The history of the creation of a drum for children. The history of the creation of the drum kit. Briefly about History

The musical instrument drum report will briefly tell you a lot of useful information about the membranophone. The drum message can be used during preparation for a lesson.

Brief information about the drum

Drum is a percussion musical instrument. It is common among many nations. It consists of a hollow stick, a wooden or metal cylindrical resonator body, onto which leather membranes (or plastic ones) are stretched. Sounds are produced by striking the membrane with a wooden mallet with a soft tip, hands, and friction. The pitch of the sound depends on the degree of tension of the membrane on the body.

When did the drum appear?

The existence of the drum was known back in the days of ancient Sumer, around 3,000 BC. Archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia have shown that the drum is the oldest percussion instrument, which was made in the form of small cylinders. From the very beginning of its appearance, it was used as an instrument for military processions, ritual dances, and during military operations.

The instrument came to Europe from the Middle East. In Palestine and Spain, the prototype of the military snare drum was borrowed from the Arabs. During the long history of the development of a musical instrument, a large number of its forms and types have been developed.

Drum shapes and types

There are the following drum shapes: round, square, hourglass-shaped. Musical instruments could be up to 2 m in diameter.

Today the following types of drums are known:

• Big or Turkish drum. This is a two-sided, less often one-sided musical instrument. It is played either with a mallet or with special sticks-brooms with soft tips. Produces a dull, strong and low sound. Its main purpose is single strikes. Until the 18th century, European composers used the drum in a military orchestra, and then in an opera orchestra.
• Snare drum. This is a musical instrument with 2 leather membranes that are stretched over a low cylinder. The strings are stretched on the side of the lower membrane: in a concert snare drum there are 4-10 strings and in a jazz one there are up to 18 strings. They give the sound a rumbling, rolling, rattling tone. You can use a special lever to turn off the strings and then the characteristic crackling sound will disappear. The instrument is played with 2 wooden sticks, thickened at the ends. Basic playing technique: fast tremolo and roll. In jazz music, it is often played with the fingers or palms, striking the rim. The snare drum appeared in symphony and brass orchestras in the 19th century. It is often used in war scenes. Today, the snare drum is an integral part of the jazz concert.
• Pioneer drum. Similar to a snare drum, only smaller in size.
• Bass drum. Similar to a large concert drum. Its dimensions are 50-56 cm.
• Gong or there-there. It is a bronze convex disk.
• Tom-tom. Cylindrical drum without strings.

Major drum manufacturers— Japan and the USA (Yamaha, Roland, Alesis, Drum Workshop), some European and Taiwanese companies (Simmons, SONOR, WorlMax, Mapex, Taye).

Drum interesting facts

• The most famous female drummer on Earth is Viola Smith. Now 105 years old, she says drumming is the reason for her longevity.
• The first drum set was introduced in 1918. It included: a snare drum, a kick drum, a kick pedal, a wood block attached to the kick drum, and a hanging cymbal.
• The longest drum roll lasted 12 hours, 5 minutes and 5 seconds.
• To this day, some African tribes have preserved the ritual of burying a drum in a special cemetery after the death of its owner.

We hope that the message about the drum helped you learn a lot about this percussion instrument. You can add a short story about the drum using the comment form below.

What musical instruments do you think were the first to appear on our planet? Right, percussion instruments! At a stretch, even the human chest can be considered the progenitor of drums - ancient people beat it for various reasons, producing a powerful dull sound. But the first real drums appeared at the dawn of humanity - the existence of drums is known to exist in ancient Sumer about 3000 years ago. Drums were used in ancient times to perform music during ceremonies and rituals (for example, American Indian drums), warn of danger, or instruct armies during battles. Rock paintings in Peruvian caves indicate that drums were most often used in religious rituals and to raise spirits during military operations.

The structure of the ancient drum is approximately the same as the one we are used to today - a hollow body and membranes stretched over it on both sides. To tune the drum, the membranes were tied together with animal tendons, ropes, and later metal fasteners were used. Some tribes used the skin from the body of a killed enemy as membranes, but fortunately these fun times passed without us, and now we use a variety of plastics made from polymer compounds.

Drumsticks also did not appear immediately - initially the sound from the drum was extracted by hand. Over time, a wide variety of percussion instruments of different peoples and civilizations appeared. How, so to speak, did a modern drum set emerge from all this diversity, so to speak, practically universal for music of different styles and directions?

Looking at a standard kit, you might think that tom-toms are just ordinary drums, but it’s not that simple. Tom-toms appeared in Africa and they were really called tom-toms back then. Hollow tree trunks served as drum shells, and animal skins were used as membranes. African residents used them to put their fellow tribesmen on alert. The sound of drums was also used to create a special state of trance during rituals. It is interesting that it was from ritual music that the rhythmic patterns emerged that became the basis of some modern styles of music.

Later, the Greeks came to Africa, and, having learned about African drums, they were very surprised by the powerful and strong sound of tom-toms. The Greek warriors took several drums with them, but could not find a use for them. Some time later, the Roman Empire began to fight for new lands, and the Catholics went on a crusade. Approximately 200 BC. e., their troops invaded Greece and North Africa. The more practical and savvy Romans, having learned about African drums, began to use them in military bands.

