02]

Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira, les aristocrates à la lanterne!

 

[billyturnip]

I had one that I bought around 1959, it was called Regimental Marches of the British Army, played by the band at Knellar Hall. It had marches of Regts that have marched into history long ago, but I can still remember a lot of the tunes. One very poignant one was Ca Ira, and it was being played by a French Regt during some Battle in the Napoleonic Wars, against the Border Regt I believe, and things were not going too well. The Bandmaster was summoned, and told that if we couldn't beat them with our own tune then we would damn well beat them with theirs. He ordered the Regt Band to strike up Ca Ira, and they then went on to win the Day. This then became the Regimental March from then on. I believe it to be a popular revolutionary song of that period.

It was the West Yorkshire Regiment (14th Foot) http://www.pwoyorkshire.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=29

Roger.

 

[Waterman]

Thanks for that Roger, I knew it was a Northern Regt and not a Southern . I know the Border Regt captured the Drums of a French Regt around the same time, and every year they would parade in period dress and with the captured drums. They were still doing this in the 50 s. There are some really good stories behind a lot of Regimental Marches.