AN EXCURSION INTO THE HISTORY OF RUDIMENTAL DRUMMING IN SWITZERLAND

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to outline the historical origins, developmental trends, and establishment of rudimental drumming in Switzerland. The article provides a comparative analysis of Basler Trommeln and Tambour-Ordonnanz, taking into account their regional features, repertoire specificity, and the formation of rudimental systems. Based on the analysis of primary sources, distinctive characteristics, common features, and differences are identified, and the evolution of drum notation practices is traced – from conventionally hieroglyphic and onomatopoetic forms of writing to the adoption of staff notation and the establishment of modern methods of musical text fixation. The research methodology is grounded in the comprehensive application of several approaches. A thorough study of 18th–20th-century sources necessitated the use of the source-critical method. The historical method was applied in examining the chronology of rudimental drumming, while the determination of the specificities and differences was based on the method of comparative analysis. The scientific novelty of the study lies in an attempt to present an entirely unexplored sphere of drumming within Ukrainian musicological discourse, while simultaneously introducing into Ukrainian scholarly terminology the concept of rudimental drumming, which is widely used in the global performance context. Furthermore, the study offers a systematic comparison of Basler Trommeln and Tambour-Ordonnanz, differentiating their historical, functional, and drumming characteristics. Conclusions. Rudimental drumming in Switzerland is represented by two independent practice that existed in two opposite domains: military practice (Tambour-Ordonnanz) and civic life (Basler Trommeln). Their differences are primarily determined by functional roles, regional characteristics, the formation of rudimental systems, the number and types of rudiments used, their interpretation, as well as the repertoire and its notational forms. Switzerland’s significant contribution to the global practice of rudimental drumming is the development of a number of rudiments that have become an integral part of contemporary drumming traditions and were included in the list of “The 40 Percussive Arts Society International Rudiments” (1984), as well as the 42 rudiments of the “Creative Percussion Rudimental Codex” (2018).