![HeritageoftheMarch1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/HeritageoftheMarch1.jpg)
''Heritage of the March'' is a series of 185
vinyl records
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...
of
marches
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...
and
galop
In dance, the galop, named after the fastest running gait of a horse (see Gallop), a shortened version of the original term galoppade, is a lively country dance, introduced in the late 1820s to Parisian society by the Duchesse de Berry and popul ...
s released from 1973 to 1988. It remains the largest single march music record series in history, featuring close to 3,000 different marches. The records were distributed free by march collector Robert Hoe and the series was continued after his death by the Robert Hoe Foundation created by his wife, Marilyn C. Hoe. Most records featured the marches of two composers (one per side) played by a military, college, high school, or community band. The albums were given volume numbers 1 through 90 and A through QQQQ.
C. L. Barnhouse Company
The C. L. Barnhouse Company is an American music publishing firm. It was founded in 1886 by Charles Lloyd Barnhouse. It has been headquartered in Oskaloosa, Iowa since 1891.
Known today as a major publisher of educational instrumental (band) ...
also publishes sheet music under the "Heritage of the March" label.
Series organization
The liner notes from the first record noted that the series was not meant to be chronological, the order in which composers were presented was determined solely by logistical matters, and the total number of albums in the series was not predetermined. The liner notes also stipulated that "The marches selected have rarely, if ever, appeared in recorded form. The most popular and widely played marches will be omitted for obvious reasons of policy." Later, the series was envisioned as 15 albums featuring an American composer on one side of the record and a foreign composer on the reverse. All of these early albums were performed by the
United States Navy Band
The United States Navy Band, based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served as the official musical organization of the U.S. Navy since 1925. The U.S. Navy Band serves the ceremonial needs at the seat of government, performin ...
under the direction of Donald W. Stauffer.
As the series continued to grow, other military bands in the United States were included with the
United States Coast Guard Band
The United States Coast Guard Band is the premier band representing the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Established in 1925, the Coast Guard Band is stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Co ...
,
United States Military Academy Band, and the
Armed Forces Bicentennial Band recording volumes 16 through 30. Starting with volume 31, the series was opened to a wider number of bands both inside and outside the armed services, including bands outside the United States.
These recordings formed the "numbered" portion of the series. The "lettered" portion of the series presented additional music by composers who had already been featured in the numbered albums.
There were a few irregularities in the series' numbering and lettering system. Volumes 89 and OOOO were omitted. Volume QQQQ was erroneously labeled as the previously released Volume PPPP. Volumes 54 and 84 were each two-record sets. All together, there were 91 numbered and 94 lettered albums.
Composers
The first album was recorded by the
United States Navy Band
The United States Navy Band, based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served as the official musical organization of the U.S. Navy since 1925. The U.S. Navy Band serves the ceremonial needs at the seat of government, performin ...
for release in 1973 and featured marches composed by
Robert Browne Hall
Robert Browne Hall (30 June 1858 Bowdoinham, Maine – 8 June 1907), usually known as R. B. Hall, was a leading composer of March music, marches and other music for American Wind bands. A principal United States, American composer of marching musi ...
and
Carl Teike
Carl Albert Hermann Teike (5 February 1864 – 28 May 1922) was a German composer who wrote over 100 military band, military march (music), marches and twenty concert works.
Biography
Born the son of a blacksmith in Stettin-Altdamm, Province ...
.
[ ]
A large variety of composers were featured on the recordings. Some of the most recorded include
Fred Jewell
Frederick Alton Jewell (Worthington, Indiana May 28, 1875 - Worthington, Indiana, February 11, 1936), was a prolific musical composer who wrote over 100 marches and screamers, including:
Fred Jewell
* "Battle Royal" (1909)
* "Floto's Triumph" (1 ...
,
Karl L. King
Karl L. King (February 21, 1891 – February 19, 1971) was a United States march music bandmaster and composer. He is best known as the composer of "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite".
The most expensive painting in Iowa, the "Karl L. King Portrait ...
,
Monroe Althouse,
Russell Alexander
Russell Alexander (February 26, 1877 – October 1, 1915) was an entertainer and composer, active primarily with vaudeville shows and musical comedy organizations.
Alexander was born in Nevada, Missouri, and became a euphonium virtuoso wh ...
, Thomas Brooke,
Roland F. Seitz
Roland Forrest Seitz (1867–1946) was an American composer, bandmaster, and music publisher. For his many march compositions he earned the sobriquet “The Parade Music Prince”.
Early life and education
He was born Roland Forrest Seitz on Ju ...
,
James M. Fulton,
Hermann Blankenburg,
Charles Barnhouse,
Julius Fučík, and
W. P. Chambers. Some records do not feature a specific composer, but are themed albums, such as
circus marches, marches of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, or marches featuring the
euphonium
The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...
. Some albums also included concert works or marches from "miscellaneous" composers.
Production
Robert Hoe obtained most of the sheet music himself for the collection, which was meticulously cataloged and inspected by him and his "staff". There are almost no marches recorded more than once in the series. Many of the records feature specific notes on the marches, either given by the conductor of the group or by Hoe himself. Every album contains notes on topics such as the ''Heritage of the March'' series, historical backgrounds on composers, instrumentation, the band recorded, or various personal stories.
The series included some material other than marches, including
waltzes
The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position.
History
There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wal ...
and
overtures
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
written by the featured composer. Hoe, an avid fan of the euphonium, recorded several euphonium solos such as "Elfriede" by George Swift, and an arrangement of "Figaro" by Paul Yoder. Hoe also allowed bands to record their own personal favorites, and were sometimes used as "fillers" for the LPs.
Many marches that were originally recorded for use in the Heritage of the March series but not included in the LPs were later released as part of the three-volume ''Navy Band Leftovers'' and four-volume ''Miscellaneous Marches''. A spinoff series was also created called the ''Heritage of John Philip Sousa'', consisting of 18 LPs featuring Sousa's marches and operettas performed by the U.S. Marine Band.
Availability
The Heritage of the March records were previously available free of charge to the friends of Robert Hoe and to those who requested them from the Robert Hoe Foundation. Bands who were recorded also received their own records for professional or personal use. The records were produced in small batches of between 600 and 2,000 copies of each record.
The records themselves were never commercially available to the public. Today, it is possible to find these records in libraries, second-hand record stores, and other music archives.
Digital copies of select volumes were officially made available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes beginning in 2010.
Altissimo Recordings, in collaboration with the Robert Hoe Foundation, began making the collection available as compact discs with the release of the ''Heritage of John Philip Sousa'' in Summer 2011, followed by the first two volumes of the ''Heritage of the March'' in 2012.
[{{cite web, title=Amazon page for Heritage of the March, Volume 1, url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00778EBB2, access-date=15 April 2012]
References
Classical albums
March music
Galops
Military music
Themed compilation albums
1970s compilation albums
1980s compilation albums