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 THE 1939/1940 WORLDS FAIR

 

“Gene Krupa was announcing.  Gene says "Close down the long roll."  The crown was young teens.  Kids were jitterbugging all over the place, dancing in a campus-like place.  I played faster and faster.  The crowd went crazy!  They were going nuts!  Big applause!  I did another rudiment.  Same thing.”       Eric Perrilloux

 

“Gene Krupa was at the World’s Fair in ’39 and ’40.  He was a rudimental drummer.  Spectators knew him as a swing band drummer.  Gene was at the drum corps contest watching the rudimental drummers.  It was a huge crowd.  There were 20 or 30 junior corps there alone.  Another competition was also going on. The American Legion had their corps there.  Almost every post had a drum corps.  You didn’t really count if you didn’t have one.  The Connecticut corps were the ones that had fifes.”     Richard H. Tourin

There were big shoot-outs in New York at the World’s Fair in 1939 and 1940, a time when Bing Crosby and Bob Hope became a great screen duet in a succession of "Road" movies beginning with 1939's "Road to Singapore.” (The comedy version was turned down by George Burns and Gracie Allen, then made for Jack Oakie and Fred MacMurray.) A picture on the wall of the Company of Fifiers and Drummers Museum in Ivoryton, Connecticut, has a about 50 drummers on an outdoor bleachers with the judges standing in a line before them.  The judges are marked “Earl Sturtze, George Lawrence Stone, Al Moffet” flanked by Vince Mott and other notables.  Frank Arsenault would win his first national title. In the back row is a young Veronica Bentze.  It is an amazing picture with uniforms, slings and sticks in evidence, probably taken after prelims or finals.

 

Walter Sprance: “There wasn’t a lot of money back then.  Many from the Bennett American Legion Post would take public transportation to get there; a couple of cents for fare. Kenny Lemley would go with friends from the corps and try to drum up business. The guys and girls would form couples and go together if an event was starting to try and draw people to each event.  They went from pavilion to pavilion.”      

 

In 1940, a mistake was one quarter of a point (.25) for minor errors, a half or one full point for more major errors. Redican, representing Washington Park Fife and Drum corps of Meriden, Connecticut, still scored over 98 in individuals at the ‘39 World’s Fair.  The other drummers were Bob Strauss, Bill Bailey (sgt), Allen Brozek (arranger).  

 

Bobby Redican (Washington Park Fife and Drum Corps):  “The 1939  World's Fair had 3 execution judges, Earl S. Sturtze, Alfred Moffitt and George Lawrence Stone.  You just showed up.  The organization you represented let you know that a contest was to be held.  The 2nd World's Fair [competition] was in the Waldorf Building in New York City. You had to belong to the American Drummers Association to get in. There were prelims and the top 5 made finals, junior and senior.  You had to play a 6/8 or 2/4 solo and could not play the same one in finals.  If you did a 2/4 [at prelims], you needed to do a 6/8. The solos could be elaborated at the discretion of the player.  I played a fancy 6/8 by J. Burns Moore.  There was no time limit - no rules on that.  Could be a tenth to full point deduction, half a point for mistakes.  No acrobatics or backsticking was allowed.

            "I used to use the [Connecticut] Halftime with the No. 4 filler of Singles and Ratamacues, the Caledonia 2/4 and double up in the Flam Taps; Flam Paradidles.  I ended with a Nine Stroke double filler at the end of sixteen measures.  It was more difficult as it used more rudiments. There were Flam Paradiddles, Flam Paradiddle Diddles, Ratamacues, Double and Triple Drags and Ruffs.  I used to practice Tap Flams and same hand Flam Paradiddle Diddles.  It was for high difficulty. Not too many people have execution and speed." 

“Frank Arsenault was first.  Jim O’Neil second and myself fourth…..It took about 15 minutes to compete.   My selection was the Caledonia 2/4.”            

 

Vincent Mott, the 1936 AL Champion, won the senior division of the 1940 NARD

contest. His solo, very similar to Connecticut Halftime, is in the J. Burns Moore book.

