Object Record
Images
Additional Images [3]
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2019.12.01 |
Object Type |
Drum, Snare |
Creator |
Premier Percussion |
Title |
Connoisseur Snare Drum |
Description |
Premier metal snare drum owned and played by Alan Abel. 10 lugs with damp chaser installed in drums's interior. A label on the shell reads "Alan Abel 220 Henley Rd. Wynnewood, PA 19096-3110." Black snare strainer. Evans drum heads. Has a drum key tied to one of the lugs. |
Dimensions |
H-8 Dia-14 inches |
People |
Abel, Alan Premier Percussion |
Date |
c. 1963 |
Additional Research |
For nearly 100 years, Premier Music International Ltd. has been manufacturing a wide range of percussion instruments for all types of musical situations. Since its inception, Premier has consistently offered top-quality snare drums for the professional orchestral player, such as this drum, a Premier Connoisseur model, which appears in their 1963 catalog and was owned and played by PAS Hall of Fame member Alan Abel. Joining the Philadelphia Orchestra as a section percussionist in 1959, Abel advanced to Associate Principal in 1972. Though retiring from that position in 1997, he continued to perform as needed for several seasons. When asked about Abel's Premier snare drum, Tony Orlando recalled that Abel regularly used the drum from his earliest recollections after Orlando joined the percussion section in 1972. Chris Deviney described the drum as Abel's "go to" snare drum for anything having a dynamic range above a mezzo forte, and that he sometimes paired the drum with a Hinger Space Tone model for a full range of dynamics and timbres. The 14 x 6.5-inch, chrome-plated, brass-shell drum has been significantly modified from its original design, which included individually adjusted, 12-strand gut snares on a parallel strainer, as well as an internal tone control. The 10-lug drum features diecast hoops, slotted rods that require a Premier key or the use of a coin to tension, a Drumworks snare strainer (throwoff), 12-strand Patterson snares, moleskin placed at two locations on the top counterhoop, a stick-on label with Abel's name and address, and an internal dehumidifier (heater) for use with calfskin heads. The dehumidifier, which consists of a circular heated ring, is mounted to the shell via four bolts on a bracket and is activated by a separately mounted on/off toggle switch with a plug in for AC/DC power. It is stamped on two sides of the bracket with DAMP-CHASER / INC / HENDERSONVILLE / N. C. and MODEL 9 / 50 WATTS / 117 V AC/DC / PATENT (number illegible). A representative of the company stated that this model was quite rare, and only manufactured under special request. The drum has an Evans Orchestral batter head and a Premier EverPlay snare head, which could be original to the drum. As Abel's primary snare for several decades, it appears in countless recordings and broadcasts of the Philadelphia Orchestra, many of which can easily be found on YouTube. These include "Pictures at an Exhibition," conducted by Riccardo Muti (at 12:43 in Gnomus), and "Scheherazade" conducted in 1978 by Eugene Ormandy (at 25:27 and 37:58). https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=PE5r1ZFkdXk and https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=LEN5ObBND88. Percussive Notes, August 2020. |
Credit line |
Gift of Alan Abel |