The bass drum, or as it is now called the bass drum, is the largest, low-sounding drum, which is the basis for all rhythms, one might say the foundation. With its help, rhythm is formed; it is the starting point for the entire orchestra (group), and for all other musicians. Around 1550, the bass drum came to Europe from Turkey, where it was used in military bands. The powerful sound of this instrument captivated many, it became fashionable to use it in musical works, and thus the drum spread throughout Europe.

In the 20th century, more and more people began to get involved in playing percussion instruments, many began to study African rhythms and perform them. Cymbals began to be used more and more often for playing, their size increased, and the sound changed. Over time, the Chinese toms that were previously used were replaced by Afro-European drums, and hi-hat cymbals increased in size in order to play them with sticks. Thus, the drums gradually acquired a modern appearance.

The drum set in its modern form was not invented at any particular moment - throughout the entire 20th century, the drumset was perfected by both musicians and instrument makers. Around the 1890s, drummers began experimenting with using military band drums on stage. By combining different placements for the snare, kick and toms, drummers tried to find a position where one person could play all the drums at once.

To this end, drummers and instrument manufacturers began to develop mechanisms to control the bass drum, such as various levers controlled by the hands or feet. The first bass drum pedal, similar in design to the modern one, was invented by William F. Ludwig in 1909. The invention made it possible to play the kick drum more easily and quickly - there was some freedom of hands to concentrate on the snare drum and other instruments.

Soon (around the beginning of the 1920s) the prototype of the modern hi-hat appeared on the scene - the Charlton pedal - a foot pedal on a stand with small cymbals mounted on top. And a little later, around 1927, the almost modern hi-hat (“high hat”) design saw the light for the first time - a high stand and larger cymbals allowed drummers to play with both their hands and feet, as well as combine these options.

By the 1930s, drum kits included a bass drum, a snare drum, one or more toms, Zildjian “Turkish” cymbals (better resonant and more musical than Chinese cymbals), a cowbell, and wooden blocks. Of course, many drummers assembled their own kits - using a variety of vibraphones, bells, gongs and many other additions.

Over the ensuing years, drum manufacturers have greatly strengthened and expanded the range of drums to make the drum kit versatile for playing a variety of styles of music. Around the 50s, drummers began to use a second barrel, and soon the first cardan was invented by DW. At the end of the 50s, there was finally, in a sense, a revolution in the drum world - manufacturers Evans and Remo launched the production of membranes from polymer compounds and freed drummers from calf skins, which were so sensitive to weather changes. This is how the drumset we use today was formed.

Sergey Mishchenko, December 2012

Drums appeared in Russia in the 17th century, although numerous sources move the date of the appearance of the drum further back into centuries, assigning the name “drum” to more ancient instruments. This is usually due to translation errors of ancient sources. They are presented in a form adapted to our time, and scribes, wanting to be understood, mistakenly assign modern names to ancient instruments.

The appearance of drums on the territory of the state does not at all mean their entry into the culture and life of the people. The process of recognition of these instruments, as we imagine them, lasted in Russia for a whole century.

This work is devoted to studying the history of the appearance and recognition of drums in Russia. It examines the history of drums only, and not all membrane percussion instruments known at that time. Stories about tulumbas, alarms, tambourines, nakras, etc. remain outside the brackets of this narrative.

The history of drums cannot be considered separately from the history of the development of society itself, therefore it is necessary to highlight those areas that could be the impetus and have the greatest influence on their development. And there are only three such possible areas: religious life, secular life and military affairs.

Secular and religious life in Russia until the end of the 17th century excluded the possibility of using instrumental music, since the Moscow Orthodox principality adhered to the views of the early Christians. “Domostroy” considered playing musical instruments “a sin equal to drunkenness,” and those who were admirers of this art were considered by the Orthodox clergy to be pagans and blasphemers, distracting human souls from God. Only church polyphonic singing was considered music worthy of a Christian; only church music should he listen to and sing. Peasants and city people were forbidden, under threat of fines, to keep musical instruments, much less play them. “So that they (the peasants) do not play demonic games of sniffles and gusli and beeps and domras and do not keep them in their houses... And whoever, forgetting the fear of God and the hour of death, starts to play and keep all kinds of games in himself - rule penalties five rubles per person.” (From legal acts of the 17th century.). The decrees of the Stoglavy Cathedral of 1551 prohibited all kinds of games “with harps, bows, and nozzles.” The fight against musical entertainment is reflected in literary monuments in which musical instruments are an object of idolatry, a demonic attribute. Thus, in the life of Isaac, it is told about his temptation by demons, who mocked him by playing various instruments - “strumming the sniffles and the harp and the tambourines.” About the buffoons, Metropolitan Joseph wrote to Ivan the Terrible: “For God’s sake, sir, order them to be known, no matter how they are in your kingdom...”. According to the royal decrees of 1648, buffoons with their “demonic games” and accomplices in their “ungodly deed”, i.e. spectators were subject to punishment with batogs and exile. Musical instruments, buffoon masks and everything connected with buffoon games, the royal letters ordered to be broken and burned.

