[TPIN] Last Post question

[Graeme Beckett]

I missed the original question.  Would someone kindly send it to me
privately?

 

I get to play the Last Post often, including for the local Australian and
New Zealand community on ANZAC day on April 25th each year.  The biggest
event at which I played it was for Her Majesty during the Commonwealth
Conference in November 1999.  Each year I get to play it on national
television at the final gun of the Comrades Marathon, run between Durban and
Pietermaritzburg.  This year it takes place on June 16th.

 

Apart from the 5 fermatas (pauses) it is played at a fast pace (152 beats a
minute) although there is traditionally latitude given to the buglar to slow
the tempo and hold notes at the end of phrases.  When I play, it lasts about
a minute and a quarter.  It is certainly not to be compared with Taps in
terms of playing style, although the two calls are similar in their use.  On
certain occasions the flag is lowered during the sounding of the Last Post
and raised again after a minute of so of silence during the sounding of
Reveille.  I usually play the "long" Reveille rather than Rouse.

 

Finally, in the British military tradition, cavalry regiments (now, mostly
armored units) should use a cavalry trumpet (sort of like a stretched bugle,
in E flat) which has very different tunes for Last Post and Reveille.  It
would be interesting if this is so in Canada, Australia, NZ, India, etc.
where the British military tradition is followed.

 

Regards

 

Graeme Beckett

Durban, South Africa