120-125, Europe
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appropriate changes. by Hans Kloppert Multiple toms and tuned bass drums were The competitive drum and bugle corps introduced, adding a activity in Europe was introduced on the sound that had been continent by the Dutch. The Netherlands has previously unknown in always had a rich amateur music Europe. Visits by culture. Today the country still American high school has a large number of marching bands to Europe were also e bands, showbands, ensembles, e a great influence on the (photo by Mike Shayes from the collection of community bands, percussion Avant )C. ourir, the Netherlands, 1985 Drum Corps Dutch marching (band) units and baton teams, most of World activity. p which are members of the KNFM p show aspect was gradually introduced. One of the other leading trendsetters of (Royal Dutch Federation for When Wim Schouten, a member of Jubal, the drum corps activity in Europe is Amateur Music Groups). o and his wife, Willy, left their country to definitely Beatrix. The corps also originated The introduction of drum corps o immigrate to Akron, PA, in the 1950s, they as a drum and fife corps and adapted to field was exactly the addition the r didn’t take much time to discover the shows early. Changing its name several times country had been waiting for to r American drum corps scene and attended from Beatrix Drum and Fife Corps to Beatrix complete the existing vivid several American Legion national and state Drumfanfare, Beatrix Band and later Beatrix u amateur music activity. The first u competitions. Wim was incredibly impressed Drum and Bugle Corps shows what progress official Drum Corps Holland with the level the drum (fife) and bugle corps the unit has gone through over five decades. Championships When Beatrix started entering band E were held in E competitions in the 1970s after having added 1981 in the valved instruments to their brass section, town of they were more successful than most other Bunschoten. units had ever been. They won the national Odilo from title at the Wereld Muziek Concours (World Hilversum was Music Championships) in Kerkrade in 1974. crowned the That same year Beatrix started an first DCH international exchange with the Edmonton champion. The All-Girl Corps from Canada. Taking a unit real from Europe to the United States back then introduction of was an almost unprecedented occasion. the drum corps After Jan Meijer and Jaap van Waveren, (photo by Ron phenomenon WBeaalltoricxh, tfhroem N eththee crolallnedcsti,o Jnu olyf 28, 2000, at Murfre)e. sboro, TN, during their U.S. tour the pioneers of Beatrix, spent a summer with goes back into Drum Corps World different Drum Corps International corps, history a lot further, however. activity in the United States had already Beatrix made a trip to Birmingham, AL, in The oldest Dutch corps by far is Jubal reached, especially by the corps that soon 1979 to perform at the DCI Championships. from Dordrecht. Originally founded as a became his favorite, the Hawthorne The impact this trip had was so strong that drum and fife corps in April of 1911, the Caballeros. there was no doubt in changing the unit into corps is still active today. Jubal and many Photographs he took at contests and notes a drum and bugle corps, even though their units in the Netherlands found their origins he made were sent back to the Netherlands to type of show already had all the ingredients. in the CJMV, the Dutch equivalent of the inform Jubal on the possible new YMCA. Most of the corps of today started out adventure they might consider as drum and fife corps. conquering. The G-bugle was a Following Jubal’s example, many groups totally unknown instrument in throughout the country were formed in the Europe and Wim Schouten years that followed. Among these were contacted Donald E. Getzen in 1960 Juliana from Amersfoort, formed in 1926; to buy a complete set for Jubal. Excelsior from Rotterdam (1928); De Pijpers The fifes, which had been a Jubal from Vlaardingen (1929); Excelsior from Goes trademark for 50 years, were (1930); Jong Jubal from Dordrecht (1932); partially replaced by bugles; horns Juliana from and baritones in the key of G. Jubal Middelburg became the first drum (fife) and (1933); De bugle corps outside the United Apeldoornse States and Canada to use this type of Pijpers from brass instrument and it was (photo by David Apeldoorn introduced to the European crowds RJuicbea lf,r othme tNhet hceorllleacntdiosn, Jouf ly 26, 2002, during )t.heir U.S. tour (1933); Beatrix and amateur music scene. Drum Corps World from Hilversum Reactions were diverse, but drum corps was The first drum corps contest in Europe (1946); Kunst born in Europe. was held on Dutch grounds, creating the en Genoegen Among the