Restoring the English March: interpreting 17th- and 18th-century drum music

Abstract

Abstract The English March (EM) defined the sound of the nation for four centuries, but its rhythm and sound have been almost entirely lost, despite the availability of music from the 17th and 18th centuries. Attempts over the past half-century to interpret the music have produced unsatisfactory translations, because they have had to augment the music provided and have not convincingly defined the rudiments depicted in the original sources. I argue that applying rules derived from white mensural notation and Arbeau’s Orchésographie to the EM’s rhythm produces a strong 34 interpretation. Additionally, a study of three surviving versions of the EM and a survey of 18th- and 19th-century drum rudiments allows us to form a complete picture of the rudimental complexity of the EM. The resulting beating represents the closest interpretation to the original EM that current resources allow, and therefore constitutes a major advance in the interpretation of early British military music.