MARCHING ON

Once Upon A Time

This is a story about my grandmother Alica, a kind-hearted soul of the years past, who relived the literary greatness of her youth in the motherland through the telling of bedtime stories to her adopted grandchildren. The tale that was told was in the time when the grownups were children in their days.

****

“Once upon a time there was ghost,” uttered my grandmother Alica in the slang of her speech as she told her grandchildren their usual bedtime story. No, the stories were not meant to be scary, but of the lore of her birthplace. They were rather unusual stories to be told to wee ones before the closing of the eyes.

That was the way with my granny.  Children of our age were treated to fables of the Grimm Brothers or the fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson, but these tales were not for us. Our grandmother told us stories she heard in her early years in Russia; tales which were written by Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy and so forth. These stories remained with her after her flight to the western land after the toppling of Czar Nicholas II in the revolution of the proletariat.

My grandmother Alica was a rather unusual woman in her ways. The corpulent woman, gray-haired and wrinkled in years, had a very strange history and background. She had a passion for the downtrodden and the workers of the world, which started in her early years under the boot of the czar and his Cossack horde. A passion she continued in her new life in the ‘goldena medina’, the USA. She had married and widowed, bore four children, but tragedy followed them in their paths and my mother was the last of her brood. That is a rather long story that would take reams of paper to inscribe.

How we children came to be cared by my grandmother Alica is another story. I could only remember very little of the happenings of the past. Probably it was a balm to the miseries that entered my life as a young boy.

It was a week after the funeral where I held the trembling hand of my little sister as the rabbi chanted the prayer for the departed. “Poor little Norman, brave little Norman,” as the kin and friends spoke in sympathy to me for the loss of both my parents in a terrible train accident. The words were strange in my mind, as I was only a freckled-faced boy of eight, a scrappy little devil who was not found of books, but of the ball and bat. My little sister Ruth, a cute little toddler in her sixth year, simply shed tears when spoken to, and she called for her mummy and daddy.

It was only grandmother Alica who offered us the needed shelter; for one reason or another our other kinfolk found a way to shirk their responsibility. Our grandmother had a comfortable pension and earnings to satisfy her in her elder years; and enough to care for us. She had a small run-down dwelling in an equally run-down part of the metropolis. It was a one story gabled dwelling of five rooms fitted with a few scraps of furniture and fixtures, and filled with the junk of memorabilia. Yet my dear grandmother Alica found room for her two grandchildren; she actually cleared one room and chucked the collection of junk, and bought the needed children’s bunks, bureaus and dainty items.

At the early evening hours we were snuggly covered in our warm blankets as we awaited the nightly bedtime story from grandma, which was promised to be a ghostly one. Despite the warmth we shivered in anticipation. 

Grandmother Alica sat back in the hard comfort of the chair. A book of lore written in the Cyrillic script was held in her left hand as the arthritic index finger of the right hand moved along the sentences. Through her thick lenses spectacles she searched through the page.

“Ahh, there we are! Now, let’s begin. Once upon a time many, many years ago there was in the land of the Russia Empire. Czar Nicholas II, the last of the emperors who ruled the land with a fair but hard hand.”

Her accented English words were mixed with bits of the Slavic tongue as they took us to the capital of the empire, St Petersburg. Gran told vividly of ornate palaces and splendid buildings erected by Peter the Great that were grouped around the city squares near the river Neva; just on the banks upriver, was the legendary Winter Palace, home of the Czars. She pictured the Peter and Paul Fortress on Zayachy Island with the imposing St. Peter and St. Peter Cathedral, the burial place of the czars.

