March (music)
A march, as a
Characteristics
Marches can be written in any time signature, but the most common time signatures are 4
4, 2
2 (alla breve , although this may refer to 2 time of Johannes Brahms, or cut time), or 6
8. However, some modern marches are being written in 1
2 or 2
4 time. The modern march tempo is typically around 120 beats per minute. Many funeral marches conform to the Roman standard of 60 beats per minute. The tempo matches the pace of soldiers walking in step. Both tempos achieve the standard rate of 120 steps per minute.
Each section of a march typically consists of 16 or 32 bars, which may repeat. Most importantly, a march consists of a strong and steady percussive beat reminiscent of military field drums.
A military music event where various marching bands and units perform is called tattoo.
Marches frequently
March music originates from the military, and marches are usually played by a marching band.[citation needed] The most important instruments are various drums (especially snare drum), horns, fife or woodwind instruments and brass instruments. Marches and marching bands have even today a strong connection to military, both to drill and parades.
March music is often important for ceremonial occasions. Processional or coronation marches, such as the popular coronation march from Le prophète by Giacomo Meyerbeer and the many examples of coronation marches written for British monarchs by English composers, such as Edward Elgar, Edward German, and William Walton, are all in traditional British tempos.
History
Marches were not notated until the late 16th century; until then, time was generally kept by percussion alone, often with improvised fife embellishment. With the extensive development of brass instruments, especially in the 19th century, marches became widely popular and were often elaborately orchestrated. Composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Ives, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg, Sergei Prokofiev, Paul Hindemith, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Leonard Bernstein wrote marches, sometimes incorporating them into operas, sonatas, suites, and symphonies. The popularity of John Philip Sousa's band marches has been unmatched.
The style of the traditional symphony march can be traced back to symphonic pieces from renaissance era, such as pieces written for nobility.
National styles
European march music
Many European countries and cultures developed characteristic styles of marches.
Britain
British marches typically move at the standard pace of 120 beats per minute, have intricate
Scottish bagpipe music makes extensive use of marches played at a pace of approximately 90 beats per minute. Many popular marches are traditional and of unknown origin. Notable examples include
Those marches indicative of the light infantry and rifle regiments of the Army (today The Rifles and the Royal Gurkha Rifles), like "Silver Bugles" and "Bravest of the Brave", move at a faster 140 beats per minute pace and feature the distinctive bugle sounds common to the bands of these units (plus bagpipes for the Gurkhas).
Germany and Austria
German marches move at a very strict tempo of 114 beats per minute, and have a strong
Sweden
Swedish marches have many things in common with the German marches, much due to historical friendship and bonding with states like Prussia, Hesse and, from 1871 and on, Germany. The tempo is strict and lies between 110 and 112 beats per minute. The oom-pah rhythm is common, although it is rarely as distinctive as in a typical German march. The first bars are nearly always played loudly, followed by a cheerful melody, often with pronounced countermelodies in the euphoniums and trombones. At least one strain of a Swedish march is usually dedicated to the low brass, where the tubas also play the melody, with the rest of the instruments playing on the off-beats. The characteristics of the trio vary from march to march, but the final strain tends to be grand and loud. Examples of Swedish marches are "Under blågul fana" by Viktor Widqvist and "På post för Sverige" by Sam Rydberg.
France
French military marches are distinct from other European marches by their emphasis on percussion and brass, often incorporating
Greece
Greek marches typically combine French and German musical traditions, due to the modern Greek State's history of Germanic royal dynasties, combined with Francophile governments as well as French and Bavarian officers and military advisors, who brought their respective musical traditions with them, with later British influences. Among the most famous marches are "
Netherlands
Dutch marches typically feature a heavy intro, often played by the trombones, euphoniums, drums, and tubas, followed by a lighthearted trio and a reasonably fast and somewhat bombastic conclusion, while maintaining occasional bugle calls due to the former wide presence of field music formations (particularly in the Army). Dutch emphasis on low brass is also made clear in that some Dutch military bands use sousaphones, which have a more forward projection of sound, rather than the regular concert tubas used by most other European military styles. Some well-known Dutch march composers are Jan Gerard Palm, Willy Schootemeyer, Adriaan Maas, Johan Wichers, and Hendrik Karels. By far, most Dutch military bands perform their music on foot; however, some Dutch regiments (most notably the Trompetterkorps Bereden Wapens) carry on a Dutch tradition in which its historical bicycle infantry had a mounted band, thus playing march music on bikes.
