The Invercargill March is a

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

composed by

Alex Lithgow Alexander Frame Lithgow (1 December 1870 in Glasgow – 12 July 1929 in Launceston, Tasmania) was a Scottish-born, New Zealand and Australian based composer and bandleader known as the " Sousa of the Antipodes". His name is pronounced "Alek" ...

and named after his home town of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

, on the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The Invercargill rates alongside

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...

's "

Stars and Stripes Forever "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. History In his 1928 autobi ...

", Kenneth Alford's "

Colonel Bogey March The "Colonel Bogey March" is a British march that was composed in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881–1945) (pen name Kenneth J. Alford), a British Army bandmaster who later became the director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymout ...

", and

Johann Strauss Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...

' "

Radetsky March "Radetzky March", Op. 228, is a march composed by Johann Strauss Sr. and dedicated to Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz. First performed on 31 August 1848 in Vienna, it soon became popular among regimented marching soldiers. It has be ...

" as one of the most popular in the world. It is especially popular in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, being a top favourite of the

US Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. It was the Regimental March of the 56th Infantry Regiment of the

New York Guard The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In his book ''Invercargill - 150 Years'' Lloyd Esler's opening sentence reads "Invercargill was done a fine favour by Alex Lithgow who named his famous march after his boyhood home. The Invercargill March is possibly the best advertisement the town has ever had as the work is a brass-band favourite and the word ‘Invercargill’ is whispered amongst audiences worldwide. There is only one Invercargill in the world - this one".

Origin of the tune

It was originally written in 1901 by Alex Lithgow as a jig type tune for Symphonic band. No research can find if that tune carried the same name but it was known to be rejected in that format by a publisher. When

hosted the national brass band contest in 1909, Alex’s brother Tom asked for a test piece for the contest and Alex offered this piece (re arranged). On the music he wrote: That re arrangement commenced in 1908 and tested out at a rehearsal that year in Bathurst NSW. It was sent to his brother Tom in Invercargill for comment and changes were made before it was finally sent to Invercargill in 1909 and first played publicly at Rugby Park Invercargill on 3 November 1909 by the massed bands at the national New Zealand Brass Band contest.

How the tune became famous

After that contest the tune languished, but was eventually published and played in the US. It was seven years later as a result of the

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

battle in

WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

that the tune became famous. At the first parade in London of the Gallipoli veterans in 1916, the UK bands leading the parade were looking for a tune to represent the ANZAC troops. Someone suggested The 'Invercargill March' as it was by a composer from both New Zealand and Australia. The tune became known as "that Gallopoli tune" and the popularity instantly increased, and it has remained a popular and frequently programmed march ever since. It is said to be the most played music of New Zealand origin world-wide (as found in research by The International Military Music Society).

Lyrics

In the 1920s, lyrics were written to the tune by an Australian postmaster, Frank Baker Murn. Murn's wife Edith Murn was a recording artist for the Mastertouch piano roll company in Sydney, and since policy was to print words on the rolls for sing-a-longs wherever possible, Murn often obliged by writing lyrics for purely instrumental tunes.

radio announcer John O’Connor recorded those lyrics but they did not fit into the difficult music score correctly and so no one else has ever sung them. To enable the tune to be sung, for the centenary of the tune in 2009, Gavin Marriott re wrote the lyrics which are now the official words as is framed at the Invercargill City library and at Alex's old school.

Though I've sailed overseas from Invercargill There’s a yearning strong that calls me back to Southland Where in childhood days, I used to play and be part of a local music family. Joyous hours playing with the Garrison Band Concerts and contesting all around New Zealand And marching down to Dee Street, in the southernmost town. The memories, of childhood, and playing tunes, I loved to learn Someday I will return, to mountains high and green leafed fern Oreti Beach, Waihopai, an Oyster feed, from Foveaux Strait I cannot wait to see, who greets me, at Bluff port gate. Invercargill is, the only place that I adore And my old band pals, I long to see them all once more Soon my ship will be, returning from the deep blue sea To my dear old home, the gem of all the Southern Seas (x2).

Centenary

The centenary to The 'Invercargill March' was organised by The International Military Music Society and held at Alex Lithgow's old church in Invercargill—First Church—on the 80th anniversary of Alex's death 12 July 2009. On 3 November 2009 the Invercargill Garrison Band marched through the streets of Invercargill playing "Invercargill" and then put on a Lithgow concert.

Bibliography

*International Military Music Society NZ Branch *Gavin Marriott researcher who gave the tribute to Lithgow at the centenary to The 'Invercargill' March. *Rodney Sutton current Patron of Invercargill Garrison Band & Lithgow historian

External links

The Invercargill March, centenary commemorations

The Invercargill March, as performed by the band of the United States Marine Corps

The Invercargill March, as performed by the band of the Winnipeg Rifles
{{Authority control Invercargill New Zealand patriotic songs New Zealand military marches American military marches 1901 compositions