CHAPTER 6: IN THE MILITARY

The double-reed players throughout the German-speaking parts of the Holy Roman Empire, and England, had a significant role as military musicians.^[1] Unfortunately, military musical records in the Republic are not as detailed and organised as those in what is now Germany, especially before 1707.^[2] The first possible instance of Dutch military double-reed activity cited in a newspaper in the period of study was in 1717,^[3] though more concrete examples begin to appear in 1724. However, this is not to say that there was no musical military activity until 1717. An array of primary sources provide a glimpse into the roles and status of double-reed instruments in a military function in the Republic, though not enough information can be collated to construct a comprehensive outline. Furthermore, the use of the prefix “velt” (or “veld”)^[4] in written sources (see Chapter 3) infers that there are military undertones in reference to this instrument.^[5]

Throughout England and the German-speaking parts of the Holy Roman Empire in the period of study, the main military and outdoor ensemble seemed to be the double-reed bands, whether that be with Deutsche schalmeien or French oboes.^[6] The Republic differed in this regard, as the favoured ensemble — for the most part — was the trumpet band; several trumpets and drums (Figure 6.1). Most examples of double-reed performances relating to the Republic within a military context are of English and Scottish musicians, certainly due to William III ruling as both King of England, Scotland, and Ireland and as Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel. As close by as Flanders, double-reed bands were more-commonly used, sometimes together with trumpet bands!^[7]

Figure 6.1: Detail from Pieter Janszoon Post’s (1608–1669) De begrafenisstoet van Frederik Hendrik (1647), depicting a trumpet band.^[8]

Due to the aforementioned unorganised nature of Dutch military records, very few names of military musicians of the period of study are known. There are only three such instances where a double-reed instrument is explicitly mentioned in connection with a military musician within the period of study; Johannes de Heurder, Philip Keyman, and Jan Ernst Broes. In a 1685 notary document from Zierikzee, De Heurder is named as a “hautbois speelder”^[9] in the “Dragonders”^[10] of the Prince of Orange under Colonel Eppinger, along with Philippo de Moretti who is only labelled as a musician.^[11] Brinckman was an oboist in the First Battalion of the Van Hessen Regiment. His name is only known as he was tried in 1706 for mortally wounding someone named Philip Keyman.^[12] Broes was an oboist in the regiment of Beveren, living in the Brabant town of Grave. His name is found in a notary document in 1713 in which he was allowing his wife, Henderina Alegonda van Batenburgh, to divide her parents’ assets.^[13] In each of these three cases, the fact that they were double-reed players is merely supplementary information that is not essential to the original purpose of their respective documents.

Several works of fiction provide information on potential military instrumental combinations — or at least an artistic representation of what instruments have similar associations in military contexts. Titia Brongersma’s (1650–1700) 1686 collection of poems, De bron-swaan, of mengeldigten, mentions velt-schalmeien twice. Brongersma contextualises the instrument with war and the battlefield, “Daar d' Oorlog moort, en bloetdorst queekt / In 't steeken van de velt Schalmeyen.”^[14] Another poem in the same collection combines the instrument with “Kornetten, en Klaroen”. It is unclear as to what exactly these instruments are, but they may be cornetti or horns,^[15] and trumpets.^[16]

Lukas Rotgans’s (1653–1710) 1698 epic poem, Wilhem de Derde, offers three instrumental combinations with shawms. In a battle against the French, the sounds of shawms, drums, and field trumpets could supposedly be heard.^[17] Arriving at London’s court palace,^[18] flutes and shawms could be heard playing festive music.^[19] Another instrumentation is the combination of drums, shawms, and “bazuinen”.^[20]

The instrumentation of shawms, trumpets, and drums also appears in Johannes Sande’s 1703 book, Der hooge bondgenooten zegepraal, of Voorspoed van wapenen, tegens de Spaansche en Fransche kroonen^[21] — “Het zwaar geschut begint te donderen, men speelt / Inmids verheugd op Veld-schalmeyen, op trompetten, / En Keteltrommels om de herten meer te wetten / Tot scherpe dapperheidt”^[22] — as well as in the second stanza of Carolus Tuinman’s (1659–1728) “Oorlogs Gruwel”,^[23] “Trompet en trom, harpauk, schalmei, / Die hitzen het krijgs-heir onzinnig ten strijd.”^[24] Combined with non-fictional examples of this instrumentation (mentioned later in this chapter), there is a possibility of shawms, trumpets, and drums being combined as an ensemble, like what certainly happened in Flanders.^[25]

