"Sunset", also known as the "Retreat Call", is a bugle call played in

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and British

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

countries to signal the end of the official military day.Royal Marines Band – "beating retreat"
''royalmarinesbands.co.uk'', Retrieved 18 July 2010 In common with all bugle calls, it consists only of notes from a single

overtone An overtone is any resonant frequency above the fundamental frequency of a sound. (An overtone may or may not be a harmonic) In other words, overtones are all pitches higher than the lowest pitch within an individual sound; the fundamental i ...

series. This allows it to be playable on a bugle or equivalently on a

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

without moving the valves. The call is regularly heard performed in an arrangement for full

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 ...

by Captain A.C. Green (1888–1974), who was Director of the Royal Naval School of Music's Junior Wing on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

.A.C. Green biography
''seayourhistory.org.uk'', Retrieved 18 July 2010 The arrangement was composed aboard in response to Admiral Fisher's desire for a "spectacular show" and was first performed in 1932 by the Massed Bands and Bugles of the Mediterranean Fleet. The Sunset call is now a regular part of the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

' "Beating Retreat" ceremony, the call's melody also gives its name to "Sunset Parades" given in commemoration of former military conflicts. It is traditional to stand for the performance of the piece. Trumpet & Bugle Calls for the British Army marks this call for

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

units only. The call would then be sounded on an E♭ Cavalry Trumpet.

References

External links

MP3 rendition of "Sunset" bugle call
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunset (Bugle Call) Military music Military ceremonies Bugle calls Military life