 We imagined the white nights of midsummer at the Summer Gardens where romantic ballets, which were performed deftly by Anna Palova and Vaslav Nijinsky to the symphonic tone of Peter Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and to the other great Russian composers. Grandmother Alica waltzed us to the grand balls held at the Winter Palace were uniformed and bemedaled gallants together with bejeweled ladies in decorative crinolines danced through the wee hours of the night

“Yet,” grumbled our grandmother in the slur of her tongue, “Times were bitter and hard for the common folk. Czar Nicholas and his entourage were blind to the debacle of the war and the misery that followed. “     

She told of the troubles in St Petersburg that followed the debacle of defeat at the hands of the German troops in that Great War.  Demo bed soldiers wandered through the city penniless and in rags, shortages of bread causing huge unruly breadlines; and that peaceful march that ended in the shedding of blood. Now, more troubles brewed with that charlatan Rasputin ruling the roost at the palace.  Revolution was in the air.

The days following that Great War was the time of mystery that shadowed the defeat of the Imperial forces. A story was told at that time in the nearness of the February revolution about a strange happening on a western roadway leading to St. Petersburg. It told about a ghostly figure that was seen standing at the roadside trying to flag down the rare passing droshkies, which traveled through the late night hours. “I think it was written by Gogol or was it Turgenev,” puzzled my grandmother.

My gran paused for a moment and stared into our eager eyes expecting a question to the Russian word ‘droshkies’. Hearing none she kindly offered an explanation in the roughness of her speech,  “now, my dear children, a droshky is a open horse drawn coach, some have wheels, others have iron runners. It was quite a reliable transport in those days of cold and ice,” related my grandmother as she relaxed in her chair.  

We snuggled into the covers of our beds and waited the continuance of her words. I heard the groan of the chair as she bent slightly forward and continued in her storytelling.

“It was close to the bewitching hour when a certain young gentleman was driving in his carriage down the icy highway that led to St. Petersburg. The young chappy was an officer in the army of Czar Nicholas II, a fine looking officer whose husky body fitted well in the uniform of colonel of the emperor’s guards. As he sat back in the droshky, he fingered his well-trimmed black moustache nervously; his craggy features were frowned with thoughts to his mission for the Little Father.”

“Suddenly the carriage braked hard and the officer was nearly thrown to the floor. He heard the neighing of the coach’s two horses as they reared and jumped from the sudden pulling of the reins by the driver. The officer called out to driver, “What the devil is wrong?  Why are we stopping?”

“There’s an uniformed figure in middle of the road,” answered the driver, ‘’he is motioning me to stop.”

“Blat!  What the devil,” cursed the colonel as he opened the carriage door and stepped down onto the road. His eyes searched out the dusk in front of him and he saw the soldierly figure, but he was strangely uniformed.  From the shako on his head to the tarnished brass of his uniform buttons to his ornate, but shabby boots shoeing his feet, he had the appearance of service to that ambitious empress of a bygone era. The officer’s mind was jumbled as he couldn’t understand the appearance of an officer dressed in the uniform of the imperial guard of the great Empress Catherine, a ruler dead and buried ages past.”

We were fascinated by her words even though it put a bit of fright in our innocent minds. She cleared her throat as she continued, “that was not an actual man but a ghost from the time of the Czarina Catherina that was seen by the colonel?”

Without a pause Grandmother Alica drifted in her thoughts, “Ohh, that woman empress was a wicked woman in her ways.  In her time the peasants throughout the whole empire were waiting for a leader to lead them in revolt against her cruel laws. That revolution was short-lived as the armed bands couldn’t stand against regular troops, but I won’t confuse you anymore with its history. Just accept my words that the ghost was of her time.

“The horses had settled down and were snorting and stamping about, but a tug on the reins by the driver quieted them. Seeing all was calm, the colonel went in front of the coach and called out to the figure. The ghostly officer turned to the call of the colonel’s voice and he called out in a whispering voice, ‘The serfs are rising in revolt’. Turn back, turn back!’”

Grandmother Alica grunted a few ahems as she cleared her throat.” Now where we? Ahh, yes. Well, the colonel was puzzled by the remarks of the ghostly officer and he called out for explanation from him. But the reply was only the continuing cry that the serfs were rising in revolt.”

