Amarch, as amusical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written formarching to and most frequently performed by amilitary band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march inWagner'sGötterdämmerung to the brisk military marches ofJohn Philip Sousa and the martial hymns of the late 19th century. Examples of the varied use of the march can be found inBeethoven'sEroica Symphony, in theMarches Militaires ofFranz Schubert, in the Marche funèbre inChopin'sSonata in B flat minor, the "Jäger March" in theOp. 91a byJean Sibelius, and in the Dead March inHandel'sSaul.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Marches can be written in anytime signature, but the most common time signatures are4
4,2
2 (alla breve
, although this may refer to 2 time ofJohannes Brahms, orcut time), or6
8. However, some modern marches are being written in1
2 or2
4 time. The modern march tempo is typically around 120 beats per minute. Manyfuneral marches conform to the Roman standard of 60 beats per minute. The tempo matches the pace of soldiers walking in step. Both tempos achieve the standard rate of 120 steps per minute.
Each section of a march typically consists of 16 or 32 bars, which may repeat. Most importantly, a march consists of a strong and steady percussive beat reminiscent of military field drums.
A military music event where various marching bands and units perform is calledtattoo.
Marches frequentlychange keys once, modulating to thesubdominant key, and occasionally returning to the original tonic key. If it begins in a minor key, it modulates to therelative major. Marches frequently havecounter-melodies introduced during the repeat of a main melody. Marches frequently have a penultimatedogfightstrain in which two groups of instruments (high/low, woodwind/brass, etc.) alternate in astatement/response format. In most traditional American marches, there are three strains. The third strain is referred to as the "trio".The march tempo of 120 beats or steps per minute was adopted by theNapoleonic army[1] in order to move faster[citation needed]. Since Napoleon planned to occupy the territory he conquered, instead of his soldiers carrying all of their provisions with them, they would live off the land and march faster. The French march tempo is faster than the traditional tempo of British marches; the British call marches in the French tempoquick marches. Traditional American marches use the French or quick march tempo. There are two reason for this: First, U.S. military bands adopted the march tempos of France and other continental European nations that aided the U.S. during its early wars with Great Britain. Second, the composer of the greatest American marches,John Philip Sousa, was of Portuguese and German descent. Portugal used the French tempo exclusively—the standard Sousa learned during his musical education. A military band playing or marching at the traditional British march tempo would seem unusually slow in the United States.
March music originates from the military, and marches are usually played by amarching band.[citation needed] The most important instruments are various drums (especiallysnare drum), horns, fife or woodwind instruments and brass instruments. Marches and marching bands have even today a strong connection to military, both todrill andparades.
March music is often important for ceremonial occasions. Processional or coronation marches, such as the popular coronation march fromLe prophète byGiacomo Meyerbeer and the many examples of coronation marches written for British monarchs by English composers, such asEdward Elgar,Edward German, andWilliam Walton, are all in traditional British tempos.
Marches were not notated until the late 16th century; until then, time was generally kept by percussion alone, often with improvised fife embellishment. With the extensive development of brass instruments, especially in the 19th century, marches became widely popular and were often elaborately orchestrated. Composers such asWolfgang Amadeus Mozart,Ludwig van Beethoven,Hector Berlioz,Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,Gustav Mahler,Ralph Vaughan Williams,Charles Ives,Arnold Schoenberg,Igor Stravinsky,Alban Berg,Sergei Prokofiev,Paul Hindemith,Dmitri Shostakovich, andLeonard Bernstein wrote marches, sometimes incorporating them into operas, sonatas, suites, and symphonies. The popularity ofJohn Philip Sousa's band marches has been unmatched.
The style of the traditional symphony march can be traced back to symphonic pieces from renaissance era, such as pieces written for nobility.
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "March" music – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Many European countries and cultures developed characteristic styles of marches.
British marches typically move at the standard pace of 116 beats per minute, have intricatecountermelodies (frequently appearing only in the repeat of a strain), have a wide range of dynamics (including unusually soft sections), use full-valuestingers at the ends of phrases (as opposed to the shorter,marcato stinger of American marches). The final strain of a British march often has a broad lyrical quality to it. Archetypical British marches include "The British Grenadiers" and those ofMajor Ricketts, such as the well-known "Colonel Bogey March" and "The Great Little Army".
