NanciD
2004-05-26 04:21:18 UTC
DCN by "Scotty" Chappell
The other day I received a copy of the Drum Corps News which
contained an extensive coverage of the Hall of Fame awards.
It was indeed a pleasure for me to meet old friends and bat the
breeze with those greats of yesteryear. Somehow the years seemed to
fall away, the spirit and zest of those years of competition
prevailed. Your editorial kindled me a desire to again don a uniform
and be part of the scene, but, Alas! - the spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak.
It occurred to me that you might like to receive a chronology of
drum corps from within my active years, teaching, dating from 1929, at
which time, you will see from the enclosure, the bugle began to grow
up.
At the risk of being vain glorious, I am mailing you that
chronology. You have my permission to print it.
Your kind words in that editorial I appreciate and I hope that my
contact with you will not end with this communication.
Yours in Drum Corps, "Scotty" Arthur F. Chappell
Lexington, KY
*The Evolution Of Drum Corps In The United States*
When I look back to the year 1916, the year in which I first joined
a drum corps, it doesn't seem possible that the simple military drum
corps - marching in column of squads, playing a simple bugle pitched
in "G" or "B" flat - could have developed into the drum corps of
today: a drum corps that maneuvers in intricate and complex patterns
bathed in an extravaganza of color; with flags, silks, guideons and
other accoutrements, with resplendent uniforms reminiscent of earlier
days; not to mention the plethora of musical instruments, from
so-called subcontra to obligato, in "G-D" or "G-F"; plus drums of
every shape, size, color and material, on which you will hear played
"Strube," "Swiss," "French" and other rudiments that defy at least my
comprehension.
The drum corps in which I played in 1916, used "B" flat bugles,
supplemented with "F" - crooks which allowed the bugle section to play
in the diatronic as opposed to the standard harmonic series of the
valveless bugle. I started to teach drum corps in 1929, a small drum
corps located in Avon, Massachusetts, which was to enjoy the
distinction of being the first drum corps in the United States to play
music using the diatronic scale. The way that came about was as
follows.
Having gone through the experience of playing in the diatronic,
using the "B" flat bugle with the "F" crook, it was only natural that
I should look for a "D" crook to supplement the "G" bugle; but, I ran
into a problem. The music stores did not stock the "D" crook . What
was even worse, they had never heard of them. The only recourse was to
build them myself. I purchased some copper tubing, some sleeves and
some nipples and - - Presto! we were in business.
To keep things in chronological order, I have to digress for a
moment to tell a story of how the piston bugle came into being. A
friend of mine, a Capt. Dallahan, was running for commander of the
Canton, MA, American Legion. He had asked me if the Avon drum corps
would serenade him down the street past the American Legion quarters.
The corps agreed to do it. I should add at this time that we were
being quite secretive about our new music. We planned to come out at
the beginning of the oncoming season with this new departure. However,
I had told the drum corps that we would use the new routine for the
occasion.
Capt. Dallahan hadn't told me that he also had invited the state
champions in class B, so I told the corps that we would play the old
routine, music without crooks. The corps was very disappointed. The
members wanted to show off their new music. Well, the upshoot of it
all was that I relented. So, down the street we went, playing the new
music. The effect was immediate and electric. The director of the
Rockland, Massachusetts, drum corps came racing down the street to
investigate the phenomenon. By the way, his name was "Go Walls." He
was with the school system in Rockland and he besieged me with such
questions as What are those gadgets?" "Where can we buy them?" etc.,
etc., and, of course, the answer was, "You will have to make them
yourself!" I found out later that he took the problem to Bill Ludwig,
the man from whom he bought their instruments, and Bill came up with a
rotary which later was changed to the piston, because it was
considered unmilitary to hold the bugle with two hands. My point in
telling this story is that it sets the date for the introduction of
the valve, the outgrowth of the "D" crook, late 1929 or early 1930, I
am not quite sure which.
It was quite apparent that the adoption of the piston bugle was
just a matter of time. American Legion however, was slow to embrace
the free use of the valve. I insisted that the valve be taped in the
"D" position which, of course, was rather shortsighted. I, on the
other hand, chose to be a nonconformist in that I advocated the free
use of the valve and, what was more important, the use of the tuning
slide to obtain the facility of the chromatic.
At this point, the year was 1946, another story starts to unfold.
We in Norman Prince had an exceptional group of men. One of the
baritone buglers, Jack Chisholm, got tired of pulling the slide. He
went to Col. Jimmie Lynch who at that time was part owner of the Conn
outlet in Boston, and asked him if he could make up a rotary to take
the place of pulling the slide. Jim said that he could, and promptly
had one made up in the instrument repair shop.
It must be quite evident by this time that these efforts of Norman
Prince and me had pointed drum corps in the direction of the path that
eventually would be the criterion. I am proud of the part that Norman
Prince and I had to play in the advancement of drum corps.
Mention should be made relative to the role of the instrument
manufacturers in the evolution of drum corps. Their foresight and
initiative gave voicing to the bugle section beyond the wildest dreams
of the arranger; and, of course, the array of drums available is
fantastic.
Last but not least, over the years many drill masters have labored
to lift the maneuvering from the simple military to a point bordering
the theatrical - the brilliant interweaving of the colors and
standards throughout the routine on the field, not to mention the
rifle and sabre manipulations, are a testimonial to the evolution of
drum corps.
It is hard to believe that the corps can improve, but time has a
habit of doing the impossible.