drum and fife corps, field birth of both national and international from Leiden shows evolved in the 1960s. Influences from competition in Europe. The Anglo-Dutch (photo by (1949); and DVS the United States were inevitable. Drill forms contest was held in Eemnes in May 1979. HBoarnsso lKinlop, pBeerltg firuomm, 1th9e8 9co llection of ). from Katwijk were still rather traditional. When the first The good relationships some Dutch units had Drum Corps World (1953). Super-8 films and recordings arrived in with corps and bands from England resulted About half of these eventually adopted the Europe, some units copied them. It took in the strong beginning of a series of annual drum corps style. In the 1950s, the so-called until the mid-1970s for more units to adopt contests well before both DCH and Drum “National Fife Days” were organized. At some the drum corps style. Most, however, still Corps United Kingdom were formed. The of these well-run events more than 1,000 played B-flat brass instruments. Anglo-Dutch contest continued until 1983. musicians gathered to perform. Also the field Field percussion underwent the Juliana won the first Anglo-Dutch contest. 120 Since the judges were mainly Jubal and feeder corps class title. Beatrix instructors, these two corps The first drum and bugle corps from performed in exhibition. Belgium, Borsalino from the town of Drum Corps Holland Auvelais, showed its talents at some of the The need for a national organization that regional DCH contests that season. The ran contests became stronger. Anton de corps was crowned the first DCBelgium Graaf, organizer of the first Anglo-Dutch champion at the end of the decade. Borsalino contest, was one of the co-founders of Drum was the pioneer of the corps activity in Corps Holland, which first started in 1980, Belgium. almost parallel to the founding of DCUK. In 1985, German corps started their own The first DCH Championships were held a organization, Drum Corps Deutschland. In year later. Surprisingly, both leading Belgium, drum corps fans slowly started pioneers for this activity, Jubal and Beatrix, thinking of building a national organization. did not compete. A total of five open class The competition season in the corps and two cadet class corps were present. Netherlands has always run from the second ö ö (photo by R.W. Harris from the Unfortunately, none of these seven corps is cWolllepcetrio L n owfe n, Germany, 1985 ). week of May through the last weekend of still active today. Drum Corps World September. This might sound long compared Champions Odilo from Hilversum stopped longer an all-girl unit. the DCA or DCI seasons, but the biggest competing after the 1985 season. Wesopa Oranje Nassau from Vlissingen and Bato difference is that the season in the from Weesp folded in 1984. Excelsior from from Haarlem joined DCH in 1983. Bato was Netherlands is split in two. Baarn and In Aethere Musica from Eemnes especially known for the fact that they All Dutch corps usually have their first merged in 1984, but are now only active in learned two different shows. Beside their public performance on the queen’s birthday, the winter guard circuit. For scores of all competitive performance, they also had a April 30, which is a national holiday in the DCH Championships, refer to pages 273-274 traditional Dutch show, complete with country. Then the contests run through the in “A History of Drum & Bugle Corps,” folklore costumes, cheese carriers, tulips and end of June when the activity takes an volume 1. everything else foreigners think Holland is all almost two-month summer break. This is An immediate growth in competition was about. because most Dutch families go on seen in 1982 when Jubal, Beatrix and Oranje The next three seasons were DCH’s best as summer vacation to sunny beach resorts far as the number of corps in competition is abroad. concerned. Sixteen corps performed at the In this period, corps would be too championships. One of the new corps in the incomplete and therefore the entire activity 1984 season was De Pijpers from Vlaardingen. lies still until the end of August. In They only performed one season under that September, DCH usually organized two name and later chose the more accessible contests before championships, traditionally name Avalance. held on the last Saturday of the month. Two corps from the same hometown of The weather has affected the DCH season Vlissingen entered competition as well: just about every year. Fall often starts early Juliana and Blue Spirit. It is no surprise that in the Netherlands. September has always there was a strong competition between these been a risky period. At many championships two units. Excelsior from Goes also joined the corps have had to perform in the rain. In DCH at about the same time.