 

Eric Perrilloux:  "Eleven drummers entered.  There were three judges: Earl Sturtze, Moffit - who was so-so, and George L. Stone.   I was representing Kirk and was 18 years old.  Redican and Quigley were in the junior division.  Mike Stefonowitz of Connecticut was there.  At prelims we played the long roll only.  The top six made finals.  I was first in the roll.  We did one rudiment and a solo for finals. The rudiment selected was the double paradiddle.  I decided to change a bit and wanted the accent to dominate. They wanted perfect 1 1/2 minute up and 1 1/2 down out of the roll.  They wanted utter perfection. I changed the rhythm; played it perfectly the wrong way.  [I] ended up in last place.  Rightly so.  From first to last place.  Earl Sturtze told me after what I had done wrong."        

                

Bill Reamer:  “The 1939 New York World’s fair was a big deal. There must have been over a hundred drummers there that day.  It was dominated by Connecticut drummers. I took 13th place.  It started early in the morning and went all day All day, everywhere I looked, there were drummers from Connecticut with big rope drums.  Stone, Moffet and Sturtze were judging.  I WAS AMAZED!  The Connecticut players were good!  It was the style!  We played solos like Downfall of Paris, The General and Connecticut Halftime.  Some made up their own. I played the Downfall.  I had never seen rudimental bass drumming before. Everybody was over in some corner practicing like the devil.  We all got together afterwards and played.  Whole drum sections were there.  Washington Park had red capes and white pants.  Redican was with them.  They were good.  I saw Frank Arsenault and Mike Stefanowicz play that day.”

 

            One of the World's Fair drum competitions in 1939 at Flushing, Long Island, was a drum set competition won by someone without one.

 

Eric Perrilloux:  "There was an individual drumming contest announced by WNEW, a swing band music station.  It said you had to register and meet Gene Krupa.  At that time there were mostly single stroke drummers; few soloists.  There were 60 or 70 drummers all day.  I was the last one to get there as I had to work all day.  The guard wouldn't let me in I was so late! I had no intention of sitting behind a drum set!  There were three of them out there on the floor.  Gene Krupa was announcing.  Gene says "Close down the long roll."  The crown was young teens.  Kids were jitterbugging all over the place, dancing in a campus-like place.  I played faster and faster. The crowd went crazy!  They were going nuts! Big applause!  I did another rudiment.  Same thing.  Now Krupa says,  "Play the Flamacue and alternate it."  I looked at him.  

            "It's not written alternated."

            "Try to play it."

            "OK, I'll give it a shot."  About a quarter of the way into it I stumbled.  I couldn't play it.  

            "That's ok.  If you've never done it before that's ok."  If I had time to practice it I could have done it!  Well, I made it to the finals.

            "There were ten drummers in finals.  I was the last one to play. I did the Downfall of Paris, eight bars straight then double it up the second time with Ratamacues.  I ended up with singles.  I finish and pandemonium breaks out!  The crowd goes nuts!

            "Well, the crowd picks the winner.  Gene put his hand over the head of each player. Loudest applause wins.  I won a new Slingerland drum.  There are pictures of me shaking hands with Krupa."             

 

            The 1940 American Legion National Junior Snare Drum Championship at the World’s Fair was an invitational contest sponsored by Ludwig Drum Company.  George Lawrence Stone was the drum judges chairman. Judges were William F. Ludwig and J. Burns Moore.  Order of finish was Bobby Redican, James B. Ryan, Mickey R. Stefonowitz, Sigmond Trybus and Frank Arsenault.

 

Bobby Redican:  " I was 17 at the ADA New York World's Fair competition in 1940.  This was an American Legion sponsored contest.  I won a red, white and blue mother of pearl 12 x 16 drum costing $75; that was a lot of money in those days. Our breakdown rudiments were the Long Roll and Lesson No.25.  The selection had to be between 1 1/2 and 2 minutes long.  My selection was the Caledonia 2/4.  There were five east coast drummers and five west.   The east drummers took the top five spots.  Vincent Mott was the highest placing western drummer.  William F. Ludwig Jr. was one of the western contestants.  The east had J. Burns Moore for a long time.  The west was not as advanced yet."        

 

The "West" were drum and bugle Moller style drummers who could not compete with the physics of Sturtze.