Italy
Italian marches have a very light musical feel, often having sections of fanfare or soprano obbligatos performed with a light coloratura articulation. This frilly characteristic is contrasted with broad lyrical melodies reminiscent of operatic arias. It is relatively common to have one strain (often a first introduction of the final strain) that is played primarily by the higher-voiced instruments or in the upper ranges of the instruments' compass. Examples of Italian march music is "Il Bersagliere" (The Italian Rifleman) by Boccalari and "4 Maggio" by Creux. Uniquely, the Bersaglieri regiments always move at a fast jog, and their running bands, mostly all-brass, play at this pace, with marches like "Passo di Corsa dei Bersaglieri" (Double March of the Bersaglieri) and "Flick Flock" as great examples.
Spain
The most characteristic Spanish march form is the pasodoble. Spanish marches often have fanfares at the beginning or end of strains that are reminiscent of traditional and popular music. These marches often move back and forth between major and (relative) minor keys, and often show a great variation in tempo during the course of the march reminiscent of a prolonged Viennese rubato. Military marches are an adapted form of the pasodoble, which feature strong percussion and have British and French influences as well, as well as German, Austrian and Italian elements. Typical Spanish marches are "Amparito Roca" by Jaime Teixidor, "Los Voluntarios" by Gerónimo Giménez, and "El Turuta" by Roman de San Jose. Many of these marches are also of patriotic nature.
Czech Republic
Notable Czech (Bohemian) march composers include František Kmoch and Julius Fučík, who wrote "Entrance of the Gladiators".
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus
While many of the marches of Tsarist Russia share similar characteristics with German marches of the period, and indeed some were directly borrowed from Germany (such as "Der Königgrätzer Marsch") and later on France and Austria, the indigenous, pre-revolutionary Russian march has a distinctly Russian sound, with powerful strains in minor keys repeated with low brass with occasional flashes of major chords between sections. The Soviet period produced a large number of modern marches incorporating both Russian themes and structure reminiscent of Dutch marches. Frequently in major keys, Soviet marches often span a wide range of dynamics while maintaining a strong melody well-balanced with the percussion, entering the bombastic range without overpowering percussion as is common with French marches. They are often in the A-B/Cb-A form or ternary form. Agapkin's "Farewell of Slavianka" is one common example of the classical Russian march, while notable examples of Soviet-style Russian marches include "Den Pobedy", "The Sacred War", "V Put", and "March of the Defenders of Moscow".
In Ukraine, military marches were originally written to emulate the Russian model, with folk songs and natively Ukrainian marches only recently being used. The Zaporizhian March (also known as the Cossack march) is one of the main marches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and even replaced Farewell of Slavianka in 1991 as the official march being played during the induction of recruits to the military.
The same concept is applied in Belarus but on a much more toned down style due to the fact that the country still borrows Russian marches. The few homegrown military marches in Belarus include the Our Fatherland's Flag (Айчыны нашай сцяг),[2][3] as well as the remastered Motherland My Dear (Радзіма мая дарагая), Victory March (Марш Перамогi) and Song from 45 (Письмо из 45-го). Other marches include the Vajacki marš of the Belarusian Democratic Republic.[4]
American march music
The true march music era existed from 1855 to the 1940s when it was overshadowed by jazz, which the march form influenced (especially through ragtime).[5] American march music cannot be discussed without mentioning "The March King", John Philip Sousa, who revolutionized the march during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of his most famous marches are "Semper Fidelis", "The Washington Post", "The Liberty Bell", and "The Stars and Stripes Forever". Sousa's marches are typically marked by a subdued trio, as in "The Stars and Stripes Forever" in which the rest of the band becomes subordinated to arguably the most famous piccolo solo in all of music. Typically, an American march consists of a key change (usually the addition of a flat), often happening for the duration the Trio. The key may change back before the song is over, especially if the Trio ends well before the last few bars of the march.