Arthur F. Chappell
The other day I received a copy of the Drum Corps News which
contained an extensive coverage of the Hall of Fame awards.
It was indeed a pleasure for me to meet old friends and bat the
breeze with those greats of yesteryear. Somehow the years seemed to
fall away, the spirit and zest of those years of competition
prevailed. Your editorial kindled me a desire to again don a uniform
and be part of the scene, but, Alas! - the spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak.
It occurred to me that you might like to receive a chronology of
drum corps from within my active years, teaching, dating from 1929, at
which time, you will see from the enclosure, the bugle began to grow
up.
At the risk of being vain glorious, I am mailing you that
chronology. You have my permission to print it.
Your kind words in that editorial I appreciate and I hope that my
contact with you will not end with this communication.
Yours in Drum Corps, "Scotty" Arthur F. Chappell
Lexington, KY
*The Evolution Of Drum Corps In The United States*
When I look back to the year 1916, the year in which I first joined
a drum corps, it doesn't seem possible that the simple military drum
corps - marching in column of squads, playing a simple bugle pitched
in "G" or "B" flat - could have developed into the drum corps of
today: a drum corps that maneuvers in intricate and complex patterns
bathed in an extravaganza of color; with flags, silks, guideons and
other accoutrements, with resplendent uniforms reminiscent of earlier
days; not to mention the plethora of musical instruments, from
so-called subcontra to obligato, in "G-D" or "G-F"; plus drums of
every shape, size, color and material, on which you will hear played
"Strube," "Swiss," "French" and other rudiments that defy at least my
comprehension.
The drum corps in which I played in 1916, used "B" flat bugles,
supplemented with "F" - crooks which allowed the bugle section to play
in the diatronic as opposed to the standard harmonic series of the
valveless bugle. I started to teach drum corps in 1929, a small drum
corps located in Avon, Massachusetts, which was to enjoy the
distinction of being the first drum corps in the United States to play
music using the diatronic scale. The way that came about was as
follows.
Having gone through the experience of playing in the diatronic,
using the "B" flat bugle with the "F" crook, it was only natural that
I should look for a "D" crook to supplement the "G" bugle; but, I ran
into a problem. The music stores did not stock the "D" crook . What
was even worse, they had never heard of them. The only recourse was to
build them myself. I purchased some copper tubing, some sleeves and
some nipples and - - Presto! we were in business.
To keep things in chronological order, I have to digress for a
moment to tell a story of how the piston bugle came into being. A
friend of mine, a Capt. Dallahan, was running for commander of the
Canton, MA, American Legion. He had asked me if the Avon drum corps
would serenade him down the street past the American Legion quarters.
The corps agreed to do it. I should add at this time that we were
being quite secretive about our new music. We planned to come out at
the beginning of the oncoming season with this new departure. However,
I had told the drum corps that we would use the new routine for the
occasion.
Capt. Dallahan hadn't told me that he also had invited the state
champions in class B, so I told the corps that we would play the old
routine, music without crooks. The corps was very disappointed. The
members wanted to show off their new music. Well, the upshoot of it
all was that I relented. So, down the street we went, playing the new
music. The effect was immediate and electric. The director of the
Rockland, Massachusetts, drum corps came racing down the street to
investigate the phenomenon. By the way, his name was "Go Walls." He
was with the school system in Rockland and he besieged me with such
questions as What are those gadgets?" "Where can we buy them?" etc.,
etc., and, of course, the answer was, "You will have to make them
yourself!" I found out later that he took the problem to Bill Ludwig,
the man from whom he bought their instruments, and Bill came up with a
rotary which later was changed to the piston, because it was
considered unmilitary to hold the bugle with two hands. My point in
telling this story is that it sets the date for the introduction of
the valve, the outgrowth of the "D" crook, late 1929 or early 1930, I
am not quite sure which.
It was quite apparent that the adoption of the piston bugle was
just a matter of time. American Legion however, was slow to embrace
the free use of the valve. I insisted that the valve be taped in the
"D" position which, of course, was rather shortsighted. I, on the
other hand, chose to be a nonconformist in that I advocated the free
use of the valve and, what was more important, the use of the tuning
slide to obtain the facility of the chromatic.
At this point, the year was 1946, another story starts to unfold.
We in Norman Prince had an exceptional group of men. One of the
baritone buglers, Jack Chisholm, got tired of pulling the slide. He
went to Col. Jimmie Lynch who at that time was part owner of the Conn
outlet in Boston, and asked him if he could make up a rotary to take
the place of pulling the slide. Jim said that he could, and promptly
had one made up in the instrument repair shop.
It must be quite evident by this time that these efforts of Norman
Prince and me had pointed drum corps in the direction of the path that
eventually would be the criterion. I am proud of the part that Norman
Prince and I had to play in the advancement of drum corps.
Mention should be made relative to the role of the instrument
manufacturers in the evolution of drum corps. Their foresight and
initiative gave voicing to the bugle section beyond the wildest dreams
of the arranger; and, of course, the array of drums available is
fantastic.
Last but not least, over the years many drill masters have labored
to lift the maneuvering from the simple military to a point bordering
the theatrical - the brilliant interweaving of the colors and
standards throughout the routine on the field, not to mention the
rifle and sabre manipulations, are a testimonial to the evolution of
drum corps.
It is hard to believe that the corps can improve, but time has a
habit of doing the impossible.
Arthur F. Chappell