General information

The lawful batteries date from the startup of the drum in the French Army, it is-àdire reign of François 1st (1515-1547).

The drum known as " of Ordonnance" had indeed as an essential mission of ensuring the transmission of the orders. The various ones and many batteries had each one a clean designation and a particular rate/rhythm which distinguished them from the others in order to avoid any confusion.

They were carried out either of firm footing, or while going by the drums accompanied by oboe or fifres.

Marguery (father) defined the movement as follows metronomic: << One must always observe same rate in the various batteries. Each making step one second, thus one will make of them sixty in one minute, but in the " Charge" , which is used for the Redoubled Step, one will go once more quickly; each step having to last only one half-second, one will easily make of them a hundred and twenty in the minute >>

In 1831, the bodies of troop were equipped with bugles, and the band master NICKEL SILVER composed a complete repertory of the lawful ringings for bugle whose majority were based on the rates/rhythms of the corresponding batteries of drums. They could thus be carried out either by the drums alone, or by the bugles alone, or by a whole of drums and bugles, according to the requirements of the service.

As for the oboes, they were not employed, after the end of the Old Mode, that in the military musics; and the fifres were removed after the fall of Napoleon III.

The lawful Batteries and Ringings are signals of convention. They can be divided into three categories, according to the Lavauzelle Bookstore:

• Military Ceremonial
• of " Quartier"
• of " Manœuvres"

The ones and the others underwent during the years of the ceaseless deformations although they were the subject of many Ministerial Directives. These deformations can be put either on the account of the engraver or the typographer, or still on that of an inaccurate interpretation of the instructor.

Official ringings

One can find of them the partitions in the old editions of the Larousse encyclopedias. To note that often there are two versions of the same ringing, Clairon for the infantry, Trompette for the cavalry. Files MP3 are downloadable on the site of the ministry for defense.

In fact, all the Net surfers having carried out their military service kept in memory the ringings which punctuate the life of quarterings: alarm clock of the morning, follow-up of the gathering and the rising of the colors, soups of midday and the evening, gatherings and calls various (with graded, with consigned, etc) until covers fire of the evening.

It is quite obvious that since the Great War one does not charge any more with the sound of the drum or the bugle, as it was of rule when the troops in formation of combat were to evolve/move on the battle field, and that it was not possible other to transmit the orders. However the old ones of 1914-18 preserved a memory moved by the ringing of ceasing the fire of November 11th, 1918. Moreover the " Sellier" bugle; became a national hero, who had during decades to take again the same ringing at the time of various officelles ceremonies with Verdun or the triumphal arch of Paris. == Voir also ==

Internal bonds

• Flamengrie (Aisne)
• With the fields
• With the flag
• Recall of firm footing
• Attentions
• the Round of applause
• With dead the

External bonds

• to listen to the ringings of cavalry