Precision (march)
Encyclopedia
Precision is the authorized march
of Royal Military College of Canada
. It was composed in 1932 by Denise Chabot, wife of Major C. A. Chabot, a Royal Canadian Artillery officer on staff as professor of French at the College at the time. She earned the degree of Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music
and was the president of the Kingston Music Club.
Precision was inspired by "Madelon", one of the popular marching songs sung and whistled by the cadets marching on their way to the Riding School, and the favourite song of the Class of 1932. Mme Chabot improvised a variation on the song, to represent the cadence of the cadets on the march. The composition starts, “We are the gentlemen cadets of RMC We have sworn to love and serve Her Majesty…”
The as-yet untitled composition was presented to RMC in the spring of 1932; it was orchestrated for military band by Captain F. W. Coleman of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
. It was used as the theme music for Precision, an Associated Screen News film
of the cadets in training; Mme Chabot found the name fitting and in 1933 called her composition by the same title.
Mme Chabot composed Precision for RMC, the official march of Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean
, a waltz
, and a tango
.
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...
of Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
. It was composed in 1932 by Denise Chabot, wife of Major C. A. Chabot, a Royal Canadian Artillery officer on staff as professor of French at the College at the time. She earned the degree of Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a music school and performance venue in Toronto, Canada. Other uses of the term include:*The Madrid Royal Conservatory, Spain*The Royal Academy of Music, London, United Kingdom...
and was the president of the Kingston Music Club.
Precision was inspired by "Madelon", one of the popular marching songs sung and whistled by the cadets marching on their way to the Riding School, and the favourite song of the Class of 1932. Mme Chabot improvised a variation on the song, to represent the cadence of the cadets on the march. The composition starts, “We are the gentlemen cadets of RMC We have sworn to love and serve Her Majesty…”
The as-yet untitled composition was presented to RMC in the spring of 1932; it was orchestrated for military band by Captain F. W. Coleman of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is the name given to the regular field artillery units of the Canadian Army. RCHA units are the senior units of the Canadian land field force, with a history dating back to the birth of Canada as a nation...
. It was used as the theme music for Precision, an Associated Screen News film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
of the cadets in training; Mme Chabot found the name fitting and in 1933 called her composition by the same title.
Mme Chabot composed Precision for RMC, the official march of Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean
Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean
Royal Military College Saint-Jean is a Canadian military academy located on the site of Fort Saint-Jean , originally built 1666, which is now part of the town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, 40 km south of Montreal, Quebec...
, a waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
, and a tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
.
Lyrics
The lyrics by Professor Thomas Fraser Gelley were published in the R.M.C. Review in 1941. According to the Cadet Handbook issued in 1984, the lyrics to Precision are as follows:
Heads up and swing along;
Hearts light and a ringing song;
Life's but a march and it's easy if your spirit's willing,
Laugh at the ruts and the dust from comrades' milling.
Step up and march away;
Keep on smiling all the day;
Shoulder your rifle and hitch your pack up tight,
Take the right of the line and fight.
We are the Gentleman Cadets of RMC,
We have sworn to love and serve Her Majesty,
And we'll defend this land of liberty,
And strive to keep our Empire's unity.
To Canada, our home, we proudly state,
We'll keep her honour clean and bright,
For Canada and for our Empire great,
We'll march, we'll shout, we'll fight.