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Musical Pick-Me-Up 3
Quick, March!
The march is music for war.
For the armed services and other hierarchical types, marching is the way of instilling discipline, order and precision. It readies the physiology for combat.
While we see and hear marches less commonly in these days of peace, the march continues to fuel the ceremonies of our culture. Marching bands frequently accompany street parades and opening ceremonies. They even serve as entertainment in their own right.
Because of the sheer exposure of marching bands at Anzac Parades and footy finals everyone knows what a march is, whether they like it or not!
Strangely enough, the march is compelling, even for a civilian. There is something energising about the regular, strong walking beat of the march that keeps it a popular favourite, even in the concert hall.
Here are ten stirring marches:
- Beethoven – The Ruins of Athens, Incidental Music, op.113 – Turkish March
- Berlioz – La Damnation de Faust, op.24 – Marche hongroise (Hungarian March)
- Berlioz – Symphonie fantastique, op.14 – 4. Marche au supplice (The March to the Scaffold)
- Lully – Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme – Marche pour la ceremonie des Turques
- Mendelssohn – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, op.61 – Wedding March
- Mendelssohn – Athalia – War March of the Priests
- Saint-Saëns – Algerian Suite, op.60 – Marche Militaire Francaise
- Schubert – Trois Marches Militaires, D733 – 1. Allegro vivace in D major
- Strauss, J. – Radetsky March, op.228
- Tchaikovsky – March Slave, op.31
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