Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Top Secret Drum Corps

'Top Secret' is a Swiss Drumline that performed at the 2003 Edinburgh Military Tattoo. With its invitation to Edinburgh, Top Secret became one of the first non-military, non-British Commonwealth acts to perform on the Esplanade at Edinburgh Castle.
Obviously, I was not there to see them in Scotland (my sis and b-i-l were lucky enough) but I did happen to catch their performance in the streets of Basel, my home town.

'Top Secret'

Basel drumming style is militaristic, derived from the military drumming drills of Swiss soldiers dating back the Middle Ages. Top Secret in many ways adheres to the military nature of Basel drumming, but differs in many respects. Its drummers play at a much faster rate. Also, while traditional Basel drumming is somber and favors traditional marching tunes (accompanied by fifes during Carnival), Top Secret's drumming style is upbeat and playful. Perhaps because of their 18th Century uniforms and precision work, the band is often referred to a military band or a part of the Swiss Army, but it is not affiliated with any military unit.

The Top Secret uniform (like the Basel coat of arms) is black and white, which looks terrific with the red and white colours of the Swiss flag, doncha think?

1 comment:

Monica Hunter said...

Wow, they're remarkable! I love all those drumstick tosses! Thanks for sharing this. :)