The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-07-11
Richmond Musician Playing With
Army Band at Camp Shelby, Miss.

Paul G. Druley, who Is training at
Camp Shelby, Miss, has been trans
ferred to the 149th infantry band, and
in letter to friends here gives an In
teresting account of army band work.
According to Druley there is a demand
for musicians in the army bands, as
an effort is being made to bring the
American military bands up to the
French standard.
Druley was formerly member OF
the Earhart Symphony orchestra here
and Is vel known to Richmond must
clans.
The letter follows:
1.-TWO weeks ago last Monday I was
transferred to the 149th Infantry
band, that Is will stay if l make good
and am surely trying hard to do that.
OF course, this band is regular army
band and our only duties outside Of
playing formations, concerts and re-
hearsals is litter drill, that being our
work when our regiment Is in actual
combat.
All regimental bands rate forty-nine
pieces and a director, making them
pretty fair sized organizations. This
increase in the size of the bands was
brought about by special request Of
General Pershing, in order to put
them on a par with the French bands,
and l certainly think 1t was a fine
thing, for if there is anything l don't
like to hear it is small band trying
to play some heavily scored overtures.
At the present time there are seven
a dc in
Artillery, the 13Sth Field Artillery, the
139th Field Artillery, the 149th Infan-
try, the 150th Infantry, the 151st In
fantry and the 152d Infantry. None
of these bands are full and there is
of the best bands have left this camp
Field Artillery.
J Our band has given a concert at
Division headquarters once a week
and one concert here at the 149th
camp. Last week we also gave con-
cert at the Squaw Camp where the
officers wives stay. We rehearse in
both afternoon and morning, SO we
are kept busy practically all the time.
The line of music that we play is
rather an assortment; marches, waltz
es, selections and overtures. Some of
the heavier numbers that we play are
Light Cavalry" by Suppe; Grand
March and Chorus from Semiramide, -
by Rosseni; and "SeXtette, from Lu-
cha. Also "Lustspiel Overtures," by
Gardener. l have Edison's records of
the two latter.
They are planning to have some ath-
letic events here today, and tonight
there is to be an entertainment here
! at the Division ball grounds, in which
six Of the bands are to play together
as one band, making a band Of about
two hundred instruments. We have
been drilling and rehearsing all week
and it has been rather tedious work,
as a band Of that size is a rather I'M
wieldy thing to manage. Most Of our
playing is marches and waltzes, with
some National airs for the drills, but
for the grand entree we play March
from Aida by Verdi, which is very
grand and dignihed. We will also
play the "Lustspiel Overture
The 149th until recently has been
made up of Kentucky troops, but on
account of about LOO of them being
|sent to France, they are filling up
with Illinois men. With the exception
Of the band boys, find, as a rule that
the Kentucky men are not very well
educated. / don't believe that more
than half of them can read or write.
hardly realized before that there