 

            The North Branford Fife and Drum Corps drum line won best drum line trophy in 1939 and 1940 World’s Fair competition.  All five snares were prominent individual competitions and J Burns Moore students: Ralph Colter, Luke Camarota, John Hardigen, Henry Forte and Robert Griffith.  The four bass drummers were Anthony Daly, Joe Bucecelli and brothers Dominick and Ralph Marrone.  The corps director was Earl Colter, Ralph’s father.   

 

Ralph Colter:  “I can remember getting on the train going to New York.  We were in the senior class.  It was drum lines only – no fifes.  At 18 years old you had to move up from the juniors.  A junior corps could have one or two 19-year old members - anymore and you had to compete senior.  We would always be in individuals; both snare and bass drummers would compete. We played difficult pieces of the day – a medley arranged by Moore – Three Camps in common time and other pieces.”

            “Burns Moore was the best!  He was an all-around musician himself.  Very strict.  Very good.  Some people might be able to do a rudiment a week with him. And I don’t know too many of those!  Not with him.  He would have us open and close the rudiments and correct things as we played.  In the line he would teach execution – bringing sticks up and accenting properly.  They don’t execute like that anymore.  Even the Old Guard plays a few inches off the head.  We would attack a seven [stroke roll] with both hands up.  A grace note was about two inches off the head - rather low.  Accents were at eye level.”

            “Even as a line, each individual was expected to go through their paces. We took turns playing alone.  It would help with the little things.  Don’t forget, as a group you can fake a certain amount. When playing alone there is no faking!  Many drummers play good in a line together but not always alone. Moore tested that.”

            “We [North Branford] were the first line to do dynamic shading.  The initial strokes of a 7 were crescendoed into the accent.  Eighth note flams after this were very soft.  Well, it caught on.  There was no credit on the sheets for it, but for exhibitions, it was very effective.  We did it a lot. We were at 110 beats per minute.  There were no twirls or fancy stuff.”

“We were doing more rudimental drumming than the modern bugle corps.  Some were trying to play seven’s and were doing only fives or even just a ruff instead of a rudiment.  Our competitions were all intermingled.  We went on the same stand with modern corps.”             

 

Drummers had ample opportunity to increase repertoire.  The Olympia Fife and Drum Corps from Basle Switerland was at the 1939 World's Fair.  American drummers were trading sticking patterns and phrasings at this meeting regardless of the respective historical differences.  Drums were still part of many regiments.  

 

The number of wars fought by various nations between 1480 and 1945: Great Britain 78; France 71, Spain 64, Russia 61; Austria 52; Turkey 44; Sweden 26, Italy 25; Holland 23; Germany 23; Denmark 20; United States 13; China 11; Japan 9.  Newspaper clippings show the 2.1 billion people of earth preparing for world war, realized when a German dictator gobbled up the Sudatenland in October of 1938. War footage shows Hitler’ drummers using a high armed snappy straight up and down style with sticks at about 180º as they paraded Nazi units during propaganda blitzes, the Antifa of their day. 

 

Drum corps paused for the war effort. Individual contests stopped. Afterwards, those formerly in the military would need to find civilian work, many of their war machines reduced to scrap.  Drummers could now get back to work after the war, but it was a different world.

​

INDIVIDUALS

 

“All the great drummers cordially hated each other.  It was war!  Individuals was a dogfight!  They were all great players.  The Sons of Liberty had all the great rivals: Les Parks vs. George Reppinger and Perrilloux, Bobby Thompson vs, Hugh Quigley, Howard Kenneally and Bill Pace..... just a war.  There were great rivals.  Some never talked to each other.  Redican and Perrilloux would pal around together, but compete fiercely.  Hugh Quigley was very gregarious and was liked by all.  Les Parks could be aloof and arrogant at times but was a great player...... Redican had a very wide open style; high and open. He was a perfectionist. Connecticut, New York State and Hudson Valley Field Day brought out the snare drummers against each other.  You could go to other states to perform but not compete.  I would have preferred to have screens so the judge couldn't see who was competing. Sometimes at individuals, people would stand behind the judge and talk loudly about your mistakes while you were playing, trying to influence the judge.  They would try to win any way they could.  Win at all costs."       

