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Dragoons on the march.

Love them. Nice figures, interesting poses, they will be very useful.

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Great to see a set of cavalry/mounted troops for the WoSS 'on the march', and some good poses and horses here. I like the fact that the officers' horses appear from the photos to be slightly larger than the poorer-quality horses of the rank and file, reflecting that dragoon horses tended to be fairly small and fairly poor - not cavalry chargers by any means.

The guidon looks good, but the set would have benefited from a drummer rather than the figure who appears (?) to be holding a wind instrument of some description, dragoons at this time still having the heritage of their infantry roots and not yet being fully-fledged cavalry.

Overall though, this will be a useful set allowing for the many dragoon units in the army of Louis XIV to be modelled in style.

Re: Dragoons on the march.: mounted drummer

Apologies, I have just realised that the forthcoming Horse Grenadiers set does have a mounted drummer, who will be entirely suitable as a dragoon drummer with a head swap. My mistake.:blush:

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Minuteman
Great to see a set of cavalry/mounted troops for the WoSS 'on the march', and some good poses and horses here. I like the fact that the officers' horses appear from the photos to be slightly larger than the poorer-quality horses of the rank and file, reflecting that dragoon horses tended to be fairly small and fairly poor - not cavalry chargers by any means.

The guidon looks good, but the set would have benefited from a drummer rather than the figure who appears (?) to be holding a wind instrument of some description, dragoons at this time still having the heritage of their infantry roots and not yet being fully-fledged cavalry.

Overall though, this will be a useful set allowing for the many dragoon units in the army of Louis XIV to be modelled in style.
"but the set would have benefited from a drummer rather than the figure who appears (?) to be holding a wind instrument of some description, dragoons at this time still having the heritage of their infantry roots and not yet being fully-fledged cavalry"


That's a misplaced statement as the dragoons used drums and wind instruments, namely oboes as shown - as did the infantry where, BTW, oboes had replaced the fifes in many cases.

http://www.rimab.ch/content/bilddokumente/GE/guerard-nicolas-1648-1719-lart-militaire-fiffres-et-hautbois-1695/ge-00101-01/view/view?set_language=en

Giving the dragoons trumpeters would have been a gross mistake, providing them with hautbois is perfectly allright. So, well done Strelets, and the drummers can be taken from the horse grenadiers, as you suggested.


La Marche des Dragons du Roy. Actually, the composer is not known, though it is often attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lully - wrongly. Most likely, a traditional air (Ensemble d'instruments à vent et de tambours, Dir. Jean-François Paillard; from "Partitions de Plusieurs Marches et Batteries de Tambour tant Françoises qu'Étrangères avec les Airs de Fifre et de Hautbois..." (1705, André Danican Philidor, dit l'aîné, ed.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5i6WD6yOkU

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Handlewithcare

That's a misplaced statement as the dragoons used drums and wind instruments, namely oboes as shown - as did the infantry where, BTW, oboes had replaced the fifes in many cases.

http://www.rimab.ch/content/bilddokumente/GE/guerard-nicolas-1648-1719-lart-militaire-fiffres-et-hautbois-1695/ge-00101-01/view/view?set_language=en

Giving the dragoons trumpeters would have been a gross mistake, providing them with hautbois is perfectly allright. So, well done Strelets, and the drummers can be taken from the horse grenadiers, as you suggested.



Well done to Streets indeed!

Do you know how many hautbois an average Dragoon regiment would have? Or were these at the Colonel's discretion?

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Actually, at present, I cannot remember any regulations concerning the number of hautbois per company or regiment. Like the fifers, the hautbois were not essential in terms of conveying signals, after all, but rather an "embellishment". Regarding the dragoons, Manesson Mallet wrote in 1684

"Dans chaque Compagnie il y a ... un Tambour, & quelques-uns on des Hautbois" (Les Travaux de Mars, Tome III, p. 108)

Sounds as if the employment and number of hautbois would have been optional. So, at the time, the number of hautbois would have been at the discretion of the colonels (or captains), indeed. Can't tell whether this had changed by the time of the WSS, but I suspect rather not. Just as a guideline - the envisaged instrumentation for the march mentioned in the post above was two drums, three hautbois - and a bassoon(!).

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Handlewithcare
Actually, at present, I cannot remember any regulations concerning the number of hautbois per company or regiment. Like the fifers, the hautbois were not essential in terms of conveying signals, after all, but rather an "embellishment". Regarding the dragoons, Manesson Mallet wrote in 1684

"Dans chaque Compagnie il y a ... un Tambour, & quelques-uns on des Hautbois" (Les Travaux de Mars, Tome III, p. 108)

Sounds as if the employment and number of hautbois would have been optional. So, at the time, the number of hautbois would have been at the discretion of the colonels (or captains), indeed. Can't tell whether this had changed by the time of the WSS, but I suspect rather not. Just as a guideline - the envisaged instrumentation for the march mentioned in the post above was two drums, three hautbois - and a bassoon(!).
That's helpful, thank you. Hautbois as an instrument generally present but at the discretion of the Colonel sounds about 'right' for the early C18th. And as for a bassoonist on the march...quite an image (and noise)!

