Army Music Command

Music branch of the French Army

A member of the Army Signals Band during a festival in 2007.

The Army Music Command (French: Commandement des Musiques de l’Armée de Terre, COMMAT)) is an organization under the direct authority of the Chief of Staff of the French Army. It is based in Satory.

It consists of a headquarters, 5 wind bands, a brass band and a string ensemble - the only one in the Armed Forces, distributed throughout French territory in the following cities: Lille, Lyon, Metz, Toulouse, Rennes and Versailles.

These 6 bands include the following:[1][2]

* Marine Band (Versailles)
* Artillery Band (Lyon)
* Signals Band (Rennes)
* Infantry Band (Lille)
* Cavalry and Armored Branch Band (Metz)
* Parachute Band (Toulouse)

These bands exclude the bands of unit regiments and military schools. It supports missions aimed at promoting music in military institutions but also in civil society. French army bands recruit from high-level professional instrumentalists.[3] It trains musicians for the various army bands as well as musical conductors not just for the branches of the armed forces but also for armies of foreign countries.

## History[edit]

Its origins date back to the creation, in 1792, of the Guard School of Music, the purpose of which was to train musicians for battle. In 1795, one of the emanations was the National Conservatory of Music for civilian musicians only. In 1836, the Guard School of Music became the Military Gymnasium, then, in 1965, a training and further training center for Army NCOs. In 1978, the Military Conservatory of Army Music was created to train and perfect the musical excellence of all of the Army's military musicians.[4]

## Other army bands[edit]

Outside of this framework, army bands include the following bands:[5]

* Fanfare du 27e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpin
* Paris Fire Brigade Band
* French Foreign Legion Music Band (MLE)
* Fanfare du 9e Brigade d'Infanterie de Marine[6]
* Fanfare du 6e Régiment du Génie
* Fanfare de 1er régiment de chasseurs à cheval
* Fanfare du 1er Régiment De Hussards Parachutistes
* Fanfare du 2e Régiment De Hussards
* Fanfare du 503e régiment du Train
* Fanfare du 92 Régiment d'infanterie
* Fanfare du 1er régiment de spahis
* Fanfare Nouba du 1er Régiment de Tirailleurs
* Fanfare du Régiment de Marche du Tchad
* Fanfare du 1er Régiment Parachutiste d' Infanterie de Marine
* Fanfare des Ecoles Militaires de Draguignan (School of Applied Artillery)

Fanfare bands of military lyceums (lycee militaire) are also operated in the following cities: Autun, La Flèche, Saint-Cyr-l'École, and Aix-en-Provence.[5]

## See also[edit]

* Royal Corps of Army Music
* Australian Army Band Corps

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-02-23. Retrieved 2020-03-20.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. ^ "Union Nationale de l'Arme Blindée Cavalerie Chars - Musiques militaires". www.unabcc.org.
3. ^ "COMMANDEMENT DES MUSIQUES DE L'ARMEE DE TERRE (COMMAT) | musicora". www.musicora.com.
4. ^ "Le Conservatoire militaire de musique de l'armée de terre". www.lalettredumusicien.fr. Archived from the original on 2020-03-20.
5. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-03-23. Retrieved 2020-03-23.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-08-02. Retrieved 2020-03-23.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)