The Church conventionally divided musical instruments into two groups: good and demonic. The “good” ones included those used in the army: tulumbas, alarms, covers, trumpets (surnas) and others. The “demonic” ones include musical instruments (tambourines, sniffles, etc.) used during pagan folk festivals and buffoons. Thus, in ancient Russian teaching literature, the trumpet, “gathering warriors,” was compared with prayer, gathering the angels of God, and sniffles and common harp were considered “tools” that “gather shameless demons.”

Reflecting on the above, it becomes clear that until the end of the 17th century (the time of the beginning of Peter’s reforms) there could be no talk of the appearance and development of musical instruments, including drums, either in the secular or religious life of Russia.

Thus, the only area left for the possible appearance and development of drums is the military sphere. This is where it is necessary to look for the reasons and roots of the appearance of drums. Therefore, we will consider what signaling devices were used in the armies of various countries and take a more detailed look at the history of the development of military affairs in the West and in the East.

The widespread use of gunpowder and firearms stimulated the development of military affairs starting from the 14th century. The next two centuries of persistent interstate struggle and competition led to the divergence of Eastern and European military traditions. If in Western Europe the emphasis was placed on the development of infantry, then the East focused on irregular cavalry. This was due to both the centuries-old military tradition and the peculiarities of the theater of military operations.

Russia was influenced by both military schools. However, since in the 15th – 16th centuries its main opponents were nomads and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it ultimately adopted the experience of the eastern military tradition. The main idea on which this model is based is the dominance in the structure of the armed forces of light irregular local cavalry, supplemented by infantry detachments with firearms and artillery.

Managing thousands of horse masses required a wide variety of techniques. The concept of the battle was usually discussed by the governors and leaders at a general council, where the order of battle, the sequence of actions and conditional signals were established. Visual signals were transmitted by banners of various kinds. The banners indicated the location of the governor and his headquarters, or the movements of hundreds. During rapid cavalry maneuvers, the banners helped the military men follow their hundredth head, which was very important in the steppe war. Also, at the beginning of the campaign and immediately before the battle, the military leaders agreed on conditional signals - the so-called “yasaks”. In a broad sense, yasaks were understood as conditioned signals given both by sound and visually (by banners or horsetails). However, in military practice, sound signals were actually called “yasaks”.

At the voivodeship headquarters there was a complete set of signaling instruments necessary for issuing signals. It included alarm bells, covers, and surnas. Before the advent of drummers, signals in the Russian army were given by non-combatants (batterers, nakrschiki, etc.). “Painting of yasakas” of the royal camp (1655) mentions special signals given with the help of these instruments for going on a campaign, for alarm - a “flash”, for collecting hundreds of heads to the sovereign’s tent, for the march of the next hundreds to guard the royal departure. At the end of the 16th century. “Great nobles” could carry a small copper “riding tulumbas” under their saddle, “which they hit when giving orders or rushing at the enemy.”

Here is what the foreign mercenary Jacques Marget wrote at the end of the 16th century: “... they don’t have trumpeters and drummers... In addition, each general (voivode) has his own personal alarm, as they say. The alarm bells are copper drums carried on horses, and each has ten or twelve of them, and the same number of trumpets and several oboes. All this sounds only when they are ready to enter into battle, or during some skirmish, with the exception of one of the alarm bells, which they sound to set out on a campaign or mount horses.”

Of particular note are the rituals used when reviewing regiments. The “Record of Prince B. A. Repnin’s entry into the sovereign’s service” states that in Belgorod on the Kamenny Bridge, during the review of the regiment, 11 trumpeters took part in the marching column. 2 timpani players, 1 drum player and 1 surnach; Sukin has 6 trumpeters and 2 surnachas; Mikulin has 5 trumpeters, 1 surnach and one timpani player. Here are the personal non-combatant signalmen of the military leaders participating in the review, and there is not a single drummer among them.

All elements of the above-described system of issuing commands and signals begin to be mentioned in domestic sources in the 1480s - 1550s. Basic terms such as esauls and yasaks, as well as signal (musical) instruments, come from Central Asia, more precisely, from the combat and hunting practices of the Timurid states. For that time, they had the most developed system of commanding large masses of cavalry, and the choice of Moscow military leaders was completely justified.

From the above, we can conclude: the visual and sound warning system of Russian troops until the end of the 16th century had neither drums nor drummers in its arsenal. Drums could only be in demand if there were professionally trained and highly disciplined soldiers and drummers.

It was previously mentioned that Europe focused on the development of infantry. The era of regular European armies began with the defeat of knightly detachments. Professional individual warriors were defeated by properly organized infantry.

The main features of the new type of troops were a stable organizational structure, partial or full state support, unified weapons and equipment, a departure from class-based recruitment, and modern means of military communications. In the book “The Art of War” Machiavelli quotes: “... the fourth exercise is to teach soldiers to understand the command of the commander by the sound of music or the movement of the banner... orders given by music are especially important... with the commander of battalions... there are drummers and flute players... with the sound of a trumpet the commander will indicate whether the troops should stand still, go forward or retreat, whether it is necessary to fire artillery; the variety of trumpet sounds will clearly show the soldiers all the necessary movements, and after the trumpets the same command will be repeated by the drums...”

