Fife
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Iron fife.
label: Description
content: Specific History
label: Description
content: This fife from the period of the American Revolution was unearthed on Red Bank battleground in 1800 near the New Jersey Monument.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: A fife is a small transverse flute, pitched to B-flat. There are six holes and no keys.
label: Description
content: "The drum and fife regulated the Revolutionary War soldier's life. By commands of music, the soldier was notified when to awake in the mornings, when to attend drill, when to stop for meals, and when to report for pay. While on the march, music assisted with cadence and order, helping men to march in time. Music encouraged soldiers to press a march or attack with vigor."
label: Description
content: "Orders were also given using whistles, blowing horns, and bagpipes. Music and songs in camp lifted soldiers' spirits following exhausting duty. They helped build fellowship in the regiments."
label: Description
content: "Drums have been used to convey commands since ancient times. They provide distinct sounds that can be heard for great distances. The drum was the very voice and tongue of the commander. After the adoption of firearms, the fife came into use. Its peculiar piercing sound transcended the noise of men and gunfire, and added melody to the drumbeats. By the Revolution, armies had adopted a system of commands given by the drum and fife, which could rapidly communicate orders to whole armies at one time."
label: Description
content: From National Park Service Collections American Revolutionary War: Guilford Courthouse.
place: label: used
content: United States: New Jersey
topic: label: related event
content: Revolution and the New Nation
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.58146M
label: catalog number
content: 58146M
label: accession number
content: 204703
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Fife
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1/2 in x 14 in x 1/2 in; 1.27 cm x 35.56 cm x 1.27 cm