A specialized form of the typical American march music is the circus march, or screamer, typified by the marches of Henry Fillmore and Karl King. These marches are performed at a significantly faster tempo (140 to 200 beats per minute) and generally have an abundance of runs, fanfares, and other showy features. Frequently, the low brass has one or more strains (usually the second strain) in which they are showcased with both speed and bombast. Stylistically, many circus marches employ a lyrical final strain which (in the last time through the strain) starts out maestoso (majestically, slower and more stately) and then, in the second half of the strain, speeds up to end the march faster than the original tempo.
Marches continued to be commissioned throughout the 20th century to commemorate important American events. In the 1960s,
Asian march music
The Caucasus
The Caucasus consisting of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia often have a Soviet/Russian influence due to the three countries period under the USSR.
Following the Russo-Georgian War, all Russian military marches in the repertoire of the Military Band of the National Guard of Georgia were weeded out in favor of native Georgian marches. Many Armenian patriotic military marches were developed during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. In Azerbaijan, many military marches such as Azadlıq Marşı (Freedom's March) and Görüş Marşı (Slow March) are used as inspection marches while others such as the March of the Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy or the Marş «Vətən» (Fatherland March) are used in military parades. Other marches are holdovers from the Soviet era, such as Yaxşı Yol (Farewell).
Bangladesh
Bengali march music tradition began in the 19th century, during the
The most famous of Bengali marches is the
- Pralayollas (প্রলয়োল্লাস (Pralay.ōllās); The Ecstasy of Destruction or Destructive Euphoria)
- Bidrohi (বিদ্রোহী (Bidrōhī); The Rebel) (Marchpast of the Bangladesh Army)
- Kandari Hushiar (কান্ডারী হুশিয়ার (Kānḍārī Huśiy.ār); Captain Alert) (Marchpast of the Bangladesh Navy)
- Mora Jhonjhar Moto Uddam (মোরা ঝঞ্ঝার মত উদ্দাম (Mōrā Jhañjhār Mata Uddām); A Mountain Song) (Marchpast of the Bangladesh Air Force)
India
Currently, marches played at military ceremonies in
The
The band performs a number of slow and quick marches such as:[10][11]
- Sare Jahan se Accha (Patriotic March)
- Qadam Qadam Badaye Ja(Army Quick March)
- Samman Guard (Army Slow March)
- Desh Pukare Jab Sab Ko (Air Force Quick March)
- Vayu Sena Nishaan (Air Force Slow March)
- Jai Bharati (Navy Quick March)
- Anand Lok (Navy Slow March)
- Vande Mataram
- Deshon Ka Sartaj Bharat
- General Salute
- Naval Ensign
- Sea Lord
- Indian Fleet
- Voice of the Guns
- Have the NCC Spirit in You
- Bravo Warriors
- Flying Star
- Battle of the Sky
- Stride
- Gulmarg
- Benihaal
- Nirmaljit
- Amar Senani (The Immortal Soldier)
- Dhwaj Ka Rakshak (Defenders of the Flag)
- Uthari Seemaye (The Northern Frontiers)
- Suvruth (The Holy Oath)
- Vijayi Bharath (India, the Victorious)
- Hind Maha Sagar (The mighty Indian Ocean)
- Nabh Rakshak (Defenders of the Air)
- Antariksh Baan (Arrow in the Air)
- Dhwani Avrodh (Sound Barrier)
- Siki Amole (Precious Coins)
Iran
Japan
Japan's march music (Koushinkyoku, 行進曲) tradition began in the 19th century after the country's ports were forced open to foreign trade by the Perry Expedition. An influx of Western musical culture that the newly arrived traders and diplomats brought with them swept through Japanese musical culture, leaving a lasting legacy on the country's music. Japanese and foreign musicians of the time sought to impart Western musical forms to the Japanese, as well as combining Japanese-style melodies with Western-style harmonization. Furthermore, with Japan's government and society stabilized after the Meiji Restoration, the country sought to centralize and modernize its armed forces, with the armed forces of France and Prussia serving as models. All of these helped augur in what would later become modern Japanese music. The march genre, already sharing roots with the preexisting tradition of "gunka", or military songs, became very popular, especially in the years after Japan's victories in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War.
