Fritz Berger was a Swiss drum teacher and drum method book author. He wrote several influential books on Swiss rudimental drumming, or Basler Trommeln, that are still thought of as the authoritative sources for Swiss drumming in America.

Biography

Dr. Fritz Robert Berger was born in 1895 in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and is sometimes referred to as the "Drummel-Doggter". His middle name is sometimes given as Rudolf. He studied the Basel style of

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

ming, called Basler Trommeln or Basle Trommel, and published his book Das Basler Trommeln : nebst vollständigem Lehrgang und einer Sammlung aller Basler Trommelmärsche in 1928. He also published article called ''Das Basler Trommeln, Werden und Wesen'' in 1936. His books and other publications outlined the Swiss Basel rudimental system in a novel notation system that was much easier to read for drummers from outside of the Basel tradition. Previously, Basel notation had been either onomatopoetic, using syllables written out in letters to represent the rhythms, or later a set of symbols or hieroglyphics.Beck, John H. ''Encyclopedia of Percussion.'' Routledge, 2013. Neither system used the normal elements of western music notation. Berger's monolinear notation system used established musical note values and symbols and placed them on a single-line staff. Similarly to other rudimental notation systems in

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, and

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, and other parts of

, his system placed right hand notes above the line and the left hand notes below it so that the sticking was obvious.Dean, Matt. ''The Drum: A History.'' Scarecrow, 2011. In the 1930s, Berger exchanged ideas with drummers in

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and

, promoting his Basel rudimental style to various drum corps, marching bands, and rudimental percussionists who had largely not been familiar with Basel drumming before.Bloom, Ryan Alexander. ''Encyclopedia Rudimentia.'' New York: Hudson Music, 2019. Berger's Swiss student

Alfons Grieder Alfons Grieder was a Swiss rudimental drummer who spread awareness of the Basel Drumming style in America during the mid to late 20th century through his traveling, teaching, and publications. Biography Grieder was born in Basel, Switzerland in ...

continued to promote Berger's interpretation of Basel drumming in North America, starting in the 1960s. Berger is known to have performed Liberman's ''Geigy Festival Concerto for Basle Trommel and Orchestra'' several times, including a performance as late as 1961 at

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

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for the BBC Festival of Light.Blades, James. ''Percussion Instruments and Their History''. Bold Strummer, 1992. Later in life, Berger wrote additional books on Basel drumming such as ''Das Basler Trommeln'' in 1956 for the Swiss audience and ''Instructor for Basle Drumming,'' which was published in 1964, just after his death, and circulated widely in American Ancient Drumming circles. He also published several pieces of music, including 3 volumes of ''Trommelmärsche'' between 1959 and 1965. The Berger Lesson 25 is a Hybrid Rudiment named for Fritz Berger. It is primarily due to Berger's (and later Grieder's) influence that the

Percussive Arts Society The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is a non-profit organization for professional percussionists and percussion educators. It was founded in 1961 in the United States and has over 5,000 members in 40 American chapters, with another 28 chapters abr ...

40 International Rudiments sheet includes the Swiss rudiments the Single Flammed Mill and Swiss Army Triplet. These inclusions appear to be a point of contention for Jack Pratt and the International Association of Traditional Drummers who vocally object to the Swiss influence on American rudiments

Publications

* ''Das Basler Trommeln nebst vollständigem Lehrgang und einer Sammlung aller Basler Trommelmärsche'' - 1928 *''Das Basler Trommeln, Werden und Wesen'' - c. 1936 *''Das Basler Trommeln'' - 1956 *''Instructor for Basle Drumming'' - 1964 *''Trommelmärsche'' Vols 1-3 - 1959-1965

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Fritz 1895 births 1963 deaths 20th-century Swiss male musicians 20th-century Swiss musicians Swiss music educators Swiss drummers Drum educators 20th-century Swiss non-fiction writers