School Dorpsschool | Bakel

Nowadays: museum Former school, sexton's house and rehearsal room brass band Bakel. The back part is the master house. The old entrance of the school is still visible next to it. In front of the picture is the rebuilt facade with the exhibition room of the brass band and the shooting room (the wooden sign) of the St. Willibrordussschutterij of Bakel

This school was built partly, the two school rooms, in 1830 and partly, the master's house in 1864. It was built next to the church as was common with old village schools. Unfortunately, the oldest part has been so thoroughly rebuilt that its former function can no longer be read off. Originally it probably looked like a small house like there were numerous in the village. However, the house attached to it is still in good condition and the arch between the two sections is the old entrance to the school, with authentic coal shed, where each child threw in his portion of coal so that the school could be heated. The school probably never used more than one room, there was also only one teacher. This despite the large student numbers, at one point 95 students were taught at the same time in that one room, due to lack of money. The Bakel brass band used the empty room several times as a rehearsal room, the schoolmaster was also one of its members. People complained bitterly about it, it was horribly cold in winter. As soon as the opportunity became available, they started practicing again in pub halls, where beer could also be consumed. At some point, new schools were founded, such as the 1920 Catholic elementary school, and this building served as a cooking school, household school, fire garage, prison, artists' studio, rehearsal room, and later storage space for the church. The sexton lived in the front section at the time. Now it houses an exhibition space for the brass band and is also the firing range of the St. Willibrordus Guild.

The Bakel brass band Musis Sacrum was founded in 1874. Fanfares originated in the Netherlands in the time of Napoleon, who introduced the art form for the army and had special music pieces written for it. After the end of the French era, in 1813, the Netherlands kept this custom and civilians also started to establish fanfares. For a long time, Bakel in the 19th century knew musically only a singing society that also sang in church. Bakel was a small poor village at that time, so it took her a long time to scrape together the money to buy musical instruments and establish a brass band. In fact, she finally borrowed that money, 300 guilders, in 1874 at 4% interest. Even then there was not enough money for enough instruments and the conductor Goossens who was conductor at several brass bands borrowed instruments there which he brought for Bakel.

The brass band was an important part of the village. They performed at processions, carnivals, with the guild in its parades, serenades at priest celebrations, openings, weddings, fairs, participated in various tournaments and festivals and performed in pubs. The latter activity proved very popular, as at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century it was combined with skits and plays, and also with gymnastic demonstrations by the gymnastic association. The halls were always packed. By the way, the actors, gymnasts and musicians were often the same people so there must have been a lot of costume changes between the acts. At one point they were even able to charge an entrance fee. From the brass band also a jazz band arose in 1936, majorettes in 1979 and also a drum band. Now the brass band has become a harmony. In the 1950s a real music garden was established with a bandstand and statues. That has since been built over but the name, Muziekhofke still exists. You can see it all in the exhibition room in the old school.

Sources:

A. Janssen, Musis Sacrum Bakel, 125 years, Printing Office Grafic Image b.v., Beek en Donk

H.Th.M. Roosenboom, De dorpsschool in de Meierij van 's Hertogenbosch van 1648 tot 1795, Zuidelijk Historisch Contact, 1997, Tilburg

P.H.M. Thissen, Heide ontginning en modernisering: In het bijzonder in drie Brabantse Peelgemeenten 1850-1940, Matrijs Publishers, 1993