One of the earliest and most enduring of Japanese marches is the Defile March (分列行進曲) composed in 1886 by Charles Leroux, an officer with the French Army serving as an advisor to the Imperial Japanese Army. Originally two separate marches based on Japanese melodies—Fusouka (扶桑歌) and
In the years before 1945, many distinguished composers such as
Among the most popular Japanese marches are the following:
- Defile March (分列行進曲) (Marchpast of the Imperial Japanese Army and of today's Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)
- Warship March (Gunkan, 行進曲「軍艦」) (Marchpast of the Imperial Japanese Navy and of today's Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force)
- Kankanshiki March (観艦式行進曲)
- Kimigayo March (君が代行進曲)
- Pacific March (太平洋行進曲)
- Patriotic March (愛国行進曲)
- Oozora (行進曲「大空」) (Marchpast of the Self-Defence Forces)
- Tokyo Olympic March (オリンピック・マーチ), composed for the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Shukuten march (祝典行進曲) (For crown prince Akihito celebration of marriage in 1959)
- Sora no Seiei (空の精鋭) (Marchpast of Japan Air Self-Defence Force)
Philippines
The Philippine march tradition is a mix of European and American traditions plus local musical styles. Several famous Philippine composers composed marches, and even Julián Felipe composed the march that would become Lupang Hinirang, the national anthem. Several marches are adaptations of local folk music, others have a patriotic feeling.
The Philippine march music tradition began in the 19th century, during the Philippine Revolution, as an offshoot of the Spanish march tradition. This is a popular form of music as a battle hymn in the same way as in the US or France specially if Filipino soldiers are going to war or winning battles, is also the way of the Filipino to express their nationalistic affection to their native land. This style of music was also popular during the Philippine–American War and during the Second World War.
During the late 1960s this form of music begun to be widely used as a part of military drills, parades and exercises of the Armed Forces, National Police and Coast Guard, as well as by youth uniformed groups and athletes. Prominent local march composers include Antonio Buenaventura and National Artist Lucio San Pedro. Some famous marches are:
Title/Piece | Composer | Description |
---|---|---|
Lupang Hinirang | Julián Felipe | The national anthem of the Philippines |
Alerta Katipunan! (On alert Katipunan!) | Anonymous | One of the well-known marching songs by the Katipunan and Philippine Revolutionary Army. |
Tagalogs ) |
Julio Nakpil | Tagalog hymn |
Sampaguita March (Flor de Manila) | Dolores Paterno | Military/festival march |
Mabuhay! | Tito Cruz Jr. | Presidential march |
Ang Bayan Ko (my Nation) | José Corazón de Jesús | Patriotic song |
Bagong Pagsilang (March of the New Society) | Felipe Padilla de León | A patriotic hymn during the Ferdinand Marcos administration |
AFP on the March | March past of the Armed Forces of the Philippines | |
Martsa ng Kawal Pilipino | Official hymn of the Armed Forces of the Philippines | |
Philippine Army March | Antonio Buenaventura | March past of the Philippine Army adopted in the late 40s |
Thailand
Thailand's late king,
China
Chinese marches tend to originate from time of the
North Korea
North Korean marches are heavily influenced by the Soviet military band tradition mixed with Korean influences. Most of the marches are dedicated to the party and to their revolution and leaders. Use of a grandiose brass sound is almost always present in the music. Many marches are adapted from the North Korean revolutionary and patriotic song tradition, known as the taejung kayo genre. Among the more popular North Korean marches played during state ceremonies are:
- Victorious Military Parade
- Footsteps
- Song of the Korean People's Army
- Guerrillas' March
- Long Live Great General Kim Il-sung
- Defend with our lives the Supreme Commander
- Defending the Headquarters of Revolution
- Defending Kim Jong-un with our Lives
- Our Revolutionary Armed Forces Follows Only the Marshal
- Song of Guards Units' Pride
- Song of National Defense
- General of Korea
- Song of the Proclamation of the Democratic People's Republic
- Death to US Aggressors
- Look at Us
- July 27 March
- Song of the Coast Artillerymen
Turkey
Modern Turkey's national anthem is the march, "
Central Asia
External videos | |
---|---|
Audio of Nyýazow's Honour march on Youtube |
Central Asian march traditions have spanned centuries and consists of many different military and national cultures. The main five Central Asian nations (
Some the more popular Central Asian marches are the following:
- March of Ablai Khan (Kazakhstan)[12]
- Kirghiz March (Kyrgyzstan)
- Morşi Didor (Tajikistan)
- Nyýazow's Honour March (Turkmenistan)
- Slow March of the Turkmen Flag (Turkmenistan)
- Sunny March (Uzbekistan)
- Mustaqillik March (Uzbekistan)
Latin American march music
Although inspired by German, Spanish and French military music, marches of South and Central America are unique in melody and instrumentation.
