The Musical Unit of the Spanish Royal Guard (Spanish: Unidad musical de la Guardia Real España) is the official music service of the Spanish Royal Guard of the Spanish Armed Forces that is dedicated to providing ceremonial honours and music to the King of Spain, the Spanish Royal Family, and public officials. The musical unit is one of many battalion sized units in the regiment, with over 100 professional musicians in its ranks who are chosen from the non-commissioned officers of the Military Music Corps. It is one of the more senior and representative bands in the Spanish Armed Forces, with its repertoire covering a wide range of Army, Navy and Air Force music. The entire unit is currently under the baton of the conductor of the Military Band of the Royal Guard, Colonel Musician Enrique Damián Blasco Cebolla.
| Musical Unit of the Spanish Royal Guard | |
|---|---|
| Unidad musical de la Guardia Real España | |
 The Mounted Band of Timpani and Bugles on parade. | |
| Active | 1998–present |
| Country |  Spain |
| Allegiance |  Felipe VI of Spain |
| Branch |  Spanish Armed Forces |
| Type | Military band |
| Size | battalion sized |
| Part of |  Spanish Royal Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Madrid |
| March | Himno de la Guardia Real ("Hymn of the Royal Guards") |
| Anniversaries | October 12 |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Musician Enrique Damián Blasco Cebolla[1] |
| Notable commanders |
|
History
editThe Musical Unit of the Royal Guard was first organized as a singular musical group on February 19, 1874, with its first director being Martín Elexpuru. Its current structure dates back to 1998 and since then it has been constituted by the Symphonic Band, Marching Band and the Fife Section.[2]
Present Day
edit
Among their obligations are the following:
- Being present at military parades
- Honoring foreign heads of state on their state visits to Madrid
- Support the everyday ceremonial activities of the Regiment
- Take part in the guard mounting ceremony at the Royal Palace of Madrid every Wednesday from noon to 2pm
- Giving concerts at the Royal Palace on behalf of the regiment
- Performing drill at military tattoos domestically and internationally
The marching band has performed it precision marching drill throughout Europe, with notable performances being in London, Paris, Cologne, Bucharest, and Moscow.[3][4]
Recordings
edit- New Anthology of Military Music
- Concert of Military Music
- Soldiers for Peace
- Relay in the Palace
- Musical Memory of Spain
- Spain in Pasodobles
- Suspiros de España
Organization
edit- Unit HQ and High Command
- Military Band of the Royal Guard of Spain
- Marching Band
- Symphonic Band
- Mounted Band of Timpani and Bugles, reports to the Royal Escort Squadron
- Corps of Drums (composed of Drums and bugles)
- Fife Section
- Pipe band
- Brass fanfare section
- Royal Guard Big band
- Royal Guard Chamber Ensemble
List of directors
edit| Name | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Mariano Rodríguez Rubio | 1842 | 1857 |
| Leopoldo Martín Elexpuru | 1867 | 1868 |
| Leopoldo Martín Elexpuru | 1875 | 1893 |
| Enrique Calvist Serrano | 1894 | 1895 |
| Eduardo López Juarranz | 1896 | 1897 |
| Bartolomé Pérez Casas | 1897 | 1911 |
| Emilio Vega Manzano | 1911 | 1937 |
| Luis Álvarez Martínez | 1937 | 1939 |
| Ricardo Vidal Tolosa | 1957 | 1975 |
| José López Calvo | 1976 | 1988 |
| Francisco Grau Vegara | 1989 | 2007 |
| Antonio Sendra Cebolla | 2008 | 2010 |
| Enrique Damián Blasco Cebolla | 2010 | 2020 |
| Armando Bernabeu Andreu | 2020 | TBD |
| Source:[5] | ||
References
edit- ^ http://www.patrimoniomusical.com/bd-author-885 [dead link]
- ^ "- Unidad de Música".
- ^ Gil, Lila Pérez (9 May 1998). "La banda de la Guardia Real toca en la plaza de Oriente". El País.
- ^ "Comparatif 2021 – Meilleurs sites de rencontre coquines RT".
- ^ Patrimonio Musical. "Unidad de Música de la Guardia Real". Retrieved 2021-02-07.
External links
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- Official website of the Royal Guard (in Spanish)