“This infuriated the officer of the czar and as he moved slowly but quietly to the shadowy figure, he saw a white bearded figure in the shabbiness of his uniform. The hands of the spirit were luminous in the motion of signaling passing vehicles; his crazed eyes were opened wide and from his creased lips, the hoarse whispering words telling of the uprising of the serfs continued.”

Grandmother Alica spoke softly as her words eerily emphasized the frightening event. “The colonel neared the ghostly officer but as he came closer he only found empty space in his sight. He cursed and he put down the sighting of the apparition to the tiredness of his eyes and the lateness of the hour. Yet he thought, the coachman had also seen the shadowy spirit.”

“Yes, it was a ghostly figure. Off course that what was not on the mind of the colonel as he returned to his coach, but only the finalization of his mission. His only remark to his lowly coachman was to drive on as he bundled himself in the warmth of his furs. He heard the lashes of the whip on the horses’ back and the call by the driver that prodded the animals to take to a trotting pace.”

“The droshky skidded along the icy road as the two horses plodded along; their iron shod feet gripped the road with each thud of their hooves, now and again slipping on an icy patch. But the driver was ever alert in his ability to prevent a fall by the animals. The sound of the clopping hooves, the jingle of the harness chains, and the soft clucking of the driver to his horses lulled the passing time. “

“The colonel’s eyelids closed in weariness and before long he was leaning back in the plush of the coach in deep sleep. But rest was denied a long spell as the braking of the coach and the nervous neighs of the horses again jolted the officer. He cursed angrily at the coachman and demanded a reply to the sudden stop.”

“The was no answer by driver as he was terror-stricken. The colonel looked about and saw roughly dressed men and women with weapons in their hands surrounding the droshky. He looked beyond the mob and saw red flags flying…”

Grandmother Alica closed the book and sighed. Then she looked upon me and wished me a Good Night, but my sleepy eyes were nearly shut before she uttered her words….

About the Author

the author is a former correspondent for the Continental News Service (USA), now retired..

BlueThunder Marching Band & Color Guard from Walnut Ca, halftime 10-2-09

Blue & White Color Guard Flag – Winter Guard Silk – For Marching Band Divas $4.99

Red Color Guard Flag – Winter Guard Silk – For Marching Band, Drum Corps $7.99

Black Color Guard or Winter Guard Flag – Marching Band, Drum Corps $8.99

VINTAGE COLOR GUARD MALE FLAG CARRIER MARCHING BAND METAL MALE FIGURE $15.00

Color Guard/Winter Guard Flags – Red, Purple, Silver, & White – Marching Band $8.99

Color Guard/Winter Guard Flags – Blue, Silver, Black – Marching Band, Drum Corps $9.99

Colorguard – No Excuses T-Shirt —- Color Guard – Marching Band – Winter – Flag $9.95

Colorguard – No Excuses T-Shirt —- Color Guard – Marching Band – Winter – Flag $9.95

Colorguard – No Excuses T-Shirt —- Color Guard – Marching Band – Winter – Flag $9.95

Colorguard – No Excuses T-Shirt —- Color Guard – Marching Band – Winter – Flag $9.95

Colorguard – No Excuses T-Shirt —- Color Guard – Marching Band – Winter – Flag $9.95

Colorguard – No Excuses T-Shirt —- Color Guard – Marching Band – Winter – Flag $9.95

Color Guard Winter Guard Marching Band Flag in Lavender & Fuschia $9.99

VINTAGE COLOR GUARD METAL MALE FLAG CARRIER, MARCHING BAND METAL MALE FIGURE $15.00

Dinkles Stacie Majorette Marching Band Color Guard Flag Corps Boot – White $54.99

Dinkles Stacie Majorette Marching Band Color Guard Flag Corps Boot – White $54.99

Dinkles Stacie Majorette Marching Band Color Guard Flag Corps Boot – White $54.99

Dinkles Stacie Majorette Marching Band Color Guard Flag Corps Boot – White $54.99