                                            Jay Tuomey (Sons of Liberty)

 

“Redican would go from corps to corps so he could compete in individuals. You never see him with one corps for long.  His father would take him around to the contests.  Redican would skip around.   He was one of the greatest students Sturtze ever had,  He was kind of aloof then.  Everyone got along but it was WIN THAT MEDAL!  Pretty fierce.  Very fierce!” 

                                          Al Linquity  (Charles T. Kirk)

 

"There are many war stories.  Whoever won individuals that year they didn't talk to. Ripperger, Ginger Ploeger and Perrilloux were always in contention."                 Matt Lyons (St. Francis Parochial, Connecticut Yankees)

  

“Redican was very critical as a judge. Execution was important, but judges also looked for number of rudiments, how many you played in your solo.  Perrilloux once wrote on my sheet that I didn’t roll enough.  There was tremendous pressure at individuals.  The timing judge nodded at you when to start, you couldn't look at drum or sticks, you looked straight ahead. Judges would penalize you if your uniform was not on properly, or your sling was at a wrong angle. You could lose a contest in the first five notes of your first rudiment.”   

                                        Gary Pagnozzi (Bridgeport P.A.L. Cadets)

 

"In 1937 Bob Van Deck won the American Legion title.  Vince Mott had won for many years and got so pissed off that he pulled a fluke.  There were some fancy political moves.  Mott subjugated the contest. They ended up stopping the individual contest in 1938. "      

                                         Ed Olsen (Charles T. Kirk)

 

“My son is the fastest gun in the West.  No brag - just fact.”     (TV show - The Guns of Will Sonnet)

 

“The best drum gag of the year – three clarinet players doing the judging at the individual drum contest for the American Legion at St. Louis.  Ask Vincent Mott of Patterson, New Jersey, to tell you about it.” 

                                          Fred W. Miller   (Ludwig Drum Company)

 

“What then is the combat mind-set?  It is that state of mind which insures victory in a gunfight.  It is composed of awareness, anticipation, concentration and coolness.  Above all, its essence is celf-control.  Dexterity and marksmanship are prerequisite to confidence, and confidence is prerequisite to self-control.”         Jeff Cooper   Master Pistol Marksman

In a gunfight where individuals threw hot lead, preparation had to be keen or you would meet a quick fate. The reputation of America’s drummers and Wild West is one of gun fights and stick duels. They were unbeatable… unless against each other.  Quartet competition in fife and drum or the 1950s and 1960s drum and bugle corps was the point-blank firing of the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday. Shoot first - ask questions later. The O.K. Corral foursome shot up a bunch of wayward cowboys face to face at range no more distant than a drum judge.   Loud snare drum notes are called “shots”. Military units always had sharp shooters; posse’s held their best hired gun.  The best snare drummers took the stand to uphold the units reputation.  With pride at stake – most contests did not involve prize money - snare drummers held ground, stepped up and fired. Frank and Jesse James did commit 17 robberies from a February, 1866 Missouri job, till 1876 in Northfield, Minnesota taking some $200,000, but Hollywood created the gunfight myth.  The intensity of snare competitions is no myth. In Lincoln County, New Mexico, you made sure there were bullets in your gun. Hollywood hired stunt men.  Not so the snare drummers. They fought for real.

 

Bobby Redican: "The Connecticut [State] Convention had 90 to 104 corps back then.  It was a big day for a small Connecticut town.  They came from all over.  Hudson River Valley, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York - all over.'"    

      

Now, the boys of Charles T. Kirk (1899-1960), Sons of Liberty (1950-1961), New York Regimentals (1955-1970) and Lancraft (1888 to present) used to compete against each other..... they weren't angels.  Add players from the Reilly Raiders, Archer Epler and other regional drum and bugle corps and you had a real donnybrook. Individual competitions were a big deal in those times.  With Double Stroke Roll mandatory, two other rudiments were usually picked out of a hat, sometimes by the first performer (who prayed not to pick the Flam Paradiddle Diddle). After the breakdowns, one selection was played at either 110 or 120 beats per minute.  They used a timing stopwatch to do two 30 second timings of your tempo. You could play anything you wanted as long as it was in tempo; well-known pieces were safer.  One judge looked for execution errors while the other kept track of your designated beats per minute. Inconsistency was penalized during nine minutes of breakdowns and about two for the selection.  Sometimes a 6/8 and  2/4 solo were required.  Total performance time could be a quarter of an hour. 

