30 Renner ⦁ Revolutions nations attacked France in 1793. By 1795, France had won new land. On November 9, 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte took control of France, marking the end of the French Revolution.18 While both the American and French Revolutions were considered some of the darkest times for these two countries, music provided distraction, comfort, and entertainment within the military. Traced back all the way to the ancient Greeks, instrumental music was used “not only to maintain orderly ranks when marching into battle, but also to accompany the singing of paeans designed to instill patriotism and devotion to duty and to encourage the soldiers to excel in feats of valor.”19 Musicians’ services have always been held as important in the military. Raoul Camus states that musicians were often paid more than the basic soldier and were often dressed more elaborately.20 Musicians provided distractions from the hardships the soldiers endured. Marshal Maurice Comte de Saxe, a general who lived from 1696–1750, believed that music would help the soldiers to forget the hardships and exhaustion of the unbearably long marches.21 In addition to music as a form of comfort, militaries have often used music to communicate and give orders. Giving orders by word of mouth became increasingly difficult as militaries increased in size. The solution to this problem was to use military musicians to provide signals with drums to communicate orders.22 Camus explains that drum signals were often used for foot soldiers while trumpets were used for soldiers who rode on horseback.23 As military music formalities progressed into the seventeenth century, “various camp duties and military signals had begun to be associated with specific melodies or rhythms.”24 Signals such as “reveille, retreat, and tattoo” were integrated into the soldier’s 18 Onion, et al., n.p. 19 Camus, 3. 20 Camus, 3. 21 Camus, 4. 22 Camus, 4. 23 Camus, 4. 24 Camus, 4.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=