General's March

A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band.

The First Strain The different sections in a march are called Strains. Each strain contains one main melody. There are usually three different strains plus a contrasting section called the Trio. The First Strain of a march is the main melody.

Its origins are those of European composers borrowing from the military music of the Ottoman Empire in place there from the 16th century. The American genre developed after the British model during the colonial and Revolutionary periods, then later as military ceremonials and for civilian entertainment events.

The marching band is an integral part of American culture. These instrumental musicians provide entertainment and music through brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Their formations on the football field can spell out letters, logos, and animated pictures to create a moving image.

: to move along with a steady regular stride especially in step with others. 2. : to move in a direct purposeful manner : progress. marcher noun. march.

March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. This statue shows him in battle gear. The Roman calendar originally began in March, and the months of January and February were added later, after a calendar reform. Copper-alloy figure of Mars, the Roman god of war.

a) Marches are typically made up of three common elements: contrasting sections, called strains; several different melodies; and a trio section that repeats variations of the previous strains. b) Introduce students to the form of a march using the guide below.

Time signatures: 6/8, 2/4 and “cut time” appear almost exclusively. A march in 4/4 is not likely to follow this form. Keys: C major and flat keys with no more than four flats are most common for band; Joplin's piano rags employ some sharp keys, as do orchestral versions of Sousa's marches.

Instrumentation, time signature, and tempo are the most common characteristic of marches. With exceptions, marches usually consist of several strains or sections, usually of 16 or 32 measures in length, and usually repeated at least once during the course of the march.

It is said that many ancient empires first developed marching as a way to move troops from one place to another without them getting mixed up with other troops. A soldier learning to march to drum cadences, martial music and shouted commands is considered an essential element of teaching military discipline.

A marching band is a group of musicians who play music as they march along the street or march as part of a ceremony.

drum major A drum major or field commander is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps.