March (music)

March music is a genre of music originally written for and performed by military bands.

Marches can be written in any time signature, but the most common time signatures are 4/4, 2/2 (alla breve this may refer to 4/2 time up until the time of Brahms or cut time), and 6/8; however, some modern marches are being written in 2/4 time (although this is not always considered standard). Marches are almost always written in major key, unless there is a modulation within the work or if the piece is not a true march. The modern march tempo hovers around 120 beats to the minute (the standard Napoleonic march tempo); however, many funeral marches conform to the Roman standard, 60 beats to the minute.

In addition to the instrumentation, time signature and tempo, other features are characteristic of most marches (though many exceptions exist). Marches usually consist of several strains or sections, usually of 16 or 32 measures in length, and usually repeated at least once during the course of the march. Marches generally have a strong and steady percussive beat reminiscent of military field drums. Marches frequently change keys once, modulating to the subdominant (and occasionally returning to the original tonic key). Marches frequently countermelodies introduced during the repeat of a main melody. Marches frequently have a penultimate dogfight strain in which two groups of instruments (high/low, woodwind/brass, etc.) alternate in a statement/response format.

The march tempo was adapted by Napoleon so that his army could move faster and so that they wouldn't fall over. When a person walks at 60 beats to the minute, he often has trouble balancing because his feet remain in mid-air twice as long as the average person would walk. (This is why the Romans marched --quite literally--shoulder-to-shoulder). Since he planned to occupy the territory he conquered, instead of his soldiers carrying all of their provisions with them, they would live off the land and march faster.

American march music

The true "march music era" existed from 1850 to 1940's as it slowly became shadowed by the coming of jazz. Earlier marches, such as the ones from Ludwig Van Beethoven, Wolfgang Mozart, and George Frideric Handel tended to be part of a symphony or a movement in a suite. Despite the age of these marches, the history it holds and its performance in the United States, they are generally not thought of as "typical American march music".

A specialized form of "typical American march music" is the circus march. Circus marches are typified by the marches of Henry Filmore. These marches are performed at a significantly faster tempo (140 - 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.

European march music

Many European countries and cultures developed characteristic styles of marches. Some of the styles and characteristics are

British Marches

British marches typically move at a more stately pace (ca. 80-100 beats per minute), have intricate countermelodies (frequently appearing only in the repeat of a strain), have a wide range of dynamics (including unusually soft sections), use full-value "stingers" at the ends of phrases (as opposed to the shorter "marcato" stinger of American marches). The final strain of a British march often has a broad lyrical quality to it. Archetypical British marches include those of Kenneth Alford, such as the well-known Colonel Bogey March.

German Marches

German marches move at a very strict tempo, and have a strong "oom-pah" quality resulting from the bass drum and low-brass playing on the downbeats and alto voices such as "peck horn" and the snare drums playing on the off-beats. This provides a very "martial" quality to these marches. The low brass is often featured prominently in at least one strain of a German march. To offset the rhythmic martiality of most of the strains, the final strain ("trio") often has a lyrical (if somewhat bombastic) quality. A typical German march would be Alte Kameraden.

Italian Marches

Italian marches have a very "light" musical feel, often having sections of fanfare or soprano obligatos 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's compass. A typical Italian march would be "Il Bersagliere" (The Italian Riflemen) by Boccalari.

Spanish Marches

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 bullfight or flamenco 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 remeniscent of an exagerated or prolonged Viennese rubato. A typical Spanish march would be Amaparito Roca by Jaime Texidor.

Czech composers of marches:

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American march music

European march music

See also