Dinkles Stacie Majorette Marching Band Color Guard Flag Corps Boot – White $54.99

Dinkles Stacie Majorette Marching Band Color Guard Flag Corps Boot – White $54.99

Color Guard or Winter Guard or Marching Band Flag in Silver, White & Black Trim $12.99

Color Guard or Winter Guard or Marching Band Flag in Purple, Yellow & Orange $9.99

Color Guard or Winter Guard or Marching Band Flag in Pink, Pink, & Pink $13.99

Sterling Silver Color Guard large charm or pendant- Flags, Flag, Marching Band, $25.00

Music of the Civil War $13.10 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed….

Bands of Parade $18.98 Recorded live at the Luton Musical Pageant in 1991….

Wand Rod for Dance Streamer – Worship or Praise Dance, Twirling, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Color Guard & Band $15.99 Ideal for praise and worship dance, baton twirlers, color guard, marching band, rhythmic gymnastics, and other performing arts…

Marching Band $70.1 Marching band. Rehearsal, Bands of America, Brass band, Color guard (flag spinning), Drum and bugle corps (classic), Drum and bugle corps (modern), Drum major, Marching percussion, Military band, Scramble band, United States Scholastic Band Association,Ottoman military band. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 100 Publication Date: 2010/08/02 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.23 inches

University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band $93.99 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band, or Pitt Band, is the college marching band at the University of Pittsburgh. The band includes over 200 instrumentalists, a majorette squad known as the Golden Girls, a color guard, and the University of Pittsburgh drumline. The band was founded in 1911 and has won numerous awards over the years. All members of the band must pass an audition in order to join. The band is currently housed in Trees Hall, however Pitt is in the process of building a new marching band facility. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 132 Publication Date: 2010/12/09 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.31 inches

Waconia Marching Band $76.47 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Waconia Marching Band, based out of Waconia, Minnesota, is a class AAAA youth Marching band that competes at the high school level. It represents Minnesota school district 110.The Waconia marching band was founded in 1972. Their first official performance was in 1973. Now in its 37th year of Marching, the Waconia marching band is regarded as one of the best marching bands in Minnesota.In 1982, the Waconia Marching Band was the first marching band to play inside the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It turns out NFL teams can only invite a high school band to do a half time show once, though the Minnesota Vikings invited Waconia back four times. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Timpledon, Miriam T./ Marseken, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 116 Publication Date: 2010/06/29 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.27 inches

University of California Marching Band $87.62 Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The University of California Marching Band, usually shortened to Cal Band, is the marching band for the University of California, Berkeley. While the Cal Band is studentrun, it is administered under the auspices of the university and represents Cal at sporting events and social gatherings. The name of the band is The University of California Band by the constitution, but is typically called The University of California Marching Band or The Cal Band. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 120 Publication Date: 2011/04/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.02 x 5.98 x 0.28 inches

The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band $92.4 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, known as The Pride, is the student marching band for the University of Oklahoma Sooners. The Pride was founded in 1901 as a pep band to play at Sooner football games. In the early years, the band was composed mostly of Norman residents and was disbanded every year after football season. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 130 Publication Date: 2010/09/13 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.31 inches

Sacramento State Marching Band $95.59 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Sacramento State Marching Band, known as the The Spirit of Sacramento, and sometimes informally known as the Sac State Band, Sac Band or SSMB, is the official marching band at California State University, Sacramento. The Band was formed in 1958 as the Sacramento State Marching Musicians. To this day the band performs at all home football games and various away games during the football season. The Band also functions as the defacto student cheering section at athletic events. The Band also is present every year during The Causeway Classic against archrival UC Davis. The band motto: Without Us, Its Just A Game , was adopted in 1996. In 2008, Dr. Clay Redfield, 84, became the newest director of the band. He is the first alumnus to ever lead the band. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Timpledon, Miriam T./ Marseken, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 142 Publication Date: 2010/08/10 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.33 inches

