May 2, 1974

A transcription of the interview is available in PDF format below. Once you have the PDF file open you may search for specific content inside the file.

pdf Open Interview Transcription

 

ContentStart
Introductions and Kurtz's first instructor and instrument 0:00
Well-known players in Kurtz's youth. Playing with Mattatuck 01:56
Milford Grenadiers history. American Graphophone. Other smaller-name corps. Bob Saunders 03:06
Sturtze and the Montrose corps. Major Teta 08:10
Doc Wheeler. Began (sp?) brothers competing against Frank Fancher. Worcester Continentals and their fifes. Odell Chapman 09:24
Powder Dunn and the Dunn Brothers 13:11
The O'Neill's of Brooklyn. Ruth O'Neill 13:57
Dan English. Study with J Burns Moore 14:31
Morris Levy. The Steeplechase corps 15:27
Kurtz's definition of Ancient. "Monkey" bands. Ancient style 19:50
Derby Thunders 22:26
Riker Post GAR (Brooklyn) 23:12
Odell Chapman and Thread City corps. Frank Fancher. 1925 competition. Ludwig's involvement. Gus Moeller and Fancher working for Ludwig 25:06
Gus Moeller. His playing style vs. English/Moore 28:46
Eagle Moosup corps (Moosup, CT) 30:43
Side Break 31:25
TRANSCRIPTION STARTS  
Caliber of corps in the Bridgeport area 31:36
Mattatuck. Research on Wilcox. Charlie Miller. The Wolcott Drum Band. Rote learning. Moodus & Percival 32:53
Ancients in the Meriden area 38:33
Impression of NY/NJ corps. Ex-5th Regiment corps 40:33
NY vs CT contests. Use of Bruce   Emmett vs Strube. CT adoption of Strube book 42:47
National Guard drum corps. 5th Maryland. Worcester Continentals. VCA. Regimental style 47:07
GAR corps and influence 49:04
New Haven/Branford area. Stony Creek 50:51
Mattatuck style 53:49
Old East Hampton corps. Dan Burns and pilgrimmage to the Brown family 54:55
Use of Martial music terms- field bands, drum corps, etc. 56:20
Bass Drum styles. Ray Brodeur's style. George Cook. BD mallet construction 57:24

November 21, 1974

A transcription of the interview is available in PDF format below. Once you have the PDF file open you may search for specific content inside the file.

pdf Open Interview Transcription

 

ContentStart
[discussion already in progress] Discussing keys and transpositions when playing fife with other instruments [tape recorder movement/noise] 00:00
Charles Williams fifes. Cloos mass production. Fingering hole size and tuning 3:50
Kurtz on making a Double Bb Fife 6:45
Kurtz's early fife-making ventures. The uniforms of Modern Combination corps in NY 7:30
Kurtz and Olsen on writing for the Drum Corps Herald and other publications 10:12
The articles published by and about Sturtze around the 1940 World's Fair judging. Banter on articles Kurtz gave to Olsen 13:50
Correspondence. Kurtz criticising the Yanks. Charlie Poole's (Jnr?) proposal for a 90bpm competition class [tape issues last 30 seconds] 16:16

 

Archival Notes

Interviewer: Ed Olsen and "Preston"
Dates: May 2, 1974 and Nov. 21, 1974

These recordings of a series of interviews with Ted Kurtz exist in the Company of Fifers & Drummers archive and is pieced together from several cassette tapes.

The May 2 transcription begins 31 mins into the recording, indicating that the first part of the recording was unavailable to the transcriber. The Nov. 21 interview is mis-labeled in the transcription itself.

The interview contains wide-ranging and often circular topics. The timings given are approximate, and it is best listened to as a whole, as sometimes topics are started, abandoned, and revisited in rapid succession.

Very little editing was done except to reduce tape noise and boost the volume of the voices.