Seventy-Six Trombones
Encyclopedia
Seventy-six Trombones is the signature song from the musical play The Music Man
(1957), which was written by Meredith Willson
. This song also appeared in the film The Music Man
(1962), and in the made-for-TV movie adaptation in 2003. It is also a piece commonly played by marching and military bands.
In one of Willson's arrangements of the song, it seamlessly integrates with other popular marches
at the time, such as Stars and Stripes Forever and The Washington Post March
by John Philip Sousa
(in whose band Willson had played), the The National Emblem March by Edwin Eugene Bagley
, the Swedish
song Under the Blue and Yellow Flag by Viktor Widqvist, and the song the Second Regiment, Connecticut National Guard by D.W. Reeves.
In the dramas, "Professor" Harold Hill uses the song Seventy-six trombones to help the townspeople of the fictional town of River City, Iowa, visualize their children playing in a marching band
by harkening back to a time when he saw several famous bandleaders' bands in a combined performance. Whereas an average-sized high school
marching band might have about 10 musicians playing the trombone
, and a large college
marching band seldom has more than 30 trombonists, the band that Harold describes to the villagers included 76 trombone
s, 110 cornet
s, "over a thousand reeds", double bell euphonium
s, and "fifty mounted cannon" (which were popular in bands of the time).
The love ballad Goodnight, My Someone, which immediately precedes Seventy-six Trombones in the musicals, has the same tune but it is played in 3/4 metre
- with a much slower tempo
.
In Willson's hometown of Mason City, Iowa
, they honor this song (and the rest of the story of The Music Man) in a building called "Music Man Square", which is located next to Willson's boyhood home. In one large room, they have 76 donated trombones hanging from the ceiling.
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
(1957), which was written by Meredith Willson
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
. This song also appeared in the film The Music Man
The Music Man (1962 film)
The Music Man is a 1962 musical film starring Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The film is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Meredith Willson...
(1962), and in the made-for-TV movie adaptation in 2003. It is also a piece commonly played by marching and military bands.
Seventy-six trombones led the big parade
With a hundred and ten cornets close at hand ...
In one of Willson's arrangements of the song, it seamlessly integrates with other popular 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...
at the time, such as Stars and Stripes Forever and The Washington Post March
The Washington Post (march)
"The Washington Post" is a march composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889. Since then, it has remained as one of his most popular marches throughout the United States and many countries abroad.-History:...
by John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
(in whose band Willson had played), the The National Emblem March by Edwin Eugene Bagley
Edwin Eugene Bagley
Edwin Eugene Bagley was born in Craftsbury, Vermont on May 29, 1857 and died in Keene, New Hampshire on January 29, 1922. He is famous for composing the National Emblem....
, the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
song Under the Blue and Yellow Flag by Viktor Widqvist, and the song the Second Regiment, Connecticut National Guard by D.W. Reeves.
In the dramas, "Professor" Harold Hill uses the song Seventy-six trombones to help the townspeople of the fictional town of River City, Iowa, visualize their children playing in a marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
by harkening back to a time when he saw several famous bandleaders' bands in a combined performance. Whereas an average-sized high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
marching band might have about 10 musicians playing the trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, and a large college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
marching band seldom has more than 30 trombonists, the band that Harold describes to the villagers included 76 trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, 110 cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s, "over a thousand reeds", double bell euphonium
Double bell euphonium
The double bell euphonium is an instrument based on the euphonium. Larger bell produces the mellow tone of a standard euphonium. The second smaller bell has a brighter tone, similar to a baritone horn or valve trombone...
s, and "fifty mounted cannon" (which were popular in bands of the time).
The love ballad Goodnight, My Someone, which immediately precedes Seventy-six Trombones in the musicals, has the same tune but it is played in 3/4 metre
Metre (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
- with a much slower tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
.
In Willson's hometown of Mason City, Iowa
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
, they honor this song (and the rest of the story of The Music Man) in a building called "Music Man Square", which is located next to Willson's boyhood home. In one large room, they have 76 donated trombones hanging from the ceiling.
Other appearances in popular culture
- In ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, the instrumental march version of this song was used as a theme song for the radio news show La Revista de Portales. - In the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the tune was used for theme song of the popular radio and television show Dik Voormekaarshow. - In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series, in the (musical) episode Once More with Feeling, the character "Spike" refers to "seventy-six bloody trombones".
- In the SPEBSQSA "International Chorus Championship" in 2009, the group "Ambassadors of HarmonyAmbassadors of HarmonyThe Ambassadors of Harmony is a 160+ member men's barbershop chorus, based in St. Charles, Missouri. The chorus won International Championship gold medals in 2004 and 2009, each time singing two arrangements by David Wright, under the direction of Jim Henry...
" sang this song a cappella in the championship performance. - The talk radioTalk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host Dave RossDave RossDave Ross is a talk show host on Seattle's KIRO-FM radio station, with whom he had been a news anchor from 1978 until his talk show started nine years later in 1987. He has sometimes broadcast his show while on assignment in other locations, including overseas, such as Baghdad, Iraq in April...
parodied this song to be about the California governor's recall election of 2003 with the opening lyrics as follows:
76 unknowns led the big charade
With 110 like them close at hand...