Rice. 1. Operational detachment control group: flutist, standard bearer, drummer. Engraving from the first third of the 16th century.

The main and initial function of music is to provide a signal. In military music, the history of which is known to us only for about three hundred years, we everywhere see the “first stage” of military music - the signal service - which served to transmit commands to troops using musical instruments. That is, when speaking about military music, we mean, first of all, the signal service.

Complex formation changes in the entire formation required rhythmic movements. Company bands, especially drums, became the main form of operational control of troops on the battlefield. Of course, each national army had its own formation, its own command and control signals, but drums firmly took their place in all European armies as the most reliable element of sound communication.

The advent of firearms and well-organized professional soldiers (mercenaries) also led to the emergence of professional drummers. As the role of mercenaries and firearms became a decisive force on the battlefield, a new form of military music emerged. Each detachment or company received its own musical accompaniment - a drummer beating the rhythm and a “musician” (flutist) (Fig. 1).

The first professional mercenaries were Swiss infantrymen, who were particularly brutal in combat. They were the first to use drums to transmit orders. The Battle of Sempak in 1386 was the first recorded use of drums in a military campaign. That is why it is the Swiss who claim primacy in the use of drums in military affairs. In 1588, the book “Orchestrography” by Arbo was published. In it he described the "Swiss Stroke" and the "Swiss Storm Stroke". These strokes were presented in various combinations, but the fingering for them was not specified. Dr. Fritz Berger's manual for drum and flute bands, entitled "The Art of Basel Drumming", gives examples from early history, as well as a picture of a drum and flute band depicted on a building dating back to 1525.

The first goal of the origin of drum techniques was to establish uniformity among drummers by using equal numbers of drummers and flute players in military bands. The drummers had to play in unison. All this happened about four hundred years ago. Music writing as we know it today was unknown at that time. The drummers played by heart - by sound, by memory, such as: tra-da-dum, tra-da-dum, tra-da-dum-dum-dum. The long fraction then looked like da-da-ma-ma and began with the left hand, so that the weaker hand was trained from the very beginning. The main drum signals, for example, “Ready”, “Attention”, “Attack”, “March”, were formed only in the 17th century.

By the end of the 16th century, German mercenaries - Landsknechts - dominated the European theater of war and, accordingly, dictated the fashion for the use of drums. Thus, for a company of Landsknechts numbering 400 people, there was a company orchestra, which included one drummer, although each national army had its own composition.

The dress code of the drummers was free, but all the mercenaries dressed very richly. All Landsknechts had the same status (“soldiers”), had their own justice, hierarchy, customs and even folklore. They wore colorful, provocative clothes from the loot, because they were free from the requirements of the appearance of the classes. A suit made of velvet, brocade or silk with wide sleeves, trousers with a codpiece and a lot of slits, and a huge hat with ostrich feathers deliberately shocked those around them, emphasizing the independence of the mercenaries. Emperor Maximilian said: “Their lives are short and dull, and magnificent clothing is one of their few joys. Let them wear it."

Rice. 2. Engraving “Five Landsknechts” by Daniel Hopfer (XVI century).

The engraving shows all the members of the gang (as the mercenary detachment was officially called) of the Landsknechts: musketeer, flute player, drummer, standard bearer, pikeman.
The medieval drum did not have a specific shape or size. Its main characteristics were a cylindrical body and two leather bottoms, fastened together with a rope constriction. The drummer could change the tension of the skin by changing the length of the rope or cord. Initially, the drum was played with one hand (the other often held a pipe or flute), later they began to use both hands. Wooden or bone sticks were used to play the drum. Special playing techniques (shot, tremolo, short strokes) initially developed for practical military purposes: to encourage one’s own and frighten the enemy. It was for this purpose that the playing of the war drum was often accompanied by the shrill sounds of flutes.

Rice. 3. Drum of German mercenaries - Landsknecht trommel (from German military drum).

Russia in the 16th century had its own military doctrine, which differed sharply from the European one, and used its own sound means of operational communication - alarms, tulumbas, nakras. Drums did not take part in hostilities. And only later, the borrowing of the latest military technologies from the West led to the appearance of drums in Russia.

The appearance of drums in the Russian army

The Russian army at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries could not withstand clashes with the modern military machine - the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, reformed according to Western models. It was in these armies that the warning system played an important role. The centuries-old historical experience of European armies made it possible to create a modern military warning system, which was constantly refined in endless battles. Drums occupied an important place in this system. The Western school of military drummers, which already had a theoretical basis, received recognition from their contemporaries, and the drummers stood out among other warriors.

Russia at the beginning of the 17th century faced a difficult task. To fight the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, it was necessary to reform the army according to the European model, create a new communications system in the troops, including training drummers, using modern European experience. Drums were considered as a necessary and integral element of the new army, and only in this capacity could they be included in its composition. Thus, it was only during the reform in the army that drums may have appeared. This, in fact, was later confirmed by the history of Russia.

