Memories of Christmas shows --

[Ghost]

I imagine many of you are familiar with this FB group.  Covid Drum Corps.  The first episode listed on their FB page is Christmas shows and a segment of a corps show with a Christmas song.  Occasional strong language. 

https://www.facebook.com/CDCorpsWebcast/

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Ghost

[njthundrrd]

Guardsmen. Seems like every year!
 

 

[MikeD]

8 hours ago, ironlips said:

I had not seen this before. This version contains several re-writes and modifications initiated after I left. If I recall, these were suggested (and possibly written) by Don Angelica. That would explain the rather rough performance at the World Open as the corps adjusted to some major mid-season changes.

Drum Corps, as a whole, was experimenting with a new paradigm that involved dramatic through-lines and asymmetry, as well as costumes and motifs. Garfield was not alone. The Cavaliers, Madison and others were sailing into uncharted seas, as well.

Sometimes, evolution begins with revolution. In any case, the activity was never the same after that year.

A few bars of "Christmas" tunes seems rather quaint by today's standards.

Yeah, the show underwent a large number of changes. Some were due to judges not getting it, especially George's percussion score. Some of the older judges just did not get what he wrote, so he had to water down and redo some of our favorite parts.

Example: The drum line spilt into two pieces for the British/Colonist parts noted above, half with the lower brass (British) and half with the sopranos (Colonists). The British did the minuet in 3/4 while the colonists did a hoe down in 2/4 simultaneously. Drum judges killed us in demand because each half was playing different music at the same time, with a large separation between us on the field. So George had to create one "timekeeping" part and we just stayed in mid-field together.  

The drum judges never did get some of the show. Because the 2nd drum solo also had some brass moments, some did not "count" it as a percussion feature. BTW...that sort of thing had not changed even 6 years later. In 1977 I taught the King's Regiment, a GSC corps, and the second percussion feature I wrote included a brass quintet (s Vaughan Williams piece), and we often got those types of comments that it was not a "drum solo".

Don did do some music changes/additions, for sure. He added the finale tag ending. Originally we just marched off to "Yankee Doodle", which I liked, as it was so different. 

For those who look back longingly at the judging of the past....Interesting that Don was so involved on staff with us from mid-season on, as he was a GE Judge at VFW Nats.

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by MikeD

[mfrontz]

2006 Phantom - Ave Maria

[JimF-LowBari]

Crossmen with “Russian Christmas Music” perhaps... ca late 70s.

Only thought of it as converting old cassettes and vinyl to mp3. (Retirement/Covid project) Have concert recordings of Crossmen and other corps. At least when I hear RCM I know it’s Crossmen.

Edited December 25, 2020 by JimF-LowBari

[tedrick]

Interesting! I didn't know a bunch of corps did Russian Christmas Music before Vanguard!

sheesh!

http://www.dcxmuseum.org/index.cfm?view=search&song=Russian%20Christmas%20Music

 

13 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Crossmen with “Russian Christmas Music” perhaps... ca late 70s.

Only thought of it as converting old cassettes and vinyl to mp3. (Retirement/Covid project) Have concert recordings of Crossmen and other corps. At least when I hear RCM I know it’s Crossmen.