 

Charley Poole: "The breakdown had deductions of between 1/4 and 2 full points depending on severity.  We usually did it 1 1/2 minutes up and the same down. You could be awarded up to one more point for "super speed" on your fastest breakdown speed.  Many times, I would score over the maximum 25 points because of it.  If the draw was the Triple Ratamacue or Flam Paradiddle-Diddle, it was a killer.  Most couldn't do it well, kind of like Swiss Triplets hand to hand - a sign of manhood.  At the Northeast championships, there was no breakdown but one 2/4 piece and another in 6/8.  The champions met at the Northeast meet.  You had the five best going at it.  One year at the Northeastern [championships], they picked the Triple Ratamacue and the Flam Paradiddle Diddle.  It knocked out half the competitors.  I was judged by Sturtze, Parks, Perrilloux and others still active as judges.”

Veronica Sturtze:  "There was a solo in 2/4 or 6/8.  You had to breakdown two rudiments and always  the long roll.  They picked those.  Flam Paradiddle Diddle was the toughest!"  [long laugh]  

Matt Lyons: "The longer you played, the more risky.  The breakdown was timed for 1 1/2 minutes in and out.  You would play the long roll then pull two out of a hat.  They timed your solo tempo.  It had to be 110 [beats per minute].  If not you lost points.  Some corps played 120 on the field and you would compete at 110.  You had to watch it…..."

Bobby Redican:  "The Long Roll and two selected rudiments were 25 points each.  The solo was 25 also making 100 points.   You would be judged 100 points for execution and 100 for timing/tempo. Total of 200 points.  I would get one or two points in mistakes, mostly in the solo.  I would score 192 to 198 out of 200.  Time was a big thing with me; rhythm changes in a rudiment if it’s too fast or too slow.  They would mark down for that. They looked for variety in a solo - both [single and double] roll rudiments and flams."         

Ed Olsen:  "The better drummers played their own stuff.  Novices used standard pieces."

Eric Perrilloux:  "One year at New York state field day I decided to go in. I didn't know how to do a breakdown.  [I] had never practiced them.  I watched to see what they were doing.  We had to breakdown the roll and two rudiments.  I did the Burns Moore 6/8, parts 1 and 2 and Connecticut Halftime parts 1 and 3.  My drum was a tight rope drum that sounded like boing! -boing!  Closed the roll down.  It sounded terrible.  Single Drag - totally disgusting.  McDermitt judged.  I hit my first Seven [in the solo] and he looked up.  I'll never forget the look on his face.  He must have asked himself how this guy with bad breakdowns could do this. It really got his attention.  After the contest, other drummers taught me how to do a breakdown.  There was a lot of friendliness.  We had jam sessions after contests and we would all play together - but definitely competitive."              

            

Standard pieces gave judges ample comparison.  There was little room for deviation; rudiments came first, but better players put complicated "fillers" in well-known standard pieces. (Play Three Camps using Singles & Ratamacues.)  Eric Perillioux had written a rudimental snare piece for Redican called "The Rattler", so difficult that Perillioux said  "Only Redican can play this."  Redican later taught it to Charley Poole.

 

Redican played “The Rattler” solo for the author in his upstairs drum room at 80 years of age. Bobby did make a few mistakes - he had no warm up - but went back each time to make sure he played the piece all the way through cleanly. That he played it with immense power was even more impressive.  In his prime, the chin high attacks and clean flam work would have been formidable.

 

Fred Zoeller: “Les Parks and Eric Perrilloux would go back and forth winning – the Sons of Liberty and Kirk.  They would meet at New York State Field Day, Northeastern’s and Hudson Valley.  The top two from each corps could go in.  Eric had a wider style than Parks who was not as open or high due to his Julliard training.  Eric was more of a technician and would normally win the rudiment breakdown.  Les would win the solo selection.  Les mellowed as he got older.  He and Perrilloux became friends.  

            “We played the long roll and picked two more out of a hat.  It was a three-minute breakdown.  You needed to stay at your fastest speed for 10 seconds.  One 2/4 piece and a 6/8 one was required.  The Ancients were at 110 and modern was 120.  Solos were about 1:30 to 1;45.  Most people did their own solos.”       