The clash of the Russian army of the 16th century, “sharpened” to counter the light irregular cavalry armies of the Tatars and Lithuanians, with the reformed army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ended very sadly for Russia. It was necessary to find an effective remedy against the military machine of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Such opposition was found in the use of the experience of the European military school of the Netherlands. Reforms began in the army, which lasted almost the entire 17th century. The reforms took place in 3 stages.

The first stage of reform of the Russian army

The first stage of reform began during the turmoil at the beginning of the 17th century. The leading role in the formation of the new Russian army belonged to the famous commander Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky (Fig. 4). He was appointed governor, leading a united army of Russian soldiers and mercenaries to fight the invaders.

Rice. 4. “Prince Mikhail Vasilyevich Skopin-Shuisky.” Lithograph, 1876

Taking part in the battle of Tver on July 11, 1609, he drew attention to the resilience of the infantry of foreign mercenaries. Unlike the mercenary cavalry, which was defeated at the beginning of the battle, the mercenary infantry, being in the center of the battle, over and over again repelled the attacks of the heavy Polish cavalry, the famous flying hussars, and then retreated in an organized manner, negating the initial success of the Poles. The coordinated action of the detachment, the precise execution of drum orders, and high military discipline on the battlefield made an impression. The young governor decided to organize Russian regiments of the “foreign system.” In just two months, recruited peasant militias, armed with urgently purchased modern weapons, were trained in the intricacies of foreign soldiering.

Rice. 5. Training of military men in handling a pike according to the Dutch regulations in the camp of M. V. Skopin-Shuisky near the Klyazin Monastery (August 1609). Oleg Fedorov.

The Dutch model was taken as the basis for creating a new type of troops. The administrative unit in the Dutch infantry became a regiment, small in number - 800-1000 people. It consisted of 10-16 companies. There were two drummers per company of the Dutch army, the number of which did not exceed 100 soldiers, and from 20 to 32 drummers per regiment.

Rice. 6. Full military band of the Dutch army (consisting of a drummer, a flute player and a musician with a bunchuk). Woodcut from an illustrated book of battles, 17th century.

A similar orchestra was to be present in the new army of governor Skopin-Shuisky (Fig. 6). Complex evolutions of the entire formation with long pikes (up to 5 meters) or muskets required rhythm, the tempo of which was set by the drums.

So, at the beginning of the 17th century, foreign regiments based on the Dutch model appeared in the Russian troops, and with them drummers. The new troops showed their best side. They defeated the troops of the “Tushinsky Thief” near Moscow. They drove Bolotnikov's troops out of Moscow, capturing almost the entire capital, and then defeated him near Tula and Kaluga, finally suppressing the uprising. They lifted the blockade from the Sergius-Troitsk Lavra, and, cutting off enemy communications, forced the Poles to retreat to Smolensk. The successes of the young governor, popularly called the second Alexander Nevsky, aroused the envy and fears of the supreme authorities. As a result of palace intrigues, he was poisoned at a feast by the daughter of Malyuta Skuratov. Two months after the death of governor M. Skopin-Shuisky, the regiments were disbanded. Reforms have been suspended. The drums were forgotten, the troops returned to the previous sound communication system.

So the appearance of drums in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century became just an episode, and the organization of regiments of the “foreign system”, and accordingly reforms in the army, were postponed for several decades. But there are no reforms, there are no drums and drummers.

The year 1612 was ahead...

The second stage is the organization of regiments of the “foreign system”

In the thirties of the 17th century, Russia restored its economy. The truce with Poland was ending. A war for Smolensk was imminent. The government of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich clearly realized that the Russian army, consisting of noble cavalry and streltsy infantry, was not able to fight on equal terms with regular troops. The Russian government saw a way out of the situation in creating Russian regiments of a foreign system and hiring regiments of Western mercenaries. Let us consider the state of the issue of the latest military technologies in the West at this time.

The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1638), which took place in Europe, demonstrated the ever-increasing role of the latest military technologies. Armies took on a new look. The use of faster-firing rifles increased the firepower of infantry units. Increasing the optimal fire density made it possible to reduce the number of companies and increase their mobility. A new type of troops began to be used en masse - dragoons. Dragoons are horse-mounted infantry capable of operating on foot. The number of drummers for the dragoons was the same as for the infantry. That is, in fact, the number of drummers in the army has increased. The role of operational management has increased, which affected both the drummers and the drums themselves.

The number of drummers in the company, with a decrease in the size of its composition, increased to 2–4 people. And in a regiment there are up to 20-40 people. The increase in the total number of drummers led to the emergence of the position of regimental sergeant major of drummers - drum major, who, first of all, was responsible for the coordination of the actions of subordinates and the clarity of given commands.

The drummer's increased role on the battlefield as a means of command and control made him an active target. Their death led to the disorganization of the detachment, no less than the death of the commander. The mercenaries, who were the main force in the Thirty Years' War, found a unique but cruel way out. They stole little boys aged 8-10 years old from the villages (they were more difficult to kill than large men) and taught them to play the field drum to give military signals. After two or three weeks of training, they were given a choice: remain a drummer or go home. During training, the army moved a long distance from their homes, and many students remained in the army. This is how “drummer boys” or regimental young drummers appeared.

