HMS Queen Elizabeth March

''HMS Queen Elizabeth March'', composed by

WO2 Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

bandmaster John Morrish RM, was the winning composition for the 2012 Royal Marines Band Service March Competition, sponsored by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance. The march was written for the first of the new generation of

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

''Queen Elizabeth''-class aircraft carriers. ''HMS Queen Elizabeth March'' is a lively march, with many references to nautical themes. The opening

fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perfo ...

captures the size and magnificence of the aircraft carrier with the main theme having references to the March Past of the Royal Navy, ''

Heart of Oak "Heart of Oak" is the official march of the Royal Navy. It is also the official march of several Commonwealth navies, including the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy. It was also the official march of the Royal Australian Navy ...

''. The trio pays homage to the 20th-century

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

, the only other ship to hold this name, by trying to recreate the old style Royal Navy ship’s siren. This is then followed by a grandioso featuring the trio theme, a sea shanty effect from the

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

, and a

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

counter melody In music, (German for ''primary voice'') or is the main voice, chief part; i.e., the contrapuntal or melodic line of primary importance, in opposition to . (German for ''secondary voice'') or is the secondary part; i.e., a secondary contrapu ...

, with a hint of '' Rule, Britannia!'' ''HMS Queen Elizabeth March'' premiered at the Deal Memorial Bandstand concert in 2012, at the launching ceremony of the supercarrier and has been performed at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

and Horse Guards Parade ground by the massed bands of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. {{Reflist British military marches 2012 compositions