The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation serves as the official service of

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...

s in active service within the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

and formerly the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and t ...

. It is part of the Military Band Service Directorate of the

General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (russian: Генеральный штаб Вооружённых сил Российской Федерации, General'nyy shtab Vooruzhonnykh sil Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the mil ...

Senior Directors

* Major General Semyon Tchernetsky (1924–1949) * Major General Ivan Petrov (1950–1958) * Major General Nikolai Nazarov (1958–1976) * Major General Nikolai Mikhailov (1976–1993) * Lieutenant General Viktor Afanasyev (1993–2002) * Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov (2002–2016) * Major General Timofey Mayakin (2016–Present)

History

For a country that has not just one of the largest armed forces in the world but also has produced some of the greatest composers and musicians, the MBS-AFR is one of the oldest institutions of military music in Europe and the world, founded by

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

as per Ukaz № 2319 enacted on Feb. 19, 1711, which mandated the formation of military bands and field music formations within both the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

and the nascent

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

following the Western practices. As both the Army's two foundation regiments (the

Preobrazhensky Regiment The Preobrazhensky Life-Guards Regiment (russian: Преображенский лейб-гвардии полк, ''Preobrazhensky leyb-gvardii polk'') was a regiment of the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Russian Army from 1683 to 1917. The ...

and the Semyonovsky Regiment) had their own bands and corps of drums, which would also inspire the formation of the bands and fanfare band units within the artillery and the cavalry, the age of Peter the Great, aside from laying the foundation of the armed forces, also began centuries of the Russian military band tradition, which continues until today. In the 1870s, a post called the Inspector of Naval Bands, held by composer

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

until its abolishment, became the starting point for the official organized arrangement of military bands. In 1922, the Inspectorate of the Military Bands of the Red Army and Navy was formed, renamed in 1955 as the current Military Band Service. In October 1924, the post of Inspector of Military Bands of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

. As of 1947, Inspectorate of Military Bands reported directly to the head of the 3rd Division of the Combat Training Department of the Soviet Army Headquarters, where it was transferred to on 1 December 1931. Its modern functions and duties were established in an order signed by the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

Viktor Samsonov Viktor Nikolaevich Samsonov (russian: Виктор Николаевич Самсонов; born November 10, 1941 in Dukhovnitsky District), General of the Army. He was the acting Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Fede ...

on 22 November 1996. In November 2007, by the approval of President

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

, the band service created a charter for the conductors of garrison bands to have more authority over their events and activities. In 2011, the service celebrated 300 years of Russian military music.

Activities

Annual concert activity of the military band service began inside the hall of the Philharmonic Society of St. Petersburg in November 1813.

Senior Director of Music and regional directors

The office of Senior Director of Music of the Military Band Service is the operational and administrative leader of the service. His/her role is laid out in a decree from Soviet Defence Minister

Rodion Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (russian: Родио́н Я́ковлевич Малино́вский, ukr, Родіо́н Я́кович Малино́вський ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander. He was Marshal of the Sov ...

dating back to July 1963. Local military bands of military garrisons and units are managed by the chiefs of the military bands services of the military districts, with their appointment being as the Senior Director of Music. As such, local conductors report to the director and are accountable to him/her only.

Mass service-wide events

Over 1,000 musicians of the service divided into 40 bands participate in the annual Victory Day parades and before 1991 the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...

and May 1 parades as well. The service is an active sponsor of the annual Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Joint military concerts are commonly held between the bands of the service and foreign military bands on Russian and foreign soil. Mass events were held on the service's tricentennial in 2011. Every couple of years, officials from the service conduct contests to identify the best bands in the service as well as inspections to identify those that retain the standard for bands. In 1928, the first national competition of military bands being held.