The unification of weapons, uniforms, and ammunition has become a common phenomenon. Drummers wear uniforms no less fancy than the officers.

Rice. 7. Drummer from the Thirty Years' War.

The color of the uniform usually matches the color of the banner. Sometimes, to emphasize their importance, drummers wore reverse colors. The unification requirements also apply to drums. Their shape is standardized, while they themselves undergo changes: the diameter becomes smaller and the height increases. The drums are also painted in the colors of the regiment's banner.

The national armies of Europe had their own combinations of beats for military drum calls. This helped to raise military morale and disoriented the enemy on the battlefield, who did not understand what action the enemy would take. In the 17th century, the main signals used by drummers were “Attention”, “Form”, “Ready”, “March”, “Attack”, “Retreat” and others. The diversity and development of these signals led to qualitative changes in signal music - the emergence of the functions of marching music. “Only during the Thirty Years’ War did the function of military music as “marching” begin to emerge and a form of military marching that had not existed before began to emerge...” In this case, we are talking about the origin of the musical accompaniment of the march, but not about moving in step to the measured rhythm of percussion instruments. We are talking about rhythmic accompaniment. This is an invention of the German mercenaries in the Thirty Years' War.

The Russian army lagged behind the West in the development of military technologies and the experience of creating modern European armies was in demand in Russia. The thirties became the starting point for the beginning of the second organization of regiments of the “foreign system”. In preparation for the war with the Poles, the Russian government spent enormous amounts of money purchasing the latest weapons and hiring foreign soldiers and officers. Drums were also purchased. Their price was three times the cost of the musket. With the active assistance of foreign specialists, the training and formation of soldier, dragoon and reiter regiments of the “new system” armed according to the latest model began. By the beginning of the Russian-Polish War of 1632 - 1634, 10 Russian regiments of the new system were formed, numbering up to 17,000 people. The regiment was divided into eight companies. Each company, according to the official regimental lists, had three drummers.

Of interest is the payment of drummers in 1632 - 1634. In wartime: a German drummer received 8 rubles. per month, Russian – 5 rubles; in peacetime - 1 ruble 50 kopecks for both German and Russian. For comparison: a corporal received 4 rubles in wartime, and 1 ruble 80 kopecks in peacetime. This indicates that during wartime drummers were valued above corporals.

The Smolensk campaign ended unsuccessfully for the Russians, despite the heroism of the new regiments. There are several reasons. The noble cavalry, rightly seeing the new infantry as a threat to its existence, voluntarily abandoned the positions of the Russian army near Smolensk, effectively dooming the army to defeat. This has simply never happened in the Russian army. Foreign mercenaries also “distinguished themselves.” They fully justified two common words that appeared during the Thirty Years' War. These words: “gang”, which meant a detachment of German landsknechts, and “marauder” - the name of one of the mercenary captains. The population where they took place bombarded the government with complaints about their behavior. In addition, mercenaries often went over to the enemy’s side. The disappointment in the new army after the defeat was so great that all foreigners were expelled from Russia and all regiments of the foreign system were disbanded. Ammunition, weapons and drums (whole, pierced and their bases) were delivered to military warehouses in Tula.

All this led to the halt of the 2nd stage of reforms and the introduction of drums. But at the same time, the significance of the experience of creating regiments of a foreign system is extremely great. The drummer, included in the lists of a regiment of a foreign system, became an official in the Russian army for the first time. This is the first step towards its inclusion in the new operational communications of the Russian army. The orders and signals the drummers received from foreign specialists were also of great importance. Previously, they could only command their own kind, since for the Russians they were pagans and simply no one perceived them.

The third stage of military reform

The need for reforms was acute, and, taking into account the mistakes of the first two stages, already in 1637 the third stage of military reform began. A characteristic feature of the new process of military development was the combination of traditions and innovations. It took two paths: organizing regiments of a foreign system and training archers in a foreign system. At the same time, everything was done to ensure that the new units did not replace the old ones, but complemented them, which allowed them to organically become part of the Russian army.

By the fall of 1638, in the south of the country, the government had placed 5,055 dragoons and 8,658 soldiers under arms. In the regiments of the “foreign system” during this conscription, the number of drummers reaches 200 people. From this moment on, drums appeared among the archers. They quickly mastered soldier formations under drum commands, a long pike, and at the same time as the soldiers they acquired half-pike. In February 1655, upon the return of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from the Polish campaign, hundreds of infantry streltsy are described, in front of each of which there was a large banner, accompanied by two drummers and a centurion with an ax in his hand.

