Tunes of Blood & Iron - Volume 2

This is an extremely thorough 4 volume guide to the regimental march tunes and other parade music which inspired loyalty, pride and battlefield motivation for generations of Germans over three centuries. Built around a translation of the previously unpublished works of two great German military music historians, the late Lieutenant Colonel Joachim Toeche-Mittler and Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Werner Probst, it describes the history of every march in the official collections sanctioned by successive kings of Prussia, German Emperors, and later by Chief Inspectors of Music of the German Republic and Third Reich. In these descriptions one discovers that the collections are not just German, but a pan-European treasure trove of labyrinthine musical influences. The books detail how even today these tunes are still used by German armed forces units, providing the only officially permitted link between them and the military history of the German nation. The series will provide information about how the regimental bandsmen and signaller musicians on fife, drum and bugle paraded and performed this repertoire, the manufacture and embellishments of their instruments, Schellenbaum 'Jingling Johnnies' and Drum Majors' Staffs, and their employment and deployment in the ranks of the fighting units on parade and in battle. The detailed text and appendices are supported by a huge number of rare black& white and colour images showing all aspects of German military music. In the same way as its predecessor, Volume 2 deals with the official collection of marches for Cavalry and Artillery, plus give a newly and thoroughly researched guide to the important Drum, Fife and Bugle Field Music tradition from the Middle Ages to the present day. This should not be underestimated, as the re-discovery of the Field marches of the regiments of Frederick the Great's Army in the 1890s provided a vital link between modern German regiments and their "Ancestor" regiments. Volume 2 also completes the Infantry Marches of Volume 1 with the collection of`General Salute' marches for presenting arms. Within Volume 2 there will also be a list of every regiment of the 1871-1914 era with their nicknames, regimental marches, and many other interesting details.