The Republican Guard Band () is a

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 instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

unit of the French

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

, which is part of the

National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie ( ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police (France), National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minister ...

. The band is composed of 120 professional musicians from national conservatories. As the senior band and field music unit of the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...

, it is aimed towards active participation as the musical accompaniment in all national events.

History

The band was founded in by Jean-Georges Paulus. Its official debut dates back to 1852, when a concert was organized in honor of Jean Paulus, its founder and the first leader of the band. The band made its first international performance in 1871, when it traveled to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Since then, the musicians of the band have made numerous tours all over the world. In 1993, the band was given its current name and was transferred to the Republican Guard. Since March 1, 1997, the band has been under the command of Colonel François Boulanger, with Lieutenant-Colonel Sébastien Billiard as his deputy. The band performed at the

2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The Olympic Games ceremony#Opening, opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics took place on 26 July 2024 across Paris, beginning at 19:30 Central European Summer Time, CEST (17:30 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC). As mandated by the Olympic ...

Composition

French Republican Guard Bastille Day 2007 n3

* Infantry Band of the Republican Guard *

Fanfare band A fanfare band, fanfare corps, fanfare battery, fanfare team, horn and drum corps, bugle band, drum and bugle corps, or trumpet and drum band (including the German ''Fanfarenzug'', ''Fanfarenkorps'' and ''Regimentsbläserkorps'', the Dutch ''drumb ...

Section ** Fanfare Band 1 ** Fanfare Band 2 * Mounted Fanfare Band * Concert Band (80 musicians) * String Orchestra (40 musicians), likely to be presented in configurations of 24 or 12 bows, or in string quartets * Symphony Orchestra * String Quartet * Napoleonic Drumline * Hunting Horn Platoon

Activities

The concert band and string orchestra perform either separately or as a combined ensemble during state dinners, festivals, or government organized concerts with the French Army Choir, sometimes the role is played upon the symphony orchestra and the Fanfare Bands. The Infantry Band and Fanfare Bands also perform during the annual

Bastille Day military parade The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, translation of the French name of , is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of Bastille Day, 14 July, each year in Paris since 1880, almost with ...

in Paris. As a general rule the bandsmen wear the blue uniform of the Republican Guard in all functions. In full dress the Infantry Band wears a shako, the mounted band wears a dragoon helmet.

Notable members and collaborators

Raymond Guiot Raymond Guiot (born 5 October 1930) is a French flautist, pianist and composer. He has also trained many flutists throughout the world. Biography Source: Guiot entered the Conservatoire de Roubaix at the age of 7, pushed by a father in love w ...

* Roger Boutry * Henri Couillaud * Bernard Galais *

Romain Leleu Romain Leleu (born 7 November 1983) is a French classical trumpeter. He is the elder brother of tuba player Thomas Leleu. Life Born in Lille, Leleu was elected ''révélation soliste instrumental'' by the Victoires de la Musique Classique in ...

* Jean-Georges Paulus *

Pierre Thibaud Pierre Thibaud (22 June 1929 – 29 October 2004) was a French classical trumpeter. Life Born in Proissans, Dordogne, Thibaud studied violon and trumpet at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux, then at the Conservatoire de Paris in Eugène Foveau's c ...

Unit music

Marches

* Defile de la Garde Républicaine * Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse *Marche Lorraine *Colonel Dupuy March *Musique de la Garde républicaine de Paris

Songs

La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. It was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by the First French Republic against Austria, and was originally titled "". The French Na ...

Chant du départ "" (; ) is a French revolutionary war song, composed by Étienne Méhul and written by Marie-Joseph Chénier in 1794. It was the official anthem of the French Empire, and it is currently the unofficial regional anthem of French Guiana and the ...

*La nuit américaine * La Madelon *Marche de la Garde Consulaire and La Victoire est à Nous

Bugle Calls

* Aux Champs

References

External links

* * * * * * * * {{Authority control Marching bands French military bands Military units and formations established in 1848 1848 establishments in France Mounted bands Musical groups established in 1848 French Gendarmerie Symphony orchestras Orchestras in Paris