Scottish bagpipe music makes extensive use of marches played at a pace of approximately 90 beats per minute. Many popular marches are traditional and of unknown origin. Notable examples includeScotland the Brave,Highland Laddie,Bonnie Dundee andCock of the North. Retreat marches are set in3
4 time, such asThe Green Hills of Tyrol and When the Battle's O'er. The bagpipe also make use of slow marches such as theSkye Boat Song and the Cradle Song. These are set in6
8 time and are usually played at around 60 beats per minute if played by onlypipe bands (and 120 if played with a military band).
Those marches indicative of the light infantry and rifle regiments of the Army (today The Rifles and the Royal Gurkha Rifles), like "Silver Bugles" and "Bravest of the Brave", move at a faster 140 beats per minute pace and feature the distinctive bugle sounds common to the bands of these units (plus bagpipes for the Gurkhas).
German marches move at a very strict tempo of 114 beats per minute, and have a strongoom-pahpolka-like/folk-like quality resulting from the bass drum and low-brass playing on the downbeats and the alto voices, such aspeck horn and snare drums, playing on the off-beats. This provides a very martial quality to these marches. The low brass is often featured prominently in at least one strain of a German march. To offset the rhythmic martiality of most of the strains, the final strain (the trio) often has a lyrical (if somewhat bombastic) quality. Notable German and Austrian march composers includeCarl Teike ("Alte Kameraden"),Ludwig van Beethoven ("Yorckscher Marsch"),Hermann Ludwig Blankenburg,Johann Gottfried Piefke ("Preußens Gloria"),Johann Strauss I ("Radetzky March"),Johann Strauss II, Hans Schmid,Josef Wagner, andCarl Michael Ziehrer.
Swedish marches have many things in common with the German marches, much due to historical friendship and bonding with states likePrussia,Hesse and, from 1871 and on, Germany. The tempo is strict and lies between 110 and 112 beats per minute. The oom-pah rhythm is common, although it is rarely as distinctive as in a typical German march. The first bars are nearly always played loudly, followed by a cheerful melody, often with pronounced countermelodies in theeuphoniums andtrombones. At least one strain of a Swedish march is usually dedicated to the low brass, where thetubas also play the melody, with the rest of the instruments playing on the off-beats. The characteristics of the trio vary from march to march, but the final strain tends to be grand and loud. Examples of Swedish marches are "Under blågul fana" byViktor Widqvist and "På post för Sverige" bySam Rydberg.
French military marches are distinct from other European marches by their emphasis on percussion and brass, often incorporatingbugle calls as part of the melody or as interludes between strains. Most French marches are incommon metre and place a strong percussive emphasis on the first beat of each bar from the band and field musicdrumlines, hence the characteristicBOOM-whack-whack-whack rhythm. Many, though not all French marches (in particular marches dating from the period of theFrench Revolution) make use of triplet feel; each beat can be felt as a fast triplet. Famous French marches include "Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse", "La Victoire est à Nous", "Marche de la garde consulaire à Marengo", "La Galette", the "Chant du départ", "Le Chant des Africains", "Le Caïd", "la Marche Lorraine" and "Le Boudin". While many are of the classic quick march time used today, there are several which are of slow time, harking to the slow and medium marches of soldiers of the French forces during the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Part of theFrench Foreign Legion's current march music inventory includes at lot of slow marches. Also, there are marches similar to those of British rifle regiments which are used by theChasseur infantry battalions of the Army.
Greek marches typically combine French and German musical traditions, due to the modern Greek State's history of Germanic royal dynasties, combined with Francophile governments as well as French and Bavarian officers and military advisors, who brought their respective musical traditions with them, with later British influences. Among the most famous marches are "Famous Macedonia" (Μακεδονία Ξακουστή), a march to commemorate Greece's victory in theBalkan Wars, "Greece never dies" (Η Ελλάδα ποτε δεν πεθαίνει), "The Aegean Sailor" (Ο Ναύτης του Αιγαίου), "The Artillery" (Το Πυροβολικό), "From flames, Crete" (Από φλόγες, η Κρήτη), and "The Army Marches Forth" (Πέρναει ο Στρατός). Almost all Greek marches have choral versions. Many of these marches, in the choral versions, are also popular patriotic songs, which are taught to Greek children in school and are sung along on various occasions, such as national holidays and parades. "Famous Macedonia" also serves as the unofficial anthem of the Greek Region ofMacedonia. The Greek Flag March (Greek:Προεδρική Εμβατήριο "Η Σημαία") is the sole march used during the parading of theGreek Flag at ceremonies. ComposerMargaritis Kastellis contributed to the development of many Greek pieces for military bands only.
