Libro de la Ordenanza de los Toques de Pifanos y Tambores que se tocan Nuevamente en la Infanteria Española otherwise known as Toques de Guerra is the oldest known fife and drum manual from the Spanish military, written in 1761. I have translated it into English and reengraved the music with modern notation for ease of reading. It is available from Amazon in a 8.25″x6″ paperback, just like my Swiss, British, and American historical reproductions.

Toques de Guerra features 14 tunes for infantry signaling or for general marching, scored for two fifes and drums. I have added the rudimental syllables found in the 1769 edition for clarity of interpretation, plus annotated each tune with its military function and background information where available.

This manual contains the first appearance of the tune “Marcha Granadera,” which would later become the Spanish national anthem. It was composed by the author Don Manuel de Espinosa de los Monteros and would be promoted to national anthem many years later, during the 19th century. As far as I know, this is the first and only Spanish military music manual available in English, and the only Spanish military music currently in print. Inside you’ll find La Generala, La Asamblea, La Marcha Grenadera, El Alto, La Retreta, El Bando, La Llamada, La Fagina, La Bandera o Tropa, La Marcha Fusileros, La Marcha de las Guardias Walonas, La Sanblea que tocan Los Guardias Españolas, Calacuerda, and La Oracion.