The March in the 19th and Early 20th

Centuries

Europe and America

Why did the march become so popular in the 19th century?

I. Technological advances led to better woodwind and brass instruments

II. The Civic Orchestra became a prominent institution

III. Numerous Revolutions and Wars engendered

patriotism

IV. The Middle Class wanted more accessible music

I. Technology• There were many scientific

advances in the 19th century: “The Industrial Revolution”

• Led to improvements in instrument manufacture, especially woodwinds and brass

• Percussion instruments also became more prominent

Adolphe Sax1814-1894

• Belgian musician and inventor/manufacturer of instruments

• Perfected many brass instruments and the bass clarinet

• Invented the saxophone and saxhorn

• Championed by Berlioz, who used many of the new instruments

The Saxophone• First shown at the Paris

Exhibition of 1844

• First used in an opera orchestra later the same year

• Not really accepted as a regular member of the orchestra, but used in symphonic and military bands and later in jazz

II. The Civic Orchestra• A permanent ensemble

giving a regular schedule of concerts

• Rare before the middle of the 19th century, even in large cities

• After mid 19th-century, even small towns had orchestras and town bands

• These ensembles often participated in parades and festivals for which marches were often appropriate

Johann Strauss, Jr.’s Orchestra

III. Revolution• The era of revolutions began

in the late 18th century:--American Revolution, 1776--French Revolution, 1789

• In the 19th century, there were even more revolutions in Europe

• Military bands became important

• Much band music was patriotic

Delacroix, “Liberty Leading the People,” 1830

IV. The Middle Class• The growing population wanted

more music, especially music they could relate to

• Orchestras and bands played in concert halls, but also in dance halls, music halls, parade grounds, and town squares

• Music was everywhere and was important in everyday life

“Johann Strauss, Sr.’s Orchestra in the Volksgarten, Vienna”

The March

• Written for orchestras as well as for military bands

Musical features:• Distinct sections that

return throughout the piece

• Prominent rhythms• Importance of wind, brass,

and percussion instruments

The March in Europe: Vienna

• Vienna had a long tradition of good music and prominent composers:

--Haydn

--Mozart

--Beethoven

--Schubert

--Brahms

--The Strauss

Family

The Strauss Family

• Johann, Sr. (1804-1849)

• Johann, Jr. (1825-1899)

• Josef (1827-1870

• Eduard (1835-1916)

Johann Strauss, Sr.1804-1849

• Along with Josef Lanner, he made the Viennese waltz a popular dance, as well as an art form

• Formed his own dance orchestra in 1825 and toured Europe extensively, becoming a popular “star”

• Also composed marches and other genres, especially dances

Radetsky March

Johann Strauss, Jr. (center) with brothers, Eduard (left) and Josef

(right)

The March in the U. S. A.• Brass Band Movement

began in the 1850s

• Later, during the Civil War, military bands became very important

• Post-Civil War America emphasized optimistic, often patriotic music

Town band, ca. 1850

Music in Middle-Class America

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• Social functions were often simple and involved music-making

• Most middle-class households had pianos

• Many people played instruments

G. Hollingsworth, “The Hollingsworth Family,” ca. 1840

The March in the USA

Patrick Gilmore

And

John Philip Sousa

Patrick Gilmore (1829-1892)“Father of the American Band”

• Emigrated from Ireland to America and settled in Boston in 1849

• Raised the musical level of the American band

• Conducted band performances all over the world

• Revered by J. P. Sousa

John Philip Sousa1854-1932

John Philip SousaAmerica’s “March King”

Sousa’s Life

• Born in Washington, D. C. in 1854• His father played trombone in the US Marine Band• At the age of six, John began to study music--voice,

piano, violin, flute, cornet, baritone, trombone, and alto horn

• After he tried to join a circus band at the age of 13, his father apprenticed him to the Marine Band

• Discharged from the Marines in 1875, but later returned to lead the band

• Toured all over the world until his death in 1932

Sousa’s Band in Johannesburg, So. Africa (1910-11)

Some of Sousa’s band members

R. Meredith Wilson

• Played flute and piccolo for three years with Sousa’s band

• Later composed The Music Man, a musical about a slick band instrument salesman who takes an Iowa town by storm

• Shows the importance of a band music in early 20th-century America

Sousa’s Music• Composed many different

types of music, including operettas, overtures, songs, and solo works

• Most famous for his patriotic marches--composed 135

Childe Hassam, “Allies Day 1917”

Some of Sousa’s Marches

• Semper Fidelis (1888)• The Thunderer (1889)• Washington Post (1889)• The Liberty Bell (1893)• King Cotton (1895)• El Capitan (1896)• Stars and Stripes Forever

(1896): the official march of the USA

• Hands Across the Sea (1899)

• The Invincible Eagle (1901)

• The Glory of the Yankee Navy (1909

• America First (1916)

• Boy Scouts of America (1916)

• Flags of Freedom (1918)

• Old Ironsides (1926)