George B. Bruce was an American Army
drum major during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. Bruce is best known for co-writing ''The Drummer's and Fifer's Guide'' with
Daniel Decatur Emmett.
Career
George Bruce was taught to play the drum by drum major Riggs in the
Baltimore area. Bruce served in the Maryland Dragoons from 1839-1843. Bruce's book, ''The Guide'' was published in 1862, and remains well known as a source for music for the fife and drum. It was the second book in history to use the word
"rudiment" in conjunction with short, named exercises for the snare drum, the first being
Charles Stewart Ashworth
Charles Stewart Ashworth was Drum Major of the United States Marine Band in the early 1800s and the author of an influential rudimental drum manual.
Bio
Charles Stewart Ashworth was born in England but had emigrated to the United States by Decem ...
's ''A New Useful and Complete System of Drum Beating''. The book also was one of the first to advocate playing rudiments
Open, closed, open, a practice method popular today, and the first to record the Flamacue.
[Beck, John H. ''Encyclopedia of Percussion.'' Routledge, 2013.] According to the cover of his book Bruce served in the
7th Regiment N.Y.S.M. (National Guard) Band and was (potentially dubiously) also listed as the Principal Drum Instructor at Bedloe's and the U.S. Army at the Eastern School of Practice on Governor's Island in New York Harbor. Bruce was a player of the drums, banjo, violin and mandolin. Bruce served as the drum major for the
22nd New York Infantry Regiment in 1863 and as the drum major for the
5th Maryland Infantry Regiment. He died in 1884 in Baltimore City, MD at the age of 68.
His work influenced
Sanford A. Moeller
Sanford Augustus Moeller (1878–1960) was an American rudimental drummer, national champion, educator, and author. He was born in Albany, New York on February 16, 1878, and he began his music education by studying the piano.
While still a ...
of the
Moeller Method The Moeller method, Moeller technique or whipping technique is a percussive stroke method that combines a variety of techniques with the goal of improving hand speed, power, and control while offering the flexibility to add accented notes at will.
...
of drumming, in the publisher's note of Moeller's own book he speaks highly Bruce's method of drum instruction, and indeed, Moeller's book has some similarity to Bruce and
Emmett's ''The Drummers' and Fifers' Guide'', in that both have lengthy treatments of the rudiments, and many of the pieces in Bruce's book also appear in Moeller's. Moeller is quoted as having said that Bruce and Emmett, "saved American drumming."
Controversy
George Bruce's resume and qualifications have been questioned by some modern groups, though many publications on rudimental drumming adhere to Bruce's own account of his qualifications. It has been stated that Bruce's birth name was George B. Barrett (b. 1815 or 1816 in Baltimore) and that he changed his name after deserting his post in Maryland's 2nd Regiment of Dragoons in 1836. A soldier named George Barrett served in the 7th Regiment N.Y.S.M. as Bruce had claimed to do, and Bruce served under his new name as a drum major in the 22nd Regiment N.Y.S.M.,
[Wingate, George W. ''History of the Twenty-second Regiment of the National Guard of the State of New York - from its organization to 1895''. New York: Dayton, 1896.] though his post with the 22nd is not listed in his book. The drum and fife instructors on Governor's Island during the Civil War were known to be Sergeant Henke and Sergeant Michael Moore, of the eponymous Henke-Moore Manuscript, and not George Bruce as he claimed. Moore had been at Governor's Island since 1841. Fort Wood on Bedloe's Island, now known as Liberty Island, was an ordinance depot during the Civil War.
The question as to Bruce's backstory had been raised in the 1920s but was largely ignored by contemporary drummers.
References
*
Nexus Percussion: Music for Fife and Field Drums
External links
Index of songs in ''The Drummer's and Fifer's Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, George B
American non-fiction writers
American drummers
American male drummers
1816 births
1884 deaths