"Drums and horns and pike blocks" Topic

When those big pike blocks of the early renaissance pushed forward into the attack, did they go in with large numbers of banging drums and blaring horns, the men hollering, shouting, singing…or did they charge in silent?

I'm guessing the former. Why else have them? Also, I imagine that the noise would have kept the men's spirits up and the beating of the drums would have helped keep them marching in step.

I don't think cadenced marching starts as early as the Renaissance, not sure about the noise though. I have a vague memory of Swiss advancing in silence at one battle and this un-nerving their opponents.

"It is said that the Scots advanced in silence, "In the German manner"; that is without sounding trumpets, beating drums or cheering." – that's at Flodden, link

Drummers and fifers were an integral part of any Fähnlein, and at that time this was done by veterans rather then the youngsters of later centuries.

There is no proof but the assumption that cadenced march (or at least the usage of rythm to come close) was used is likely for formations so close.

Silence in battle as long as possible is also likely, so that orders could be given and understood.

I've thought about this for years. Anyone who has had experience of marching in formation,even,say,in high school band, knows how much practice it takes to get anywhere without falling into disorder,or at the very least,the "accordion" effect.
Imagine that band 4,000 strong,and packed into a dense column. Now give everybody 18-foot poles to carry. Then take away their drums and cadenced step.
Oh yes,now have some people shooting at them.

Hard to imagine, isn't it?

This a topic that comes up from time to time in 17th century re-enactment circles. I don't recall any period drill manual with any discussion of breaking step for crossing bridges and the like. Of course the lack of evidence isn't the same as evidence of lack, but it suggests that cadence step wasn't in use. On the other hand it is difficult not to march in cadence if drums are beating a pace. Its one of those things we will never know for certain.

The understanding about breaking step on bridges seems to have come about long after cadence step was introduced. It was suspension bridges collapsing which showed the necessity.

Experience of marching in a Napoleonic formation can be misleading.
Modern drill – and probably a marching band – are in a very tight formation. Thion's book on the French in the TYW mentions that each file and rank is 6' apart (which seems to include the soldier himself). Once experienced, they could reduce to 3'.
By the Napoleonic wars there was essentially no space between files with each soldier allocated 22 inches.
Whether it would be easy to march in the wider formation without cadence is another matter, but it isn't the same as being in the tighter formation.

Purely anecdotal, but in German tradition the basic marching beat (left, left, left-right-left) is often associated with the phrase "Hüt' – Dich, – Baur' ich komm'!"(Watch out, peasant, here I come!), said to date back to Landsknecht times.

Troops were marching at a pace set by drums at least as far back as the 15th Century. Doing so is an important part of using the massive formations employed by the Swiss and others.
Jovius describes how the Vitelli brothers (a condottieri family) created an Italian infantry based on the Swiss & Landsknechts in 1496. The troops were taught to "keep step by the drumbeat".

From 1495 we have the following description of German foot.

All eyes were attracted to a phalanx of Germans which formed a square and was composed of 6,000 foot soldiers commanded by Georg von Eberstein (Wolkenstein) on a splendid horse. In keeping with the German custom, a large number of drums was heard in this battle formation, almost strong enough to burst one's ears. Wearing only breast armor, they strode along with but little interval between their ranks. The leading men carried long lances with a sharp point, while the following ranks held their lances high. They were followed by halberds and men with two-handed swords. [Sic!] They were accompanied by color bearers whose signals caused the entire unit to move to the right, to the left, and to the rear, as if it were moving along on a float. These units were followed by men armed with the harquebus, with crossbowmen on their right and left. When opposite Duchess Beatrix, on a signal, they suddenly shifted the square into a wedge (that is, the broad formation into a narrow one, or the square with sides of equal length into a square with equal numbers of men on each side). Then they divided into two wings, and finally the entire mass swung about as one part moved very slowly and the other very quickly so that one part revolved about the other, which stood still, so that they appeared to form a single body.

(It should be noted that the reference to two handed swords is a mistake by Delbruck, the original latin contains no such reference)

This level of ability requires that you march at a set pace, particularly if using such short distances between the ranks. Even without pikes it is easy to foul the formation if everyone is not in step and with pikes the ability to get into trouble due to disorder multiplies. Even more so when the pikes are lowered for combat.

When Erik XIV of Sweden issued training instructions for the Swedish infantry in the early 1560's as part of his introduction of large scale pike use one paragraph of the instructions laid down that the captains were to instruct the men in how to march at the pace set by the drums and fifes.

The most source which provides the most details afaik is Olnitz "Kriegsordnung" from 1598. He describes two paces for the the infantry. The "Common pace" which was 3 paces to a beat of the drum and an unnamed higher pace in which there was 5 paces to a beat of the drum. In the first case the troops marched 1/4 of a German mile in an hour. Using the higher pace the troops marched a comple German mile in 3 hours.

The quote from 1495 is fascinating, I never realised that such complex drills had been taught by the end of the 15th century. Where did Delbruck get it from?

A German mile is about 7.5km or 3.75 UK miles, so 1/4 of a German mile is about 1.9km or about 1.2 UK miles

It's an account published first in Venice in 1496, the original text is in latin and was republished in several diffrent later works including at least one 1549 translation into Italian.