Yale Precision Marching Band $81.25 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Yale Precision Marching Band (affectionately known as the YPMB) is the official marching band of Yale University. It is a scatter band (what some peers might call a scramble band ), as distinct from university marching bands that emphasize precise movements and geometric field formations. Band members refer to themselves as The Members of, which is derived from their introduction at Yale events. The repertoire of the YPMB is constantly evolving, driven by student arrangers and pop music trends. Besides standard types of band instruments, the YPMB includes violins, bagpipes, accordions, keyboards and air guitars, and was the first scatter band to incorporate electric guitars. The YPMBs Squids section creates large cardboard props for halftime shows. The Squids evolved from the Appoges (pronounced p od z, after appoggiatura, a grace note) of the 1980s and 1990s, who handled props but also carried their own instruments (frisbees, stuffed giraffes, lounge chairs). Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Timpledon, Miriam T./ Marseken, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 114 Publication Date: 2010/07/31 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.27 inches

The Ohio State University Marching Band $70.1 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Ohio State University Marching Band (often called The Best Damn Band in the Land or TBDBITL) is one of the few allbrass and percussion bands in the country, the largest of its type in the world. Military training was an important part of the early curriculum at Ohio State, and a band was formed to provide music for the cadets to drill to. The first appearance of the OSU marching band was in 1896. Gustav Bruder, a professional musician with military band experience, was hired to lead the band. Under Bruder, the band grew in size and began playing and marching for all military and athletic events. The OSUMB grew over the years, from 100 members in 1920 to 225 members today. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 80 Publication Date: 2010/08/14 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.19 inches

Cornell Big Red Marching Band $60.54 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Cornell Big Red Marching Band is the only traditional marching band (as opposed to a scatter band) in the Ivy League. It performs at all home, and most away, Cornell Football Games. In addition, the band has performed at half time for numerous National Football League and Canadian Football League games, and began a tradition of an annual Spring Concert in 2006. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 64 Publication Date: 2010/12/22 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.15 inches

University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band $82.85 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band (UMMB) is the marching band for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The band currently has about 352 members and was directed by George N. Parks from 1977 until his sudden death in September 2010. Assistant Thomas Hannum has been named interim director, assisted by Michael Klesch and Frederick Omega Pye. The Minuteman Band plays halftime and postgame shows at all home football games and frequently travels to away games. The band has also performed at Bands of America in 1993, 2001, 2004 and 2007. In 1998, the Minuteman Marching Band was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a collegiate marching band. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 108 Publication Date: 2010/12/07 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.26 inches

Alfred Publishing 0026524 Marching Fundamentals $38.12 Geared for incoming freshmen this DVD explains and demonstrates marching basics and familiarizes the student with all standard marching commands and positions. Can be used as a selfstudy aid.Contributors: By Greg MartinInstrument: Marching BandFormat: DVDCategory: Marching Band DVD

University of Montana Grizzly Marching Band $78.07 Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The University of Montana Grizzly Marching Band is a select, fun and closeknit group of hardworking, dedicated students. The band is open to everyone on the UM campus regardless of year or major. In fact, it has members of the band from virtually every major and discipline on campus and from almost every corner of the United States and around the world. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 84 Publication Date: 2011/05/19 Language: English Dimensions: 9.02 x 5.98 x 0.20 inches

Rhythm Band Instruments RB911 Marching Drum $33.08 The Rhythm Band marching drum delivers percussive sound that children will find enchanting. Rhythm Band includes rubber safety springs a pair of drum sticks and a head of durable Melinex plastic with the kidsized drum.

Alfred Publishing 0027040 Fundamental Techniques for Marching Percussion $38.12 Instant help for the marching band percussion section. Teaches tuning position of carry plus warmup and technique readiness. Demonstrations given at all levels for all instruments.Contributors: By Thom HannumInstrument: Marching BandFormat: DVDCategory: Marching Band DVD

The Dynamic Marching Band $62.66 No Synopsis Available