Joeseph A. Gillotti: "The flemishes between the New York and Connecticut judges and contestants were certainly true.  I was even involved in such a situation.  It happened at the Hudson Valley Association field day that was held in Connecticut and administrated by the Connecticut Rebels of "76, the fife and drum corps I was in.  We had a super Sturtze taught snare drummer from my neighborhood named Ben Struski.  Ben and I competed in individuals against a New York drummer of great reputation. (He was actually a professional rudimental drummer.)  The results were that Ben took the gold, the New York drummer took the silver and I was quite pleased to get the bronze.  The New York drummer didn't complain himself, but his teacher was there and raised hell.  Not only that Ben beat his protege, but of all things, that I scored too closely to his man!  Can you believe that?  That was typical of the fanaticism and cross border jealousies apparent at the time."  The "New York" drummer was Harold Greene - "Greenie"-  an excellent player who at the time was in the West Point Band, the Hellcats. Paid to drum for a living, they considered him professional.  The same would happen to the Air Force quartet when they ventured off base to compete.

Walter Sprance: “The guys in the New York Association would show up and have to play 2 of the 26 rudiments picked from a hat. The 2/4 solo was 3 to 4 minutes.  This was only the eliminations. Only the top 5 or 6 went on from the 30 or 40 there.  It was state finals!  At finals two different rudiments were picked. Rippergers, Lemley, Parks, Perrilloux and Thompson would show up.”           

 

            Judges had well known reputations:

 

Matt Lyons:“There was a guy named McDermitt.  We called him "98."  He gave everyone a "98."  He didn't recognize the music we were playing - not critical enough.”     

Ed Olsen:  "On December 7, 1941, I was at a New York Drum Corps Association meeting.  There were a lot of complaints about Connecticut judging.  Right in the middle of the meeting, the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced.  There was this old Irish guy, Jerry Mahoney, who was a typical Irish Republic Army type back in the days when that really meant something.   Mahoney stands up and in a thick Irish accent starts complaining, “McDermott gave me credit for a third of a rudiment.  I want to know if it was the first third, the second third, or the last third! ”  McDermott never judged in New York again.”   

Bobby Redican: “McDermott was not a good judge.  His scores were too close together.  He let timing decide contests…… They would stipulate 110 beats per minute.  Some judges didn't know how to time. Intricate stuff would confuse them. They would tap their feet while you were playing.  You could see the 'tap' was wrong and you would think  "Oh geez”…

Connecticut and New York drummers had different backgrounds, causing styles to diverge - arm or wrist. This carried into later drum and bugle corps circuits. Most everyone states Earl Sturtze was fair.  If he was judging, you at least knew what to expect, but he "had his ways".

 

Jay Tuomey: “Sturtze was opinionated but fair as a judge.  He had a style and stuck to it.  Earl would give the Sons of Liberty a scalping.  He had his method and believed it was the right one.  It wasn't unfair.  He was honest and sincere.  Once when Sturtze was a last minute replacement judge at Hudson Valley, the Sons of Liberty found out about it.  Bob Van Deck was ill.  Earl was the sub. The corps boycotted and walked off the field.  The Son's drove home!  It was so pigheaded!  There were 5000 people there!”         

Joseph A. Gillotti: "At one contest Sturtze was the judge.  That was before I had become one of his students.  I was petrified!  All the bad images of the evil Sturtze!  I don't remember the exact results, but was surprised how fair was his marking and how instructive his comments were.  My contest piece was extremely simple:  "The General" from the Burns Moore book.  It was the only drum piece I knew at the time.

            "The other big fiasco with the Hatters and Earl Sturtze was when one of Eddie Keane's snare drummers beat the great Bobby Redican in individuals.  That must have been something!  Redican was a drumming "god" in those days."      

  

            Redican has a slightly different opinion:  "They would Mickey-Mouse ya.  There were rigged contests.  I was disqualified for what my competition couldn't do.  I was in 70 [individual] contests.  I was prepared for it. You wouldn't be able to see the score sheets after some of the contests.  Everybody wanted to be top dog.  They didn't care who they stepped on. Guys who never won before would win and you'd never hear from them again.  [They would] get the medal and disappear!  