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Handlewithcare
La Marche des Dragons du Roy. Actually, the composer is not known, though it is often attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lully - wrongly. Most likely, a traditional air (Ensemble d\\\\\\\'instruments à vent et de tambours, Dir. Jean-François Paillard; from \\\\\\\"Partitions de Plusieurs Marches et Batteries de Tambour tant Françoises qu\\\\\\\'Étrangères avec les Airs de Fifre et de Hautbois...\\\\\\\" (1705, André Danican Philidor, dit l\\\\\\\'aîné, ed.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5i6WD6yOkU

Thank you for this, love the music - a lot - but the illustrations with it are even better. I am currently building scenery to go with Red Box's Musketeers and they are quite useful.

Re: Dragoons on the march.
Re: Dragoons on the march.

This could very well become an 'Anthem' for us Strelets Forum-ers!

Re: Dragoons on the march.

All good stuff - though having seen Strawhead several times over the years - most notably in the Great Hall at Kelham Hall near Newark, I prefer their version, though The City Waites version is pretty bloody good too. Lucy Skeaping is a legend anyway - she used to have a folk music program on the BBC.

Not strictly in line with the WSS but it may cover the period, this version for me is sublime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71U0CPjkUyI

Re: Dragoons on the march.

The Strawhead version of "When cannons are roaring" - modern arrangement. And that Sharpe version of "Over the Hills and Far Away" - a schmaltzy modern arrangement. Period music is sort of audible contemporary document to me, so I want it as authentically performed as possible. The best versions of both songs were recorded by Tarleton's Jig on their LPs "For King and Parliament" and "A Fit of Mirth For A Groat" respectively, in period style. Unfortunately, both LPs were never released as CDs and I couldn't find the songs online either.

To each his own - but I stick with that sort of thing ... :wink:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJclGrRJrIk&list=OLAK5uy_lpqCltrxPZzHR7XlmepBPrfmsTcCljAcw&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tkb0CNEkBc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy8cmjUXohQ&list=OLAK5uy_lpqCltrxPZzHR7XlmepBPrfmsTcCljAcw&index=14

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Absolutely - with regard to veracity then, you may enjoy Vox Vulgaris' medieval music. They're on youtube.

However both of the songs I mentioned have a personal sentimental attachment - Strawhead - good times in beertents and John Tamms from the first time I saw him and enjoyed his music at a folk club in Lancaster to when he made it big with Sharpe and what that particular song means to me.




Re: Dragoons on the march.

Vox Vulgaris sound good - and there are many others ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5cQwOgGjZY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8B2DYGahhg

etc., etc.


BTW, regarding "Over the Hills and Far Away" - the Sharpe version isn't in line with the WSS at all but, as you may know, the song itself is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_Hills_and_Far_Away_(traditional_song)

As for the text, Farquhar - who was a recruiting officer himself for a time - is our man ("The Recruiting Officer", 1706).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Farquhar

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Yes, I did actually know that, the early 18thC is a particularly fertile period for those type songs, High Germany being another.

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Dear Steve and Mark,

Like you both I was immediately taken with the range of poses, both interesting and useful.

The mix of sizes of the horses is an excellent feature too, as you note Mark.

Top stuff Strelets!

Regards, James

p.s. I can't help the 'petty' and historically ignorant comment that they look like they a group of 'wee Willie winkies' going for a nocturnal ride!!

Re: Dragoons on the march.

James Fisher


p.s. I can't help the 'petty' and historically ignorant comment that they look like they a group of 'wee Willie winkies' going for a nocturnal ride!!
I sense that the 'gentlemen' of a French Dragoon unit might greet a 'Wee Willy winky' taunt, even a well-meaning one, with a well-directed volley or two, James!! But I agree that, in military terms, the headgear is less fearsome than some/most 'hats' of the 'Horse and Musket' era. Difficult to imagine French Napoleonic Dragoons wearing this headgear into battle I think.:relaxed:

Re: Dragoons on the march.

I'd deserve it too, Mark!

These are going to be perfect for me as Polish-Commonwealth dragoons in 'western' uniform for the Great Northern War.

Beauty again Strelets!

James

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Beautiful figures - even if not in one of my eras.

Re: Dragoons on the march.

Congratulations Strelets! Another exciting addition to the range. Really looking forward to seeing more complete sets being announced. This WSS range just keeps on impressing and I'm sure you must be dragging in many collectors who would have originally not wanted to collect a new era! Hopefully your sales numbers reflect well with these new releases and keep encouraging you to develop this range further.