"American Patrol" is a popular march written by Frank White (F.W.) Meacham in 1885. It incorporates both original musical themes by Meacham and melodies from American patriotic songs of the era such as "

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" is an American patriotic song which was popular in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Composed 1843, it was long used as an unofficial national anthem of the United States, in competition ...

," "

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

," and "

Yankee Doodle "Yankee Doodle" is a traditional song and nursery rhyme, the early versions of which predate the Seven Years' War and American Revolution. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today. It is the state anthem of Connecticut. Its ...

." Composed for piano, it was then arranged for

wind band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

and published by Carl Fischer in 1891. Copyright was assigned to Meacham's widow, Cora, in 1912 and renewed in 1919. The 1885 and 1914 printings for piano do not include "Dixie."

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

's Orchestra recorded a swing version of the march arranged by

Jerry Gray Jerry Don Gray (born December 16, 1962) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Gray played college football ...

in 1942 which was released as a 78 single on

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

Morton Gould Morton Gould (December 10, 1913February 21, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. Biography Morton Gould was born in Richmond Hill, New York, United States. He was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities ...

later composed his own unusual and often dissonant "American Patrol for 3 Bands." The "patrol" format, also used in Beethoven's Turkish March, was popular in the second half of the 19th century, and other compositions bear titles such as "Turkish Patrol," "Ethiopian Patrol," "Owl's Patrol," "Welsh Patrol" and "Arab Patrol." The format was intended to represent a military band approaching, passing, and fading into the distance. It typically included an introduction played '' p'' or ''pp,'' in imitation of bugle calls or drums, then themes played progressively louder until a recapitulation of the first theme(s), gradually dying away and finishing ''pp,'' ''ppp,'' or even ''pppp''. The original piano version of "American Patrol" follows this scheme.

Performances

"American Patrol" was performed by the Marine Band on July 2, 1892 in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. The 1893 Annual Meeting of the American Street-Railway Association included a performance of "American Patrol" by Clauder's Exposition Band. Also, in 1893, Conterno's Band and Orchestra performed it as part of their concert at Paradise Park in New York. In 1896, Halle's Concert Band performed it as part of

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celebrations at Winthrop Park in

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. The Professor, played by

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, performed the song on a flute on the television series ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for thr ...

'' in episode 26, "Music Hath Charm". Glenn Miller recorded the song on April 2, 1942 while his band was in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

filming the

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musical film ''

Orchestra Wives ''Orchestra Wives'' is a 1942 American musical film by 20th Century Fox starring Ann Rutherford, George Montgomery, and Glenn Miller. The film was the second (and last) film to feature The Glenn Miller Orchestra, and is notable among the many sw ...

'' in a big band arrangement by Jerry Gray, where the theme "

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" can be also heard as an overlay. The arrangement was published by the Mutual Music Society in New York City. The song was released as a

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78 single, 27873A, backed with "Soldier, Let Me Read Your Letter". The recording was reissued as RCA Victor 20-1564-A backed with "

Song of the Volga Boatmen The "Song of the Volga Boatmen" (known in Russian as Эй, ухнем! y, ukhnem!, "Yo, heave-ho!" after the refrain) is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev and published in his book of folk songs in 1866. It was s ...

" as Side 1 on the four disc 78 album, P-148, ''

''. The record reached no. 15 on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

in 1942. The musicians on the Glenn Miller studio recording were: Saxes: Tex Beneke, Wilbur Schwartz, Ernie Caceres, Al Klink, Lloyd "Skip" Martin; Trumpets: John Best, R. D. McMickle, Billy May, Steve Lipkins; Trombones: Glenn Miller, Jimmy Priddy, Paul Tanner, Frank D'Annolfo; Piano: Chummy MacGregor; String Bass: Edward "Doc" Goldberg; Guitar: Bobby Hackett; Drums: Moe Purtill. In 1954 the Universal-International Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Gershenson, recorded a version of ''American Patrol'' (

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, 9-29017), inserted in the LP ''

The Glenn Miller Story ''The Glenn Miller Story'' is a 1954 American biographical film about the eponymous American band-leader, directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their second non-western collaboration. Plot The film follows big band leader Glenn ...

'' of the same year (

, A-952). The song was also recorded for the 1983 CD album, "In the Digital Mood", by the

Glenn Miller Orchestra Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was an American swing dance band formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and com ...

's touring

ghost band A ghost band is a legacy band that performs under the name of a deceased leader. In rock and roll, it is a band that performs under the name of the band whose founders are either deceased or have left the band. Use of the phrase may refer to a re ...

References

;Bibliography * *Meacham, F.W. "American Patrol" (Sheet music). New York: W.B. Gray & Co. (1885) *Meacham, F.W. "American Patrol" (Sheet music). Philadelphia: Morris Music Publishing Company (914). (1885 copyright renewed 1912)

External links

"American Patrol"
New York Military Band (Edison Blue Amberol 3221, 1917)—
Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
'. {{authority control Songs about the United States 1885 songs American patriotic songs Songs of World War I Songs of World War II Glenn Miller songs Compositions in D major

Performances

See also

References

External links