"Borodino Russian musicians" Topic

I am producing a model diorama in 25mm scale of the Battle of Borodino: borodino1812.co.uk . The completed model of some 1,200 will be about 1.8 x 1.8 metres and I'm off to Moscow on the 25th to see the actual site prior to putting the model together in June / July. The Russian Embassy in London are going to display the model at their new Culture Centre.

My slightly obscure question: What instruments would Russians have used?

For Infantry, Grenadier and Jδger regiments in 1812:

"regimental band"
-- 2x фагот – fagot – bassoon

-- 2x валторн – valtorn – like a big French horn


-- 2x кларнет – klarnet – a bit bigger then a modern clarinet


-- 2x флейт – fleyt – fife or flute
-- 1x барабан – baraban – drum

-- These horns were all brass, the musicians all under-officers
-- Additionally, for each Saint-George award, add 2 silver trumpets
-- From 1809, in the Life-Guard Preobrazhenckiy regiment had 40 musicians and the other guard regiments 25 – with a broader range of instruments
-- By 1812, several of the guard regiments also had a drum-major or "chef de musique", above complement and at the expense of the officers
-- The regimental band formed with the 1st battalion, but the musicians were usually told off for tending the wounded during combat

"tactical musicians"
-- 1x полковой барабанщик – polkovoy barabanshchik – regimental drummer (under-officer), formed with the 1st batallion
-- 2x батальонный барабанщик – batal'onnyy barabanshchik – battalion drummer (under-officer), formed with the 3rd batallion and with the "center" companies of the 2nd battalion
-- 6x ротный флейтщик – rotnyy fleytshchik – company fifer/flutist, 2 formed with each of the 1st and 3rd battalions, and 2 with the combined grenadier battlaion that included the grenadier company of the 2nd battalion
-- 36x ротный барабанщик – rotnyy barabanshchik – company drummer – 12 formed with each of the 1st and 3rd battalions, 3 with the combined grenadier battlaion that included the grenadier company of the 2nd battalion, 9 with the "center" companies of the 2nd battalion
-- The "tactical musicians" for a battalion were formed as a "battery" to the right of the line when in deployed, or inside a square, or at the head of a column
-- In the Life-Grenadier regiment, there were a total of 24 fifers/flutists – 2 for every company

The Jδger regiments were "supposed" to have adopted this standard organization in 1811. However, previously (since 1802) they had had a rather different establishment:

"regimental band"
-- 1x мастер-валторнист – master valtornist (under-officer), with the 1st battalion
-- 5x валторнист – valtornist, 1 with the 1st battalion, 2 each with the 2nd and 3rd battalions
-- Additionally, for each Saint-George award, add 2 silver trumpets, with the 1st battalion

"tactical musicians"
-- 1x полковой барабанщик – polkovoy barabanshchik – regimental drummer (under-officer), formed with the 1st batallion
-- 2x батальонный барабанщик – batal'onnyy barabanshchik – battalion drummer (under-officer), formed with the 2nd & 3rd batallions
-- 24x ротный барабанщик – rotnyy barabanshchik – company drummer – 8 formed with each battalion
-- It is not perfectly clear (to me, at least) which jδger regiments had accomplished the expansion to standard organization by 1812, nor is it clear to what extent (if any) the horns were then being typically used for tactical signalling.

Steve Barber does a very nice Carabinier hornist code NR32

link

unfortunately no photo of it on the site but it IS a nice figure

rabbit

Seroga, thanks for posting the figures, I'm right in the middle of painting up some Front Rank Russian Drummers and needed some detail. Perfect timing!!

Cheers,
Thomas

Seroga, what a perfect answer. Many thanks. Gerry

Many thanks, Seroga!

Seroga, do you read German? If yes, you should read this book which may give you a completely new insight into the matter:

amazon.com/Als-badischer-Milit%C3%A4rmusiker-Napoleons-Kriegen/dp/317023031X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453803387&sr=8-1&keywords=als+badischer+milit%C3%A4rmusiker

These are the memoirs of Balthasar Eccardt, a Baden musician ("Hautboist") who participated in the 1812 campaign. He was taken captive by the Russians but was lucky enough to be unexpectedly engaged as a band master with a Russian regiment he came across near Wilna while being escorted back.

This was the 27th Jδger regiment – and it had a large band of 40 (!) musicians (Eccardt expressly calls them "Hautboisten"). This band was divided into two sections. On the one hand a complete Turkish band, on the other a Horn orchestra (no Valthornists, but players of Mares horns – you know, just one note or half note per instrument). Such a "superfluous luxury" even when on campaign! But who cared about the regulations. The regimental chiefs had the say.

The normal size of a horn orchestra was 24 musicians, so I assume that the complete Turkish band was 16 strong. Eccardt says that it was the Turkish band that actually played the music while the horn orchestra just accompanied them.

It can also be gleaned from Eccardt's memoirs that all other units of the army corps to which the 27th Jδgers belonged had bands as well for he proudly claims that under his direction the band of the 27th became the best of the whole corps.