Music society
In 1919 a number of Aalten residents came together with the same wish: ‘to establish a string orchestra’. They became the founders of the Aaltensche Orkest Vereeniging (AOV) in September 1919. It was not a straightforward process. Several meetings were needed, but eventually the AOV began with twelve members under the direction of P.J.J. Collard, who also served as chairman.
Concert band
A string orchestra with only twelve members was of course rather small. Even so, the AOV continued in this form for several years, until in 1935 it received a request from another society called Sempre Con Zelo. Sempre Con Zelo was a concert band founded in 1901, but it was dissolved in 1935. Its members therefore asked the AOV to establish a concert-band section.
This was a difficult decision for the AOV board. The board could not reach agreement and called a members’ meeting. The outcome was that the AOV would try the arrangement for one year. It worked well, and the concert band and string orchestra — the symphony section — were permanently combined. Over the years, however, interest in the symphonic section declined. The symphony section was therefore disbanded in 1953, after which the AOV continued as a concert band.
In 1964 a new section was added to the AOV: a drum corps, which later became the percussion group. For a time the AOV also had a majorette group, but this was discontinued because of declining interest. The society also had a street band for several years, but that too eventually came to an end.
Merger
In early 2023 it was announced that AOV of Aalten and DeMB (Drumband en Muziekband Bredevoort) would continue together as one concert band. DeMB had emerged from Excelsior Bredevoort, a music society dating from 1925.
On Saturday 1 April 2023 they gave a merger concert at ’t Grachthuys in Bredevoort, where the new name was unveiled: ‘Bredevoort Aalten Muziek Makerij’, abbreviated to BAMM.