Individual bands

The military band service provides military bands for the Kremlin Regiment and the

154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment serves as the official honor guard regiment of the Russian Armed Forces and serves as the main honor guard unit of the armed forces, stationed in Moscow. Aside from being the honor guar ...

during special occasions and

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

Composition

90th anniversary of the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense

The composition of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation include: * General Office of the Military Band Service of the Russian Defense Ministry * Exemplary Bands (bands that have specific duties and representative activities that therefore make them the seniormost in the armed forces) ** Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia ** Central Navy Band of Russia ** Exemplary Military Band (Honor Guard) * Training Schools ** Military University College of Military Music and Military Band Conductors School (formerly the Military Bandmaster department of the Moscow State

Tchaikovsky Conservatory Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

) ** Moscow Suvorov Military Music College Lieutenant-General VM Khalilov * Regional Bands ** Headquarters bands of military districts ** Unit bands ** Bands of groups of forces and separate armies ** Bands of

naval fleet A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land. Purpose In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but not ne ...

s and marine bases * Bands within military units and formations and in military schools Not under the armed forces but affiliated to the Band Service: * Presidential Band of the Russian Federation – under the Kremlin Regiment of the Federal Protective Service *

Military Band Service of the National Guard of Russia Military Band Service of the National Guard of Russia is the official musical department of the National Guard of Russia or the Rosgvardia. It has bands that perform commonly during many Russian national holidays such as Victory Day (9 May) on ...

* Military Band Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia * Central Band of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia *

Police Band Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia The Police Band Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia is the official police band service of the Police of Russia, a directly reporting agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The PBS-MIA-RF serves as the primary ceremonial m ...

The Band of the Moscow Garrison is in that it consists of the 190 quality musicians who come together from different exemplary bands throughout the former

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military D ...

. At one time, it included the Headquarter Band of the MVO, the Combined Band of the Internal Troops, the Band of the Military Institute of Military Conductors, the Band of the Military Academy of the Strategic Rocket Forces, the Band of the Moscow Higher Military Command School, and the Band of the 147 Automobile Base of the Ministry of Defense. The support all important state events and special events in the Russian capital, including military parades on Red Square and international music festivals.

Current Formation of Massed Bands

Formation in Moscow * Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets, Field Drums, 1st Glockenspiels * Trumpets, Cornets, Flugelhorns * 1st Trombones * 1st and 2nd Marching Percussion ** Snare drums ** Bass drums and Cymbals ** Turkish crescents ** 2nd Glockenspiels * 2nd Trombones * Horns, Mellophones * Clarinets, Oboes, Saxophones, Bassoons, Flutes and Piccolos * Baritone horns, Tenor horns, Saxhorns * Euphoniums, Wagner Tubas, Tubas, Sousaphones Formation in St Petersburg Orchestra of the St

* Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets (optional) * Field Drums (optional) * Trumpets * 1st Trombones, Horns and Woodwinds ** Clarinets, Saxophones * Marching Percussion ** Snare Drums ** Bass drums ** Cymbals ** Turkish crescent (since 2011) ** Glockenspiels * 2nd Trombones and Horns * 2nd Woodwinds ** Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos ** Saxophones * Saxhorns, Baritone and tenor horns, Euphoniums, Wagner tubas * Tubas, Sousaphones (optional) Formation in Yekaterinburg * Chromatic Fanfare Trumpets * Field Drums (optional) * Trumpets, Cornets * Trombones and Horns * Saxophones * Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Piccolos * Marching Percussion ** Snare Drums ** Bass drums ** Cymbals ** Turkish crescent ** Glockenspiels * Saxhorns, Baritone and tenor horns, Euphoniums, Wagner tubas * Tubas, Sousaphones (optional)

Symbols

File:Great emblem of the Special Exemplary Military Band of the Guard of Honor Battalion of Russia.svg, Emblem File:Great emblem of the Military Band Service of the Russian Armed Forces.svg, Variant Emblem File:Mo narznaki113 1.png, Shoulder patch File:USSR Military musicians emblem.jpg, Shoulder Patch (1960-1991) File:Mo narznaki114 1.png, Patch for Organs of the Military Band Service Directorate File:Mo narznaki115 1.png, Patch of the Moscow Military Conservatory File:Mo narznaki116 1.png, Patch of the Moscow Military Music College File:Mo narznaki117 1.png, Patch of the Band of the Ministry of Defence The emblems and patches of the band service were adopted by order of Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov on 7 February 2005. Common elements of military band symbols include: *

Lyre The lyre () is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it ...

(traditional emblem of military musicians worldwide) *Red color (traditional color of the instrument cloth of military personnel in military bands) *Emblem of the Russian Armed Forces *Oak wreath