Argentina
Argentine marches are inspired by its military history and the influx of European immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. Cayetano Alberto Silva's "San Lorenzo march" is an example that combines German and French military musical influences. Other examples include the "Avenue of the Camelias" March and the March of the Malvinas, used during the Falklands War and in military parades and ceremonies.
Brazil
Brazilian military marches are popular called by the name "Dobrado", a reference to the most popular type of bar on this music genre, the 2/4. This type of music is influenced by the European and American march styles. Almost all states of Brazil have contributed to the growth of this tradition with a number of marches composed by local musicians, many of patriotic nature. Most popular composers are Antônio Manuel do Espírito Santo, with "Cisne Branco" (the official march of the Navy), "Avante Camaradas" e "Quatro Dias de Viagem" and Pedro Salgado, with "Dois corações" e "Coração de Mãe". Manoel Alves' "Batista de Melo" March, played widely in military and civil parades, while being the song of the Brazilian Army artillery and quartermaster services, is de facto the army's quick march past tune.
Colombia
Colombian military march music, like "The National Army of Colombia Hymn", "Commandos March" and "Hymn of the Colombian Navy" is an adaptation of the European and the American march styles.
Venezuela
Mexico
Mexican marches, like the "March of the Heroic Military College", "Airborne Fusiliers March", "National Defense March" and the "Viva Mexico March", are all inspired by American, Spanish, and French military music but have a faster beat. Some marches have direct French influence of bugle acommpaniment during parades for infantry units, since the Mexican Armed Forces has always maintained drum and bugle bands at the unit level.
Cuba
Peru
Other Latin American marches are inspired by both European and Native American influences, such as the Peruvian marches "
Chile
Marches from
See also
- Authorized marches of the Canadian Forces
- Drum cadence
- Heritage of the March
- Military cadence
- Martial music
- Classical music
References
- ISBN 9782213704302. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Айчыны нашай сцяг". vuchoba.org. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "Айчыны нашай сцяг 💗 - Сяргей Макей".
- ^ "Беларуская армія можа атрымаць беларускамоўныя маршы?".
- ^ See, e.g., F. W. Meacham.
- ^ "History 1960-1970". Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Longkumer, Yimkumla (29 January 2020). "Beating the Retreat — a musical military tradition celebrating the Republic for 7 decades". ThePrint. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Where does India's military music come from? - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Tri-Services Band — [EN] Spasskaya bashnya".
- ^ "Indian Military Marches".
- ^ "Indian Military Marches - Bharat Rakshak - Indian Army & Land Forces".
- ^ "Под марш "Абылай-хан" - Новости Казахстана - свежие, актуальные, последние новости об о всем".
- ^ "Audios a Demanda - Radio Cubana. Podcasting".
Further reading
- Halman, Johannes and Robert Rojer (2008). Jan Gerard Palm (1831–1906) Music Scores: Waltzes, Mazurkas, Danzas, Tumbas, Polkas, Marches, Fantasies, Serenades, a Galop and Music Composed for Services in the Synagogue and the Lodge. Amsterdam: Broekmans and Van Poppel. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2009.*