March On!

Note: This article is a revision of an earlier article that appeared on the original version of this blog in February of 2010. It has been updated and expanded.

The dictionary defines the word march as "a piece of music composed to accompany marching, or with a rhythmic character suggestive of marching." For all intents and purposes, this is how marches began their musical life. Whether associated with military marching, a celebratory processional, or a funeral march, marches were meant to get the body moving. It is safe to say that the genre evolved from this genesis; composers of marches from the past hundred or so years were not always envisioning a parade or military band when composing a march, but were rather emulating the distinct musical style set by previous composers of marches.

Most countries have march literature that is distinctly their own, though there has been plenty of cross-cultural borrowing. British marches tend to have a dignified, unhurried air to them, featuring intricate countermelodies, and a more broad, lyrical quality. Kenneth Alford (whose real name was Frederick Joseph Ricketts) is likely the most frequently-performed British march composer (Colonel Bogey, Army of the Nile, The Vanished Army)

German marches tend to be more strict, tempo-wise and style-wise. They typically feature a strong polka-like quality (resulting from strong downbeats of the low voices, and alto voices playing off-beats...the standard "oom-pah" style). The final strain of German marches usually features a bombastic but lyrical melody. Carl Teike (Alte Kamaraden) and Hermann Starke (With Sword and Lance) are good examples of this national style.
 
French marches are a unique form, distinct from other European marches, and emphasizing percussion and brass. Many use a triplet feel, placing a strong emphasis on the first beat of each bar. Musicologists identify three basic types of French march: Defile (used for parading, and characterized by heavy accents on the downbeat of every second measure); Marche (also used for parading, but played by a band alone, often referred to as la musique or harmonie), and the Pas Redouble, intended for concert purposes, and similar to the concert march or symphonic march. Louis Ganne's Marche Lorraine is a popular French march.
 
Spanish marches are amongst the most popular and fun to perform. Broadly, Spanish marches fall into three different categories: The Marcha, which is the equivalent to the standard military march, the Marcia de Concierto (a concert march), and the Pasodoble, often associated with bullfighting or dancing. Antonio Alvarez (Suspiros de España), Pascual Perez-Chovi (Pepita Greus), Jaime Texidor (Amparito Roca), and Jose Padilla (El Relicario) are good examples of the Spanish style - and this doesn't even take into account composers of other nationalities writing IN a Spanish style.

Italian marches are typically light, with lyrical melodies that remind one of operatic arias. To contrast this, Italian marches also feature sections of fanfare or lightly articulated soprano obbligatos. A typical Italian march (and one of my favourites) is Eduardo Boccalari's "Il Bersagliere." Another style of Italian march is the Marcia Sinfonica, featuring sweeping melodies and development of thematic material. These are not marches for outdoor performance, but rather for a concert setting. The Symphonic Concert March by Giosue Bonelli is a fantastic example of this genre. I realise that there will be some who raise an eyebrow at my exclusion of Delle Cese's "L'Inglesina." Truth be told, it has never been one of my favourite marches, but...well, would you look at that? I found a way to include it.

One cannot discuss American marches without thinking of "The March King" himself, John Philip Sousa. However, there are a few other American march composers of note, including Henry Fillmore, Karl King, and C.L. Barnhouse, who have all contributed popular and beloved marches to the lexicon. American marches typically feature contrasting strains, two or more different melodies, and a "trio" section of strains/"repeats" that offers pronounced contrasts in phrasing as well as a new key area.

From the beginning of its musical life, the march has also attracted composers of more "serious" forms. Beethoven, Berlioz, Bernstein, Mahler, Mozart, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky all wrote marches, incorporating them into their musicals, operas, and symphonies. Samuel Barber's Commando March is a well-known gem, but how many people really know Sir Malcolm Arnold's H.R.H. The Duke of Cambridge? How about Eric Coates' Knightsbridge March? We know Prokofiev's March, Op. 99 and Saint-Saens' Orient et Occident, but what about Shostakovich's March of the Soviet Militia...or the even less well-known To the Heroes of the Patriotic War by Khachaturian? In the very recent past, new marches have been written for the wind band by John Mackey (Xerxes), Steven Bryant (MetaMarch), and Donald Grantham (An Uneasy March).

Owing in part to where I grew up and went to school, I have an affinity for marches. In Florida, the FBA (Florida Bandmasters Association) festival process dictates that you must open your program with a march (in addition to two selections of your own choosing from the FBA Music List). In this manner, I was introduced to many, many marches, from the easy (Ted Mesang's Sturdy Men and Little Champ, Walter Finlayson's Storm King) to the difficult (Boccalari's Il Bersagliere, Chovi's Pepita Greus, Sousa's George Washington Bicentennial, Grafulla's Washington Grays).

I came to appreciate, enjoy, and embrace marches. In my opinion, nothing reveals a band's fundamental strengths and weaknesses faster than a march. Sadly, I get the feeling that many of today's band students do not care for marches...and I can only imagine that this feeling is reinforced by the way some band directors feel about them. It is quite possible to go to an entire year's worth of University band concerts and not hear a single march....and this is a shame. The march is one of our heritages. In the process of ignoring the march, we are overlooking a genre that can teach the students much about music.

I loved going to festivals as a high school director in Florida, because nothing could more quickly tell me about the shape a band was in than the march. Can the band articulate cleanly? Do they have good balance and blend? Can they play in tune and adjust the proper pitches in the trio section to be found in many marches? Do they shape the lines? All these questions can be answered by the majority of the march selections to be found for the typical high school band. 

While my high school conducting days are over, I still try to include at least one march each semester. They make great openers, but they also make great encores, especially the old favourites of Sousa. Nothing can get an audience tapping their feet quite like a march can, and I wish more conductors would make a renewed effort to discover marches they may not be aware of. To aid in that endeavour, I present here some of my favourite marches...I hope you will do the same in the Comments section, so that may all learn something new.

Abschied der Slawin (also known as "Farewell, Slava") by Wassily Agapkin
A great Russian march, complete with minor mode melodies, and a daunting key signature. There are a few different editions out there, but the Borgoeois one is probably the best. Fits well with a Russian-themed concert.

Brighton Beach by William Latham
A wonderful little march that was listed amongst the 100 most popular marches by The Instrumentalist four different times between 1960 and 1976. Features plenty of nice melodic writing, and isn't technically demanding for the musicians. Perfect for honor bands and younger ensembles.

British Eighth by Zoe Elliot
One of my favourite marches, a regal and stately march in the British style. Not terribly difficult technique-wise, but contains enough musical material to keep your musicians engaged.

Commando March by Samuel Barber
The only work for winds by Pulitzer Prize-winning Samuel Barber. Not your typical march, and quite difficult but rewarding.

Hoch und Deutschmeister by Dominik Ertl
A great little German march that is not terribly difficult. I've used this march several times for honor bands, as it comes together nicely in a short amount of rehearsal time.

National Emblem by E.E. Bagley.
One of the standards, frequently confused for a Sousa march.  Can be found in several editions.

March, Op. 99 by Sergei Prokofiev
One of my favourite marches from one of my favourite composers. Very quirky, and requires a solid trumpet section (or at least a solid duo).

Symphonic Concert March by Giouse Bonelli
Not really a quick-step march, this concert march is a tad on the long side, and is quite challenging on the woodwind front, but it is full of some very endearing melodies presented in operatic review fashion.

So what say you? What are some of your favourite marches?