Heritage of the March
Encyclopedia
Heritage of the March is a series of 185 vinyl records
of marches
and galop
s released from 1973 to the early 1980s. It remains the largest single march music record series in history, featuring close to 3,000 different marches. The records were distributed for free by march collector Robert Hoe and the series was continued after his death by the now-defunct 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.
The first album was recorded by the United States Navy Band
for release in 1973 and featured marches composed by Robert Browne Hall and Carl Teike
. 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 commerically [sic] recorded form. The most popular and widely played marches will be omitted for obvious reasons of policy."
The Heritage of the March series was originally limited to the United States Navy Band which recorded the first 15 volumes. The series grew to include other military bands in the United States, with the United States Coast Guard Band
, 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. Some of these bands include The National Concert Band of America, Central Methodist College Band, Her Majesty's Guards Music School Student Band, Allegany High School Band, and Illinois State University Band.
Robert Hoe, a considerably wealthy man and not without friends, obtained most of the sheet music himself for this 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 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.
Interestingly enough, not all the music recorded on this series are marches. Other music such as waltzes and overtures can be found as well, written by the featured composer in most cases. 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.
C. L. Barnhouse Company
also publishes sheet music under the "Heritage of the March" label.
, Karl L. King, Monroe Althouse, Russell Alexander
, Thomas Brooke, Roland F. Seitz
, 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
, or marches of Quebec
.
A complete digitized set of the recordings was made available by an eBay user in April 2010. Digital copies of volumes 10 through 15 were officially made available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes in late 2010 while volumes 19 through 21 were released in March 2011. 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..
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
of marches
March (music)
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. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
and galop
Galop
In dance, the galop, named after the fastest running gait of a horse , 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 popular in Vienna, Berlin and London...
s released from 1973 to the early 1980s. It remains the largest single march music record series in history, featuring close to 3,000 different marches. The records were distributed for free by march collector Robert Hoe and the series was continued after his death by the now-defunct 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.
The first album was recorded by the United States Navy Band
United States Navy Band
The United States Navy Band, based at the historic Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served the nation as the official musical organization of the United States Navy since 1925...
for release in 1973 and featured marches composed by Robert Browne Hall and Carl Teike
Carl Teike
Carl Albert Hermann Teike was a German composer who wrote over 100 military marches and twenty concert works.-Biography:...
. 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 commerically [sic] recorded form. The most popular and widely played marches will be omitted for obvious reasons of policy."
The Heritage of the March series was originally limited to the United States Navy Band which recorded the first 15 volumes. The series grew to include other military bands in the United States, with the United States Coast Guard Band
United States Coast Guard Band
The United States Coast Guard Band is the premier military band of the United States Coast Guard based in New London, Connecticut.The current director is Commander Kenneth W. Megan.- History :...
, United States Military Academy Band
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, 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. Some of these bands include The National Concert Band of America, Central Methodist College Band, Her Majesty's Guards Music School Student Band, Allegany High School Band, and Illinois State University Band.
Robert Hoe, a considerably wealthy man and not without friends, obtained most of the sheet music himself for this 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 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.
Interestingly enough, not all the music recorded on this series are marches. Other music such as waltzes and overtures can be found as well, written by the featured composer in most cases. 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.
C. L. Barnhouse Company
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....
also publishes sheet music under the "Heritage of the March" label.
Composers
A large variety of composers were featured on the recordings. Some of the most recorded include Fred JewellFred Jewell
Frederick Alton Jewell, born 1875 in Worthington, Indiana, was a prolific musical composer who wrote over 100 marches and screamers, including:*Battle Royal *Floto's Triumph *Quality Plus *E Pluribus Unum *Supreme Triumph...
, Karl L. King, Monroe Althouse, Russell Alexander
Russell Alexander
Russell Alexander was an entertainer and composer, active primarily with vaudeville shows and musical comedy organizations. He was a euphonium virtuoso who joined the circus band of Belford's Carnival at the age of 18...
, Thomas Brooke, Roland F. Seitz
Roland F. Seitz
Roland Forrest Seitz was an American composer, bandmaster, and music publisher. For his many march compositions he earned the sobriquet “The Parade Music Prince”....
, James M. Fulton
James M. Fulton
James Melville Fulton was a composer, arranger, conductor, and music educator best known for composing marches. He is often associated with the traditional British melody Garry Owen which he arranged for band in 1903. His most recognized march is Associated Press, published in 1897...
, Hermann Blankenburg, Charles Barnhouse
Charles Lloyd Barnhouse
Charles Lloyd Barnhouse was a 19th-century American music publisher. Barnhouse started a music publishing firm in 1886 that exists today as the C. L...
, Julius Fučík
Julius Fucík (composer)
Julius Arnost Wilhelm Fučík was a Czech composer and conductor of military bands.Fučík spent most of his life as the leader of military brass bands. He became a prolific composer, with over 300 marches, polkas, and waltzes to his name...
, and W. P. Chambers. Some records do not feature a specific composer, but are themed albums, such as circus marches
Screamer (march)
A screamer is a descriptive name for a circus march, in particular, an upbeat march intended to stir up the audience during the show.- History :...
, or marches of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Availability
The Heritage of the March records were previously available free of charge only 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 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.A complete digitized set of the recordings was made available by an eBay user in April 2010. Digital copies of volumes 10 through 15 were officially made available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes in late 2010 while volumes 19 through 21 were released in March 2011. Altissimo Recordings
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
, 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..