The sixteenth stanza of Jan van Westerhoven’s “Battalje of veltslagh” combines several instruments in a depiction of battle; (in order of appearance) drums, oboes, shawms, violins, trumpets, lyres, and flutes.^[26] The inclusion of violins and lyres may be fantastical due to the impracticalities of playing these instruments in a battlefield; however, they are included nonetheless as this combination of instruments within this context could only be informed by van Westerhoven’s own social context. It would also be far from the first time that such an instrumental combination occurs; Francis I, King of France (1494–1547, r. 1515–1547) had an outdoor ensemble (his Écurie) from the mid-1520’s which consisted of violins, trumpets, sackbuts, shawms, and fife and drums.^[27] The only discrepancy is the lack of lyres in Francis I’s ensemble.

An anonymous song, “Af-scheyt Lied van de Soldaten”^[28] is the only fictional military source to mention the bassoon. The sixth stanza combines one drum and field flutes and shawms with bassoon.^[29] In using both the terms “Schermeijen” and “Bason”, the author infers that these two instruments may have played together (as opposed to the shawm and dulcian combination). Given that Haka’s surviving velt-schalmeien tend to be in A-1^[30] and that several of his French-style instruments are also in A-1 (see Chapter 2), it would not be an impractical combination. This source is also very late in the dulcian’s historical lifespan, 1717, which may be the reason as to why such an instrument is not mentioned. That being said, the date of a piece cannot always be the determining factor for whether the piece is for dulcian or bassoon. For example, in Dresden, Johann David Heinichen’s (1683–1729) cantata, Herr, nun lässest du deiner Diener, was performed in 1714, 1720, 1723, and 1729 and has parts for both “Fagotto” and “Bassone” in different keys to compensate for the different pitch centres.^[31] There is insufficient historical information to determine the dulcian’s nomenclature in the Republic (see Chapter 3); however, the little which does survive may indicate that the author’s use of “Bason” refers to a bassoon, rather than a dulcian.

Aside from fictional writings, there are several factual documents which touch on the use of double-reed instruments in the military. Daniël Marot I’s 1686 illustration of an instrumental ensemble at the Court of The Hague (see Chapter 4.1) depicts several musicians (including at least one bassoonist) equipped with a sword.^[32] It is, unfortunately, unclear whether all of the “Speelders op de Haubo” had swords, but this would mean that these musicians also had a military function within the court, similar to other court musicians around Europe.^[33]

A 1687 set of rules for English and Scottish military musicians based in the Republic refers exclusively to double-reed instruments, not trumpets. It discusses the payment of oboists, pipers, and shawm players (Figure 3.4),^[34] implying that both French-and German-type instruments were being used in a military capacity around 1687. Unfortunately, it is not clear whether it is the same set of players playing these two types of instruments, nor if they had distinct functions for different occasions. The terminology used might also include sizes of oboes and shawms other than descant.

One of the Republic’s subsidy troops from the period of study was that of Hesse-Kassel. On 10 July 1688, it was agreed that Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1654–1730, r. 1670–1730) would supply three regiments; a cavalry, an infantry, and dragoons. In 1690, the dragoons included four “Hautbois” in its regimental staff, as well as a trumpet major. In 1693, this was elevated to twelve “Hautbois” and a timpanist, with no mention of a trumpet major.^[35]

On 15 October 1710, an agreement in Middelburg between The Prince & Duke of Marlborough and the Baron of Bothmerled to the establishment of a drummer and eight “hautbois” players in the Estat Major and just two tambours in the Compagnie Colonelle.^[36] Again, the exact instrumental components of this set of hautbois players is uncertain. By this period, it is almost certain that they would be playing French instruments, rather than shawms, but there is no clarity regarding the use of tenor oboes and bassoons.

An account from 1717 concerning John Jeshua Kettler’s (1659–1718) journey with the Dutch East India Company to Lahore (present-day Pakistan) reports on a concert held on 26 April for the Persian Duke “Mortusa Coelie Chan”. This concert included several instruments but only violins, “hautbois”, bassoon, and viola da gamba are mentioned. Supposedly, the audience was in admiration of the bassoon’s strong sound and were already familiar with the viola da gamba due to contact with previous missionaries.^[37]

On 12 September 1717, the imperial ambassador for The Hague, Baron Arnold von Heems, celebrated a victory against the Turks in the Siege of Belgrade with a performance of a Te Deum Laudamus which was accompanied by trumpets, timpani, “Haubois”, and other instruments. This took place in “his church”,^[38] which is possibly the Vreugde Tempel in The Hague (Figure 6.2). As von Heems was working in an imperial capacity, it is possible that the musicians used in this performance were military musicians.

