Samuel L. Potter (1772 - 1838) was a British drum major in the

Band of the Coldstream Guards The Band of the Coldstream Guards is one of the oldest and best known bands in the British Army, having been officially formed on 16 May 1785 under the command of Major C F Eley. History The band of the Coldstream Guards was officially formed un ...

and an influential fife and drum manual author.

Biography

Potter was born in 1772 and in 1786, at the age of 14, he enlisted in the

Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

. In 1800 he published a set of slow

marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

es and

quickstep The quickstep is a light-hearted dance of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal a ...

s. By 1815, Potter had ascended to the rank of Head Regimental Drum Major. During his service he was unhappy with the training and quality of the musical recruits coming into the regiment. He took it upon himself to write

bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, and drum manuals to train his musicians. In 1817 he published three books: ''The Art of Beating the Drum''; ''The Art of Playing the Fife'' and ''The Bugle Horn Major's Companion.'' His drum manual was especially influential in both Britain and America, with its legacy easily identified in such works as Walter F. Smith's 1897 manual ''Instructions for Trumpet and Drum'' and V.F. Safranek's 1916 publication ''Complete Instruction Manual for Bugle, Trumpet, and Drum'', which both feature

drum rudiment In ''rudimental drumming'', a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associa ...

s and calls that are obviously taken from Potter's work. Potter set up an instrument-making shop in King Street, Westminster in 1810 where he made horns, bugles, drums, trumpets, and fifes for military use under his son Henry's (b. 1810) name. Military rules prevented him from establishing his own company. He resigned from the Guards in 1817 after 30 years of service to run his business. Henry followed his father into the instrument making business and became a well-known flute-maker and owner of Henry Potter & Co. Ltd with his brother William. Samuel's third son George opened his own military instrument making shop and founded the company George Potter & Co., which bought his brothers' business in 1918 and continues to produce instruments in

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

under the Henry Potter name.

Publications

* ''A Sett of New Slow Marches, Waltzes, and Quicksteps for Fifes and Bugle Horns etc.'' * ''Method for Playing the Fife'' * ''The Art of Beating the Drum'' * ''The Art of Playing the Fife'' * ''The Bugle Horn Major's Companion''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Samuel 1772 births 1838 deaths 19th-century male musicians