In the military regulations of 1647, for the first time, regulation is given, as well as the musical characteristics of military signals for “drummers and pipe players”: “Beating the drum is always established so that great and many people who are far from each other will not hear the drum he communicated the necessary thought clearly and according to direct need and it will happen that with different articles the drums are beaten, his own article, how to motivate a soldier when to go on a campaign, and when on a campaign, at other alarming times, so that the enemy comes close to meeting him with a weapon; and another sign... when something is called out. It’s a different sign when you’re in a hurry...” This is the first official document in Rus' regulating the duties of a drummer, as a military serviceman giving established signals using a drum (beating drumbeats). The charter established the drill position of drummer, introduced by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in all streltsy, dragoon units and regiments of the foreign system. Initially there were 2 drummers per company, later their number changed many times. In battle, drummers were used as messengers and to carry out the wounded. There were also “soldier small drummers” - teenagers, students of the drummer, usually soldier’s orphans. Having become a drummer's apprentice, the soldier's orphan son received 10 times more, which significantly supported the family financially. So in the Butyrsky regiment already at the beginning of 1670 there were 195 “small drummers,” not counting 40 adult drummers. “Wedge drums, small hands” were made especially for students. They were also distinguished by their ceremonial uniform - German caftans. Sets of “German dress” for drummers - musicians in parades: caftans and trousers of red cloth with black loops and lace, hats, stockings, shoes. There were small drummers both in Russia and in the West, but their position was different. In Russia, these were students, not soldiers sent into battle (Fig. 8).

Rice. 8. Small vulture maker and drummer of the Moscow elective soldier regiments in ceremonial costumes. From the book “Moscow Elective Regiments of Soldiers’ Formation.”

Rice. 9. Soldier of the elective Butyrsky regiment. In the background you can see a drummer, who is no different in shape from a soldier.

Russian drum of the 17th century. structurally different from European ones. European caskets have bent veneer. The Russian one is composed of planks (like a barrel) and covered with fabric. Three wicker hoops are nailed to the inside of the boards with wooden and metal nails. The drum itself consisted of a wooden cadle, or “basket,” and two hoops for stretching the skins. Drum “baskets” of fabric were covered with painting or gilding. In the images of that time, the painting of the drums is presented in the form of elongated isosceles triangles, or “wedges,” painted in the “uniform” colors of the regiments. There were obviously other coloring options. Drums were worn on leather or silk belts with metal hooks, buckles and harnesses. Judging by documents from the 2nd half of the 17th century. “Drum braids” were two arshins long (144 cm) and 1.5 inches wide (6.75 cm). To protect the drums from dampness and other damage, covers or suitcases, usually made of multi-colored cloth, were used.

An important stage was initial training. It was a difficult moment, since there were no drummers and other specialists. Foreign specialists were brought in for training and gave a written commitment to teach Russian people. In the second third of the 17th century, not only Moscow, but also Zaonezhye and Sevsk were major centers of learning. So, 2 colonels, 28 captains, 31 sergeants, 10 drummers and one trumpeter were sent to Zaonezhsky churchyards for “dragoon and soldier training.” 62 foreign instructors of various ranks arrived in Sevsk. There is an established system of training in military affairs, including drumming, and the sequence of its implementation. Thus, the troops received trained drummers in the required quantity.

Sagittarius - the elite of the Russian troops, a class similar to the nobility, enjoyed great respect in society. The streltsy rank was passed down by inheritance and the son became a streltsy, in the same order (regiment). They were an active part of society, and historical data about them is extremely abundant. Thus, the drummers depicted on historical documents of the 17th century are known mainly as Streltsy.

In Europe, drummers stood out because of their clothing. In Russia in the 17th century. The drummers of the rifle regiments did not have any special differences in the color and cut of their clothes from other ranks. In any case, neither visual nor documentary sources report such things. The same applies to regiments of the “foreign system” (Fig. 10).

Rice. 10. Fragment of the watercolor “Drawing of the image in the faces of the release of the archers in the courts by water to Razin.” “Drummer from the Young Streltsy” is an authentic portrait of a young drummer from the 17th century.

Reproductions depicting drummers appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 16th century, in the Moscow state - in the second part of the 17th century. This confirms that drums appeared in Rus' later than in Europe. Moreover, as a rule, they depicted archers, musketeers of the Russian state, and not soldiers of regiments of a foreign system.

A fragment of a miniature made in 1663 and shown in Fig. 11, should not mislead anyone regarding timing parameters. The archers did not have drums at the time of M. Romanov’s wedding on June 11, 1613. The artist based the archers on drummers in ceremonial palace caftans from the time of Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet (palace caftans were issued for the duration of the reception from the royal storerooms, and then surrendered). They differed from the uniform of the archers, who were usually present at palace receptions. Streltsy drums appeared only in the middle of the 17th century.

Rice. 11. Fragment of the miniature “The Wedding of M. Romanov”. Streltsy drummers at a reception on the occasion of the Tsar's wedding.

We find traces of drums in various events of that time. For example, the Streltsy riot of 1682. Some historians see it as an uprising of the Moscow garrison, which won and dictated its terms to the government. Two points are important for us: the first demanded that the production of all drums be transferred to the Streletsky Order; second, that the work on their production be paid. This is how the Streltsy monopolized the production of drums.

The reform led to the growth of both the regiments of the “foreign system” and the Streltsy army. Moreover, the number of mainly Moscow Streltsy orders increased, which indicates the higher status of the Streltsy. The regiments of the soldier formation, together with the dragoons, numbered about 100,000 thousand people in 1680. This means that the number of drummers in the Russian army exceeded 2000 people, and teams of drummers of up to 20 people or more appeared in the regiments. In addition to the position of drummer soldier, the position of “sergeant major drummer” appeared in the regiments. Different regiments of the army, where foreign specialists trained drummers in different ways, began to create a unified national Russian system of drum signals, in accordance with the requirements of the new army. This is how the Russian school of military drummers began to emerge.

