Re: What are your favorite marches to play?


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Posted by Klaus on November 04, 2001 at 23:02:11:

In Reply to: What are your favorite marches to play? posted by Curious yet again on November 04, 2001 at 20:37:44:

I have many favourite marches. Sousa and Alford both are really great.

Colonel Bogey on euph is great, but no less great on bassbone. Army of the Nile is a great "singer" on baritone and euph. The 3 part trio voicing is beyond belief. Playing, of everything, bassbone in Eagle Squadron in front of a 10.000+ student protest march through Copenhagen back in 1970 is not easily forgotten. The police officers marched to the beat.

About the same time my then band was hired to march around the dinner table at the confirmation party of the son of a very voluminous society person (singer and actor). The tune was a 6/8 Sousa march. The one, where the bass line in the second section repeatedly has an 1/8 rest on the first beat and then 5 8ths moving up to a dotted half note. The title sadly forgotten. Very effective performance. until our very short and broad tuba player had problems moving himself and his huge Alexander BBb between the wall and the chair of the host. Slim bassboners (in past tense for me and my airbag) can be appreciated in such situations.

One of the really great marches, that to my wondering has not been mentioned yet, is Grafulla’s Washington Greys. I love it by any standards. In the brass band version the primo cornet has quite a job to do in the trio. I heard that done especially well back around 1967. About 25 years later i ended in the same camp orchestra as the then soloist. He was 1st trumpet, I second horn, in Elgar’s 1st symph. I told him, that I remembered his brilliant performance. He himself remembered it too as a great moment of his.

In 1977 I had a very special experience with Washington Greys. I played 1st baritone in a brass band and had quite a bit to do in this march, which was not covered in other parts. So at a dress rehearsal I took a rest in the tenor unisono, I think it is the 2nd section. But I hated the others being lazy in their playing, so I joined the repeat. I was very well aware, that the acoustics of the hall were brilliant. Yet, I was a bit surprised, when the 1st bone sitting behind me said, that he had thought, that the PA system had been turned on. So a 1967 B&H Imperial baritone played on a Bach #3 is no cissy instrument. Now it is a DW4AY, but the Imperial is still sitting in its stand right behind me.

As you might have guessed, I like good marches.

Klaus


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