            

Talented new players looked up to experienced ones.  It was not long before they were competing against them. Lose and learn. No name upstarts always came back veterans the next year to place higher.  New sticking ideas were copied by the competition in a calendar year, if not sooner.  Like a good gunfighter, you always were prepared, careful to keep looking back over your shoulder.

 

Senior Snare Drum Connecticut State Snare 1936-1962  

 

Aug. 5,1936    1st  William Moriarty (Lanvraft)             2nd James B. Ryan (Yalesville)

Aug. 6,1937    1st  William Moriarty (Lancraft)             2nd  Sigmund Trybus (AL Post 10)

Aug13,1938    1st  Sigmond Trybus (AL Post 10)          2nd  William Moriarty (Landcraft)

Aug. 5,1939    1st  Frank Arsenault (AL Post 10)           2nd  James O’Neill  (St. Paul’s)

Aug. 3,1940    1st  Frank Arsenault (Imperial Cadets)   2nd  Michael Stefanowicz (Imperial Cadets)

Aug.    1941    1st  Hugh Quigley (Lancraft)                   2nd  James O’Neill  (St. Paul’s)

Jul.   4,1942    1st  Hugh Quigley (Lancraft)                   2nd  Eldridge Arsenault  (Lancraft)

            1943    World War II

            1944    World War II

            1945    World War II

Aug.17,1946   1st  Robert Redican (Emil Senger Post)    2nd  Wally Fulton (North Branford)

Aug. 9,1947    1st  Robert Redican (Yalesville)                 2nd  Frank Arsenault

                       (disqualified, corps undermanned in parade) 3rd  Howard Kenealy (Continentals) 

Aug  7,1948    1st  Hugh Quigley (Lancraft)                     2nd   Frank Arsenault (East End)

Aug.13,1949   1st  Hugh Quigley (Lancraft)                     2nd  Robert Redican (North Branford)              

Aug.12,1950   1st  Robert Redican (North Branford)      2nd  Howard Kenealy (North Branford)

Aug. 4,1951    1st  Howard Kenealy (North Branford)    2nd  William Bailey (St. Francis)

Aug. 3,1952    1st  Hugh Quigley (Lancraft)                     2nd  Robert Redican (North Branford)

Aug. 8,1953    1st  Hugh Quigley (Lancraft)                     2nd  Eldrick Arsenault (Lancraft)

Aug. 7,1954    1st  Howard Kenealy (North Branford)    2nd  William Bailey (St. Francis)

Aug.30,1955    1st  Howard Kenealy (North Branford)   2nd Allan Brozak (St. Francis)

Aug. 5,1956    1st  Howard Kenealy (Post 45)                 2nd  Allan Brozak (St. Francis)

Aug. 3,1957    1st  Robert Redican (St. Paul’s)                 2nd  William Rotella (St. Peter’s)

Aug. 9,1958    1st  Robert Redican (St. Paul’s)                 2nd  Howard Kenealy (Post 45)

Aug15,1959    1st  Allan Brozak (Mattatuck VFW)         2nd  Paul Cormier (St. Paul’s)

Aug13,1960    1st  Paul Cormier (St. Paul’s)                     2nd  Allen Brozak (Mattatuck VFW)

Aug. 6,1961    1st  Howard Kenealy (Post 45)                  2nd  Jack Tencza  (St Paul’s)

Aug. 4,1962    1st  Howard Kenealy (Post 45)                  2nd  Howard Pennell (Royals)

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1939%20Basel%20Switzerland%20Clique%20at

Drummers around the world compared notes at the 1939 World's Fair

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This is the beginning of Swiss rudiments mixing with the 1933 NARD Standard "26" American Rudiments as competition became fierce after World War II.  

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At first, the question was "Why do we need these other rudiments? Aren't American rudiments good enough?" Penalties were assessed for not using the "26"; Bill Reamer's "Troublemakers" having an appropriate name for late 1948/1949 critiques.

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But Rita Macy winning the VFW individuals with a Bill Reamer solo that "had rudiments with no names" ended matters in the mid 1950s. 

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This was the beginning of the transfer of Swiss technology to American music battlefields.

©  All Rights Reserved  "The Perfectionists - A History of Competitive Rudimental Snare Drumming"

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