It is believed that the birth of a new army took place in 1678 at the Battle of Chigirin, where the “Muscovites” defeated the Ottomans, who were hitherto terrible for Moscow. During this battle, the Moscow regiment, surrounded by the Turks, lined up in a square to the beat of drums with unfurled banners and repulsed enemy attacks with field cannon fire and rifle salvos, defeating him. Turkish military leaders admitted that they were surprised by the valor of the Russian infantry. Simultaneously with the victory over the external enemy, another, no less significant victory was won. A new army was created. After Chigirin, the Ottoman Empire had not yet exhausted its strength, but it no longer wanted to fight with Muscovy. This meant only one thing: the reforms were completed, and the new army was ready to fight back and could defend the interests of its country. The annexation of eastern Ukraine and the return of Smolensk increased the strength of the state, and now Europe had to respect the “Muscovites.” The regiments of the “foreign system” ceased to exist; from now on, soldier regiments appeared in their place.

As a result of reforms in the Russian army in the 17th century, a modern system of sound operational communications was created, including drummers. All drums for the needs of the army were made in Russia. The old system, which had alarms, tulumbas, and covers as sound means of operational communication, disappeared by the end of the 17th century. Drumming training began along with the reforms themselves, and the first teachers were foreign specialists. However, already in the 50s of the 17th century, drummers began to be trained in regiments, including students - snare drummers. By the end of the century, there were more than 2,000 combat drummers in service at the same time, who were both part of the infantry: soldier and rifle regiments, and cavalry: dragoons, reiters, hussars. Teams of drummers appeared in the regiments, who were subordinate to the so-called “chief drummers.” Quantity began to turn into quality, and people started talking about a Russian military school of drummers. For the first time in Rus', an official document was introduced in the army - a charter regulating the duties of a drummer as a military personnel who gives established signals using a drum. The charter established the drill position of a drummer. Military drummers have firmly taken their place in the army. This is how drums appeared and established themselves in the Russian army, and with it in Russia.

The use of drums in the Russian army was first mentioned during the siege of Kazan in 1552. Also, the Russian army used nakry (tambourines) - copper cauldrons covered with leather. Such “tambourines” were carried by the leaders of small detachments. The covers were tied in front of the rider, at the saddle. They beat him in the roof with the handle of a whip. According to the testimony of foreign writers, the Russian army also had large “tambourines” - they were transported by four horses and beaten by eight people.

Drum types

The list is being created...

Drum manufacturers

Drums are mainly made in Japan ( Yamaha, Roland) and USA ( Alesis, Drum Workshop), as well as some companies in Europe ( Simmons, SONOR) and in Taiwan ( Taye, WorlMax, Mapex).

Video: Drum on video + sound

A video with this tool will appear in the encyclopedia very soon!

Sale: where to buy/order?

The encyclopedia does not yet contain information about where you can buy or order this instrument. You can change this!

Percussion is the largest family of musical instruments today. The sound from instruments of this type is extracted by striking the surface of the sounding body. The sound body can take many shapes and be made from a variety of materials. In addition, instead of striking, shaking is allowed - essentially, indirect striking with sticks, hammers or beaters on the same sounding body.

The history of the appearance of the first percussion instruments

Percussion instruments are among the most ancient. The first prototype of a percussion instrument appeared when primitive people, striking stone against stone, created a kind of rhythm for ritual dances or simply in everyday household chores (crushing nuts, grinding grain, etc.).

In fact, any device that produces measured noise can be called a percussion instrument. At first it was stones or sticks, planks. Later, the idea came to tap the rhythm on skin stretched over a hollow body - the first drums.

When excavating tribal settlement sites in Central Africa and the Far East, archaeologists discovered samples that were more similar to modern ones. Obviously, it was they who at one time served as an example for the creation of European percussion instruments.

Functional features of percussion instruments

The sound produced by percussion instruments comes from primitive rhythmic melodies. Clinking and ringing prototypes of modern percussion musical instruments were used during ritual dances by the peoples of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, Asian countries.

But representatives of the ancient Arab states used percussion instruments, in particular drums, in military campaigns. European peoples adopted this tradition much later. Poorly melodious, but loud and rhythmic, drums became an invariable accompaniment of military marches and anthems.

And in the orchestra, percussion instruments have found quite wide application. At first, he was denied access to European academic music. Gradually, drums found their use in dramatic music within opera and ballet orchestras, and only then did they find their way into symphony orchestras. But today it is difficult to imagine an orchestra without drums, timpani, cymbals, tambourine, tambourine or triangle.

Classification of percussion instruments

The group of percussion musical instruments is not only numerous, but also very unstable. Several different ways of classifying them have been developed, so the same instrument can belong to several subgroups at once.

The most common percussion instruments today are timpani, vibraphone, xylophone; various types of drums, tambourines, African tam-tam drum, as well as triangle, cymbals, and many others.