"Pas de charge" Topic

Greetings all. I should be grateful if those in the know could direct me to a source, video I suppose, for an authentic rendering of the

pas de charge

aka. 'Old Trousers'.

Internat searches I have made turn up a range of inconsistent versions which has left me confused.

Many thanks,

JF

That's because I there are a number of different versions.

This is the basic:

YouTube link

This is the Genedier version:

YouTube link

This is the one for the Sailors of the Imperial Guard:

YouTube link

And this one is mislabeled in Youtube:

YouTube link

Because it's the March "La Victoire est a Nous"

YouTube link

Hope this helps.

Thank you. The first, the basic, seems to me to be being played fairly badly, while the second, of the grenadiers is being performed with some skill if a little muddy, lacking in base and drowned out by the band.(to begin with, it sounds a little like the British 'Drummers Call', from 'The 'General.'

However neither seem to me to be particularly distinctive, the sort of drum call to make the blood of defenders go cold as they watched the Emperors infantry bear down on them.

This alternative version (from 'Waterloo'?) which came up in sequence after the grenadiers link seems more convincing:

YouTube link

-but is it the 'pas de charge'?

I've liked "La Victoire est a Nous" ever since I saw "Waterloo" in the cinema.

Another one used was "Ah Ca Ira"

YouTube link

This tune played at the Battle of Farmars in 1793 to motivate the French troops was heard by the Colonel of the 14th Foot (West Yorkshire Regiment) who ordered the band to play it so as to "Beat them with their own damned tune."

I have been intrigued by the 'Ca ira' story, which appears in different forms; the earliest in 1815 which is notably vague in comparison to later versions:

"Lieut.-Colonel Doyle galloped to the front, halted, and re-formed the ranks, then bid the band play the tune "Ça ira," and using a few encouraging expressions to the men."
(Royal Military Calendar, 1815)

I often wondered how the band of the 14th* knew what notes to play. Perhaps they were a really tight improv group. (*At that date officially 'The Bedfordshire Regiment; 14th Buckinghamshire from 1809; PoW, West Yorks, 1881)

Interestingly, though, in the original Doyle family version colected in 1911, according to 'an eyewitness' it was the drums, rather than the band, who were ordered to play:
"Come along, my lads, let's break these scoundrels to their own d — d tune ; drummers, strike up 'Ça ira.'"

Less problem with knowing the notes there.

However, it seems Ca ira was based on a popular French dance tune 'Carillon National,' with new bloodthirsty Jacobin lyrics added, so perhaps it was a popular melody on both sides before Famars. There was a degree of fraternisation between French and British troops when opportunity allowed.

YouTube link

At the 1:02 to 1:10 mark on the YouTube video above appears to be a good drumming of the Pas de Charge.

Thank you. That is very clear. It certainly seems to conform to some of the transcriptions that I have seen in print:

drrum dum-dum, drrum dum-dum, drrum drrum dum-dum.

David Howarth, in 'A Near Run Thing' rendered the p.d.ch as:

dum-dum. dum-dum. rumma-dum, rumma-dum, dum-dum.

I know these renderings can be very subjective and would probably make a percussionist laugh, but this is my version of the Grenadiers p.d.ch from the link above:

drrum di-dum di-dummma di-dum, drrum di-dum di-dummma di-dum, drrum di-dum di drrrrr-um

That does seem to me to resemble a slow version of the Drummers Call as seen, for instance, on Horse Guards at the start of the Foot Guards 'Trooping the Colour' ceremony:
YouTube link

My apologies, 138 Squadron. I failed to click your link to the same 'La Victoire c'est a nous' video. So, emphatically, not the pas de charge!