New Hampshire - Fife & Drum

Fife and Drum Corps in New Hampshire

In Colonial America the armed forces consisted mainly of citizen soldiers. These men would gather -- or muster – periodically to practice their skills. Each community usually had a fifer and a drummer to provide marching music for the local militia. During battle, fifes and drums signaled troop movement. At camp, the music provided entertainment for the soldiers.

Today’s fife and drum corps are still comprised local citizens dedicated to preserving the ancient art and music of the fife and drums. Musical selections are drawn from many sources, some predating 1800, and include marches, dances, and cheerful tunes. Popular selections include “Yankee Doodle,” “The Girl I Left Behind Me,” and “The Road to Boston.”

Uniforms worn by the fife and drum corps are a source of pride and distinction. Drummers and fifers had special status in the militia signalers and non-combatants; their uniforms usually were the reverse of the regiments’ colors. Some of today’s fife and drum corps wear clothing of the 18th century and others wear dress common of the American Civil War period and later.

Fife and Drum Corps perform in parades, reenactments, musters, encampments, and even half-time shows. A muster is a gathering of several corps with a parade in the morning followed by individual performances by each participating corps. When all corps have performed, it is customary for some members of each corps to mass and play common fife and drum tunes.

Check the websites of the individual corps for information about their public appearances.

Milford Fife & Drum
Milford, NH
Phone: 603-673-7593

Milford Fife and Drum is a community and family focused corps founded in 1994 for the Milford, New Hampshire, Bicentennial. Milford Fife & Drum portrays the field music of a Revolutionary War-era militia unit with authentic dress, as well as authentic 18th-century fife-and-drum music. Members are from the communities of Milford, Amherst, and New Boston, New Hampshire. Milford Fife & Drum members use Cooperman reproduction rope-tension drums that are based on authentic 18th-century drums, and play two-piece Healy fifes. Typically the group performs at the Independence Day parade in New Boston, at the Labor Day parade in Milford, and at the Hollis Old Home Days parade in Hollis.