Figure 1.--Most boys of the Biberacher Kleine Schützentrommler play an instrument, either the drums or the transverse flute. But a few boys don`t play instruments. Some boys carry shields with the coat of arms of Biberach and some boys carry a huge flag. Here`s an image of one of the boys carrying a shield. Notice the Austrian red and white and the Biberarch blue and yellow. Click on the image for another view of the band.

This is the Biberacher Kleine Schützentrommler. That means something along the lines of Bierbach Little (Boys) Shooter/Prtorctor Drummers. Perhaps our German readers have a little better translation. It`s a uniformed drum and piper marching band, although the title only mentions the drummers, although the Band now seems to be called the Schützentrommler und -pfeifer. The members are all boys between 6 and 15 years of age. They are considerung letting girls join, but at this time only boys are allowed. The Kleinen Schüetzentrommler has a long history. They were mentioned the first time in 1816 which of course was just after the Napoleonic Wars. We have only limited information about the group. We first see them in the 1950s at the 1959 Schützenfest . The boys had peaked student caps dark jackets or jackets with lanyards, white shits, and white kneesocks. The boys wore both shoes and sandals or strap shoes. Here we see a more recent photograph of the band. A German reader tells us, "In the mid of the 20th century the boys got their first costumes. These costumes were similar to other traditional student costumes and because of that the Kleine Schüetzentrommler adopted their own costumes. Since 1959 their costumes changed only in few points. Today the only part of the uniform, which remind to the old student like uniform is the cap. These caps are still part of German students fraternity." The costumes of the Kleine Schüetzentrommler has changed only slightly since the uniform oiginally adopted. It consists of a white longsleeved shirt, a blue vest with the coat of arms of Biberach at the chest, beige short pants, white knee socks, sandals, and a blue cap." The blue and yellow colors of the uniforms are based on the colors of medieval Bierbach. You can see that on the shield the boy here is holding. The Austrian imperial double-headed agle has the Austrian red and white colors and the Biberarch blue and yellow colors (figure 1). The traditional German student's caps is one of the most interesing features of the band's uniform. The only basic changes have been replacing the jacket with a vest and shoes with sandals. A German reader has provided impages of the Band participating at their main event, the Biberacher Schüetzenfest in 2005. The Band is very popular abd membership seen as a nonor. They sign up at an early age.

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Created: 12:31 AM 7/27/2005
Last updated: 9:50 PM 7/3/2016