Fanfare band

Beginning in the late Middle Ages, trumpets and drums (usually snares and tenors) would sound fanfares to make important holidays or ceremonial events.

In the late 20th century even the use of the shoulder strap and the introduction of valved bugles and multiple tenor drums from the US revolutionized the ensembles and the instruments they use.

Regardless of availability of brass instruments or not, some bands are titled as Bandas de Cornetas y Tamborres (BCT), as they began solely with the bugle and percussion.

Today, these two organizations, joined by two other associations formed in later years, jointly handle the administration, cultural and competitive duties of these bands.

Only a few bands are active in the Armed Forces of the Netherlands today, as well as the affiliated ensembles sporting similar instrumentation, due to budget cuts in the military.

Only Italy's Nunziatella Military School retains a similar unit today in that country as most ensembles (also termed gruppo musici) are civilian in nature which perform at Palio festivals and civil occasions, among others, dedicated to preserving the ancient tradition as practiced in Italian towns and cities during the Middle Ages and Rennaisance eras.

[3] One fanfare band in particular, that of the Army's Paratroopers' Regiment (activated 1958 under the Air Force) which is part of the Rapid Reaction Brigade,[4] is unique for its use in ceremonies and parade of the bagpipe[5] alongside the standard instrumentation.

The fanfare band tradition in Latin America is a mix of Spanish and US influences especially in Central American countries of Panama and Guatemala.

These military bands are meant for the cavalry, and only a few exist today in the armies of France, Spain (as bandas de caballeria), Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.