Dutch marches typically feature a heavy intro, often played by thetrombones,euphoniums, drums, andtubas, followed by a lighthearted trio and a reasonably fast and somewhat bombastic conclusion, while maintaining occasional bugle calls due to the former wide presence of field music formations (particularly in the Army). Dutch emphasis on low brass is also made clear in that some Dutch military bands usesousaphones, which have a more forward projection of sound, rather than the regular concerttubas used by most other European military styles. Some well-known Dutch march composers areJan Gerard Palm, Willy Schootemeyer, Adriaan Maas, Johan Wichers, and Hendrik Karels. By far, most Dutch military bands perform their music on foot; however, some Dutch regiments (most notably the Trompetterkorps Bereden Wapens) carry on a Dutch tradition in which its historicalbicycle infantry had amounted band, thus playing march music on bikes.
Italian marches have a very light musical feel, often having sections offanfare or sopranoobbligatos performed with a lightcoloratura articulation. This frilly characteristic is contrasted with broad lyrical melodies reminiscent of operaticarias. It is relatively common to have one strain (often a first introduction of the final strain) that is played primarily by the higher-voiced instruments or in the upper ranges of the instruments' compass. Examples of Italian march music is "Il Bersagliere" (The Italian Rifleman) by Boccalari and "4 Maggio" by Creux. Uniquely, theBersaglieri regiments always move at a fast jog, and their running bands, mostly all-brass, play at this pace, with marches like "Passo di Corsa dei Bersaglieri" (Double March of the Bersaglieri) and "Flick Flock" as great examples.
The most characteristic Spanish march form is thepasodoble. Spanish marches often have fanfares at the beginning or end of strains that are reminiscent of traditional and popular music. These marches often move back and forth between major and (relative) minor keys, and often show a great variation in tempo during the course of the march reminiscent of a prolongedViennese rubato. Military marches are an adapted form of the pasodoble, which feature strong percussion and have British and French influences as well, as well as German, Austrian and Italian elements. Typical Spanish marches are "Amparito Roca" byJaime Teixidor, "Los Voluntarios" byGerónimo Giménez, and "El Turuta" byRoman de San Jose. Many of these marches are also of patriotic nature.
A significant amount of incidental music as marches has been composed and still is composed annually for the Moors and Christians festivals and festivities (Moros y Cristianos) in the south-east region of Spain. It is known asmúsica festera and comes from military band marches. There are currently three main genres: the classic and popular pasodobles, the melodiousmarchas moras (Moorish in style), and the forcefulmarchas cristianas.
Notable Czech (Bohemian) march composers includeFrantišek Kmoch andJulius Fučík, who wrote "Entrance of the Gladiators".
The true march music era existed from 1855 to the 1940s when it was overshadowed byjazz, which the march form influenced (especially throughragtime).[2] American march music cannot be discussed without mentioning "The March King",John Philip Sousa, who revolutionized the march during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of his most famous marches are "Semper Fidelis", "The Washington Post", "The Liberty Bell", and "The Stars and Stripes Forever". Sousa's marches are typically marked by asubdued trio, as in "The Stars and Stripes Forever" in which the rest of the band becomes subordinated to arguably the most famouspiccolo solo in all of music. Typically, an American march consists of a key change (usually the addition of a flat), often happening for the duration the Trio. The key may change back before the song is over, especially if the Trio ends well before the last few bars of the march.
A specialized form of the typical American march music is the circus march, orscreamer, typified by the marches ofHenry Fillmore andKarl King. These marches are performed at a significantly faster tempo (140 to 200 beats per minute) and generally have an abundance of runs, fanfares, and other showy features. Frequently, the low brass has one or more strains (usually the second strain) in which they are showcased with both speed and bombast. Stylistically, many circus marches employ a lyrical final strain which (in the last time through the strain) starts outmaestoso (majestically, slower and more stately) and then, in the second half of the strain, speeds up to end the march faster than the original tempo.
