On stage are six young Mädchen, the trumpeters or Fanfarenbläser of the Damen-Trompeter-Corps „Alpenveilchen”, who stand at the ready and await their conductor's cue. Their trumpets have no valves and are actually long bugles complete with fanfare flags.
The Alpenveilchen Damen-Trompeter-Corps und Gesangs-Ensemble, or Ladies Trumpet Corps and Vocal Choir, were under the direction of J. Reinstadler, shown in this next postcard standing at the back with his baton and medals. His brass band and singers number 9 women and three men, as presumably Herr Reinstadler also sometimes played lead cornet. The musicians (except for the drummer) have rotary valve brass instruments and include an impressive bass helicon arranged in front on the floor. The young ladies wear the same uniform with a generous sash belt as in the first postcard but they sport a large white cap. The gentlemen are in formal evening dress minus the hat.
The postcard was sent on August 24, 1903 from Leipzig to someone in Eschenbach, Germany.
Herr Reinstadler produced another postcard with the Alpenveilchen ladies trumpet corps but economized with a cheap printer who used blue paper. The band here has only 11 musicians, 4 men and 7 women. Were they related? Brothers and sisters? Cousins? Perhaps married?
Unfortunately such questions will never have an answer.
This postcard was send from Markersdorf, Germany on Christmas Day, December 25, 1901, and postmarked at 6-7 in the evening.
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| Cyclamen purpurascens Source: Wikipedia |
The European Alpenveilchen (Cyclamen purpurascens) is the German name for the purple cyclamen, an alpine flower. Can you guess the color of the ladies uniform of the Alpenveilchen Damen-Trompeter-Corps?
This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where other ladies turn trumpets into bullets.
