Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia | |
---|---|
Военно-оркестровая служба Вооружённых Сил Российской Федерации | |
Active | 1711- present |
Country | Russia |
Branch | Ministry of Defense |
Type | Military Band |
Garrison/HQ | Moscow |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
Colonel Timofey Mayakin |
Notable commanders |
Major General Semeon Tchernetsky (1924-1949) Major-General Nikolai Mikhailov (1976-1993) Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov (2002-2016) |
Major General Semeon Tchernetsky (1924-1949)
Major-General Nikolai Mikhailov (1976-1993)
The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia serves as the official service of military bands in active service within the Russian Armed Forces.
For a country that has not just one of the largest armed forces in the world but also has produced some of the greatest composers and musicians, the MBS-AFR is one of the oldest institutions of military music in Europe and the world, founded by Peter the Great as per Ukaz № 2319 enacted on Feb. 19, 1711, which mandated the formation of military bands and field music formations within both the Imperial Russian Army and the nascent Imperial Russian Navy following the Western practices. As both the Army's two foundation regiments (the Preobrazhensky Regiment and the Semyonovsky Regiment) had their own bands and corps of drums, which would also inspire the formation of the bands and fanfare band units within the artillery and the cavalry, the age of Peter the Great, aside from laying the foundation of the armed forces, also began centuries of the Russian military band tradition, which continues until today.
The composition of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation include:
Not under the armed forces but affilated to the Band Service:
Formation in Moscow
Formation in St Petersburg
Formation in Yekaterinburg