The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-11
WHAT TIE DRUMMER DOES.
Yet Some Folks Think He Doesn't
Amount to Much in an Orchestra.

Amount to Much in an Orchestra.
From Me Chicago Herald.
Theater-goers who think that the drum
mer in the orchestra has nothing to do but
| keep his eyes on the stage and occasionally
contribute a r-r-r-rum-tum-tum to the con-
certed efforts of his comrades, should get q
front seat and a tab some night when comic
opsra is en-, and devote TO the drummer as
much attention as they can induce them
| selves to steal from the girls in tights aud
| agile naidens In costumes OF skirt dancers.
| Then the patron Of the play house will real
ize that what the comedian is to the drama,
and the general utility man Is to the stock
company, the drummer is the orchestra.
de Is the most active man under the foot
lights. He has more effects to introduce,
more business" to keep in mind, more 10
struments to play, more stops to notice, and
more bars Of rest to count than any other
musician.
II there be In the overture a suggestion Of
birds the drummer is the man who toots
the little whistle initiative of the kind of
bird suggested. II the scene calls for fever
and ague music, with rain on the side, the
drummer Is the man who Is looked to for an
imitation of the pattering of the rain upon
the roof. If a horse Is supposed to be COM
ing full tilt over the rocky brow Of yonder
hill the drummer is the man who produces
the sounds that are like the resoundip9
striving after effect" is the idea OF the
leader, and is the work OF the fellow who
Is popularity regarded as a most interested
spectator OF the performance. If that
leader wanted to add realism to a scene in
which q house was being moved across the
stage he would probably suggest that the
drummer invent some sort Of creakiuR ma
chine to give forth the groan Of the wind
lass and might even 60 90 far as TO insist
that the FOUNDER of sheepskin drag chain
to and fro on the floor Of the orchestra
stall. These exactions on the part OF the
leader necessitate a vast amount Of inge-
nuity on the part OF this busiest assistant,
and as a consequence each drummer has
big trunk full OF what are known In the
profession as traps" chiefly Of his own
design and manufacture.
Every theater orchestra drummer Is re-
quired to be ou fat on the snare drum,
kettle drums, bass drums cymbels, and tri-
angle; to be able to play all them at once If
need be, working the bass drum and GYM
balls with pedal. He must also be accom-
plished with a chime of bells and feel per-
fectly at home with the casraners. Il In
necessary that be should have the castAnets
on his fingers as the Spanish dancer does,
but he must be able to crack them rhythmi-
cally when they are fastened to thin pieces
of board 1t isn't essential, either, that the
drummer be as much all adept as is the
burnt cork end man with the tambourine,
, apology for musical instrument than the
, Salvation Army girl shows. A real good
orchestra drummer Is usually, familiar, also,
with the xylophone-the graduated strips
OF wood upon which he pounds with little
round-headed mallets, Invariably to the de-
. light Of the gallery. OF whistles, the drummer
has enough to craze neighborhood. He
, can reproduce the loot OF the locomotive,
the deep note of the steamboat, the screech
OF the callfope, the call OF the cuckoo, the
dual note OF the quail, the growing OF a
rooster, the clucking OF hen, the honk of
q goose, or the quack of duck. The hem
, ciUcking apparatus Is queer and simple. 1t
Is tin can, through the bottom of which
a rosined string has been passed ard knotted.
The drawing of the string through the
chnched hand brings the hen near. The
chirping of birds Is initiated on whistles
made for the purpose and marked canary"
or peacock" as the case may be. These
whistles are as numerous az the varieties Of
feathered bipeds. 30 that IL the business
called for the scream of even the "jub,ju
bird the drummer would find something to
meet the demand.
There's no large amount of musical abil-
lty, nor even OF dexterity, displayed in
blowing on a whistle, and thereby Initiating
the chirp Of cricket, for the whistle 10
made to produce the sound. and all the
drummer need do is furnish the powsr-to
press the button, as it we're. But in the
|
design the general utility man is often called
upon to show observation, nicely of touch
and rapidity Of movement Given a fiat
stone or piece OF marble and two blocks of
wood, with horseshoes attached, the task of
, fooling people into the belief that horse In
, mad gallop on hard road is being refined
in front OF a feudal castle or baronial hall,
or in a paved court yard, 10 not
an easy one. This falls 10 the lot
OF the drummer. Portraying in sound
the flight of railroad train by means
Of two sheets OF stovepipe iron and
two switches made Of punches Of wire gives
! an opportunity for the appearance Of tho
: ridiculous, unless the work be we'll done,
: Jirglng a string Of sleigh bells at the proper
time does not oveTtex q musician, nor does
/ the manipulation OF a champagne pop, a
mere popgun on an enlarged scale, call for
ability of high order; neither does the use
OF baby cry, nor yet the rubbing together
: OF two blocks Of wood covered with sand
paper to produce the choo-choo Of an engine.
! There is an art however, in doing a clog
dance with two wooden hammers armed
: with jingles. In tile arrangement OF gas
pipes so that beating upon them will call to
mind the wayside forge and the brawny
: smith there is more or less knowledge Of
sound and harmony necessary.
Few drummers are averse to following the
! suggestions OF their orchestra leaders 10 the
: Introduction of effects, and all of them are
} proud OF the creative faculty which sug-
! gesus the causes of the effects. A drummer
will twirl on a rosined stick a strand of
. horse hair fastened at the other end to q
bottle head covered with kid, and will sec
In the noise clever imitation Of the locust
: OF the 7-year variety. He will NOT take
umbrage IL asked TO initiate a rainfall by
upending at the proper time a section OF
; stovepipe through which countless wires
, have been passed laterally. and pouring
; through the machine a quart or two OF
dried pease or baans, whose dropping from
} wire to wire sounds like the steady down.
pour OF rain. He doesn't object TO beating
together the oval ends OF despoiled cocoa
: nuts for the sole purpose of making "hol-
! low sound" In fact, the drummer Is ools
, lectively willing to do almost anything he
| is called upon TO do I'm an orchastrai nav