Großer Zapfenstreich

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Picture taken at a Zapfenstreich

The Großer Zapfenstreich (literally translated "Grand Tattoo" or "Grand Taps") is a military ceremony performed in Germany and Austria. It is similar to the Military tattoo ceremony performed in English-speaking countries. It is the most important ceremonial act in the German federal forces (Bundeswehr). It is performed only on special occasions, for example the dismissal of the German president or national celebrations, for distinguished persons, in solemn public ceremonies, and at the conclusions of large military exercises. It takes place in the evening hours and consists of a military formation including at least one military band, two platoons of armed infantrymen and two lines of soldiers carrying torches, all in all about 400 men.

1 History
2 Performance
3 Criticism
4 External link

[edit] History

The Zapfenstreich originated in the military as a sign of the end of daily activities in both field and garrison. The term was mentioned for the first time in 1596. The Saxon major Hans von Fleming described this military custom for the first time in detail in his book The Perfect German Soldier (1726). The Zapfenstreich was a trumpet signal to end the selling of liquor in the military quarters and to prepare for lights out. To underline that order, the sergeant major walked across the military camp and hit the taps of the casks with a stick (streichen is an old German word for "to hit"). In 1813 the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III witnessed the evening ceremony of the Russian army after the battle of Großgörschen near Berlin. He was deeply impressed of the religious parts of the ceremony, especially of a choral version of the Lord's Prayer. As a reaction the king ordered a similar religious act to become part of the Prussian Zapfenstreich. About 20 years later, in 1838, the Zapfenstreich in its current appearance was desiged by the Prussian music director Wilhelm Wieprecht, when he arranged a so called “monstre concert” for the prussian king and his guest, the tsar of Russia, in Potsdam. Over 1,000 musicians performed the Prussian tattoo signals, a new composed tattoo march and the choral “Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe” (I pray to the power of love), which was composed by the Russian musician Dmytro Bortniansky, while the text was written by Gerhard Tersteegen. Later on, after the foundation of the German Reich in 1871, the emperor's hymn Heil Dir im Siegerkranz became part of the Zapfenstreich, but was only played when the emperor was present during the ceremony. After the lost World War I the new national anthem, the “Deutschlandlied” by Hoffmann von Fallersleben, replaced the old imperial hymn in 1922.

The word Zapfenstreich ("strike the tap") is similar to the Dutch "tap toe", from which the English word "tattoo" comes from. Like the tattoo military ceremony, it is based around retiring from the day's work.

The Großer Zapfenstreich in its current form originated in the first half of the 19th century during the reign of Prussian king Frederick William III. It featured the troops presenting arms, a prayer and a military song. During the wars of liberation the expansion of the tap caper, as arranged 1813, followed thereby the example of Russia, Austria and Sweden.

The form of the Großer Zapfenstreich changed several times, but was arranged by the Friedrich Wilhelm Wieprecht, then director of music of the music corps of the Prussian Guard Corps. It was first performed on 12 May 1838 in Berlin in honour of the Russian Czar Nicholas I. After the Prussian victory against France in 1871, a prayer was added. Since 1922, a rendition of the national anthem "Deutschlandlied" has taken place at the conclusion of the ceremony. When foreign heads of state or military units are guests, their respective national anthems are played.

The German Democratic Republic reinstated the Großer Zapfenstreich in 1962, supplementing the traditional German ceremony with music based on "elements of the progressive military inheritance"; for example, this included the song "For the Peace of the World," composed by Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

The Großer Zapfenstreich is the highest honor that the German Federal Armed Forces can render to a civilian. On June 29, 2004 the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Johannes Rau, was so honored. This ceremony involved 450 servicemen of all branches, the alert battalion of the Bundeswehr, and the Staff Music Corps of the Bundeswehr. In addition, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was honored on November 20, 2005 with a Großer Zapfenstreich in his hometown Hanover.

[edit] Performance

The Großer Zapfenstreich consists of four components:

Marching-up of the formation, the military band is playing the Yorckscher Marsch by Ludwig van Beethoven
"Serenade": up to four songs which are chosen by the honoured person (in case of the Zapfenstreich performed at a dismissal), otherwise chosen by the acting military band
Großer Zapfenstreich:
- Locken zum Zapfenstreich (Announcing the tattoo) by the drummers
- Preußischer Zapfenstreichmarsch (Prussian Tattoo March) by the band
- Retraite mit drei Posten (Retraite with three posts, i.e. traditional old cavalry signals) by the band
- Ruf zum Gebet (Calling to prayer) by the drummers
- Gebet: “Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe” (“Kol Slaven” by Bortnianski) by the band
- Ruf nach dem Gebet (Call after the prayer) by the band
- National anthem of Germany by the band
Marching out of the formation, the military band is playing the Prussian Tattoo March again

Two of the most impressive “Großen Zapfenstreiche” were those to farewell the allied troops in Berlin in 1994 and on the occasion of the departure from office of the German chancellor Helmut Kohl in Speyer in 1998.

People who are entitled to be honoured with a “Großer Zapfenstreich” are:

The president of Germany
The chancellor of Germany
The minister of defence of Gemany
Lieutenant generals and generals (vice admirals and admirals) of the Bundeswehr

Participants in the Großer Zapfenstreich involve at least a military band, two escorts parties, and an honor formation of torch carriers.

Elements of the Großer Zapfenstreich are generally:

the marching-up of the honour formation with march music and the message of the tap caper addressed to the honoree by the troop commander;
the Serenade, mainly the performance of three music pieces, which may be selected by the honoree,
Großer Zapfenstreich (curls to the Zapfenstreich, Großer Zapfenstreich march, and trumpet signals),
the musical prayer, usually by Gerhard Tersteegen (1697 - 1769) written around 1824 with a melody of Dmitri Bortnjansky (1751 - 1825) provided the choral anthem "I pray to the power of love" or the "Netherlands Thanksgiving Prayer" by Adriaen Valerius,
the National Anthem and the Ausmarsch of the honour formation.

There may be regional variations. For example, the performance of the "Großer Zapfenstreich" in Bavaria differs slightly from the one above: instead of the "Prussian Tattoo March" the "Bavarian Tattoo March" is played, and instead of the "Gebet: Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe" the "Bavarian Military Prayer" is played.

[edit] Criticism

There have been calls for the abolition of the Großer Zapfenstreich. The well-known politician Hans Koschnick of the Social Democratic Party labelled it "predemocratic" and "obsolete". In 1996, the Party of Democratic Socialism and the Green Party unsuccessfully motioned for the ceremony, or at least the prayer, to be abolished.