Figure 6.2: An etching of the Vreugde Tempel in The Hague (1716).^[39]

The only distinctly military piece of iconography relevant to this study is a depiction of five oboists in Constantinople in 1718 (Figure 6.3). The procession was for the arrival of Count Coljer, the Ambassador to the Republic in Constantinople. Only one of these oboists has a sword. There is no label given to describe these musicians, but there are no other musicians visible in the procession; there are no bassoons, drums, trumpets, or horns. In a description of troops and inventory of military personnel stationed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1723, five “Hautboisten” are included. They were employed to perform “een langsaame Marsch”.^[40] Given that the Hautboisten in Constantinople consisted of just five oboes of one size, it may very well be that the ones in Ceylon were also five oboes of one size. In a separate section of the Ceylon source, six drummers and four trumpeters are listed, working alongside 72 Hand Grenadiers.^[41] This would mean that the oboe band and trumpet band in Ceylon each served different functions, to the extent that they were not just lumped into one category as musicians, but by their function.

Figure 6.3: Five oboists marching in Constantinople (1718).^[42]

In 1723, it is possible that shawms were still being used in the “Blaauwe Guarde” [sic].^[43] The preface to Weyerman’s Den ontleeder der gebreeken^[44] includes a brief reference to the Blauwe Garde’s “Schalmei” players, “leev’ lustig en rustig op uw fluitend Tongetje, gelyk als een Schalmeispeeler van de Blaauwe Guarde”.^[45] In a later section of this book, from 1724, he refers to the bagpipe as “die Basson der Bedelaars”.^[46] But this is not enough information to indicate its use in the military as Weyerman never connects the bassoon to what he calls the “Schalmei”. 

Figure 6.4: A newspaper advertisement for masterful oboists and bassoonists (1724).^[47]

It is possible that what Weyerman refers to as a “Schalmei” could actually be an oboe as a call for players of the “Haubois” was placed in the ‘s Gravenhaegse courant by the Guardes te Voet^[48] of The Hague in 1724 (Figure 6.4), with Blauwe Garde being a nickname for this regiment due to their blue uniform (Figure 6.5).^[49] The namesake of this study is this very article which appeared three times in February of 1724, calling for those who can play the oboe or bassoon masterfully. The fact that such a regiment is scouting for musicians in this manner may indicate that there was no official or organised manner for recruiting at this point. As they were looking for players who already played masterfully, they probably did not have a basis for teaching music in the military — or, at least not in this sector. The fact that both the oboe and the bassoon are mentioned suggests that the term “Haubois” did not always encompass both instruments, even in a military setting; something which can be observed in some German-language sources,^[50] as well as in Daniël Marot I’s depiction of “de Speelders op de Haubo” (Figure 4.1.1).^[51] Using the term “Bende Haubois”,^[52] though, does signify that the term can be inclusive of bassoons. They are also asking for players of either instrument, not both, implying that they were not expected to be equally proficient on both instruments; that a specialisation of instruments was becoming common.

Figure 6.5: Niederlande. Infanterie. 1680–1690. (1921) by Herbert Knötel (1893–1963).^[53]

On 26 May 1724, there was a performance of drums, “Haubois”, and horns as part of a procession with several noblemen and military representatives in The Hague.^[54] There is no evidence to suggest that this would have included the same oboe and bassoon players who responded to the advertisement in February, but this is the first source describing such an outdoor performance with double-reeds for high-ranking people in the Republic in the period of study. A similar performance took place in Leiden in 1725 to celebrate the third fiftieth anniversary of Leiden University. But this is specifically labelled as a performance and was played by timpani, trumpets, horns, “Hautbois”, and other instruments.^[55] Music for winds and percussion became more commonplace within the Republic throughout the rest of the eighteenth century, eventually leading to a true military culture of wind music by the end of the century.^[56]

While determining the exact repertoire of the Republic’s military double-reed musicians is not currently possible, a “Dragonders Mars”^[57] (Figure 6.6) can be found in the third volume of Hollantsche Schouburgh, en plugge dansen vermengelt met sangh airen (1716). Given that there are at least two examples of double-reed players in dragoon regiments in the period of study (Johannes de Heurder and the subsidy troops of Charles I), it would not be implausible that this march was played by actual military musicians.

Figure 6.6: “Dragonders Mars” from volume three of Hollantsche Schouburgh, en plugge dansen vermengelt met sangh airen (1716).^[58]

Summary

To Chapter 7: Amateur Music