Bengali march music tradition began in the 19th century, during theBengali Renaissance by theBengali nationalists.Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh and active revolutionary during theIndian Independence Movement create a separate subgenre ofBengali music known asNazrul Geeti included march music against fascism and oppression. His writings and music greatly inspiredBengalis ofEast Pakistan during theBangladesh Liberation War.
The most famous of Bengali marches is theNotuner Gaan, which is the national march of thePeople's Republic of Bangladesh. Among the most popular Bengali marches are the following:
Currently, marches played at military ceremonies inIndia have British origins. For example, ‘Auld Lang Syne’ played during passing out parades at various military academies is a tune that originated in Britain. Similarly, ‘Abide With Me’, is a Christian hymn, that is traditionally played as the last tune at theBeating the Retreat ceremony on January 29 every year.[3] The marches that independent India’s military bands plays is a mix of British classics (The British Grenadiers,Trafalgar,Gibraltar) and tunes composed by officers. Over the years, the military bands began to play an eclectic mix of the standard marching songs, as well as jazz,Bollywood and Indian compositions.[4]
TheIndian military bands consists of musicians from theIndian Army,Navy andAir Force. The primary bands includeIndian Army Chief's Band,Indian Naval Symphonic Band andNo. 1 Air Force Band. Today, theIndian Armed Forces have more than 50 military brass bands and 400pipe bands andcorps of drums. A Tri-Services Band refers to a jointIndian Armed Forces military band that performs together as a unit.[5]
The band performs a number of slow and quick marches such as:[6][7]
Japan's march music (Koushinkyoku, 行進曲) tradition began in the 19th century after the country's ports were forced open to foreign trade by thePerry Expedition. An influx of Western musical culture that the newly arrived traders and diplomats brought with them swept through Japanese musical culture, leaving a lasting legacy on the country's music. Japanese and foreign musicians of the time sought to impart Western musical forms to the Japanese, as well as combining Japanese-style melodies with Western-style harmonization. Furthermore, with Japan's government and society stabilized after theMeiji Restoration, the country sought to centralize and modernize its armed forces, with the armed forces of France and Prussia serving as models. All of these helped augur in what would later become modern Japanese music. The march genre, already sharing roots with the preexisting tradition of "gunka", or military songs, became very popular, especially in the years after Japan's victories in theFirst Sino-Japanese War and theRusso-Japanese War.
One of the earliest and most enduring of Japanese marches is theDefile March (分列行進曲) composed in 1886 by Charles Leroux, an officer with the French Army serving as an advisor to the Imperial Japanese Army. Originally two separate marches based on Japanese melodies—Fusouka (扶桑歌) andBattotai (抜刀隊), inspired by theSatsuma Rebellion and reportedly a favorite song of theEmperor Meiji—they were later combined in the march currently recognized today. It soon became a very popular band standard, with theImperial Japanese Army adopting it as their signature march. AfterWorld War II theJGSDF and theJapanese police would adopt the march, where it continues to be a core part of their repertoire.
In the years before 1945, many distinguished composers such asYamada Kōsaku,Nakayama Shimpei,Hashimoto Kunihiko,Setoguchi Tōkichi, andEguchi Yoshi (Eguchi Gengo) all contributed to the genre. Some were military and nationalist in tone. Others, like Nakayama's 1928Tokyo March (東京行進曲), were meant for popular consumption and wholly unrelated to military music.
Among the most popular Japanese marches are the following:
The Philippine march tradition is a mix of European and American traditions plus local musical styles. Several famous Philippine composers composed marches, and evenJulián Felipe composed the march that would becomeLupang Hinirang, the national anthem. Several marches are adaptations of local folk music, others have a patriotic feeling.
The Philippine march music tradition began in the 19th century, during the Philippine Revolution, as an offshoot of the Spanish march tradition. This is a popular form of music as a battle hymn in the same way as in the US or France specially if Filipino soldiers are going to war or winning battles, is also the way of the Filipino to express their nationalistic affection to their native land. This style of music was also popular during thePhilippine–American War and during the Second World War.
During the late 1960s this form of music begun to be widely used as a part of military drills, parades and exercises of the Armed Forces, National Police and Coast Guard, as well as by youth uniformed groups and athletes. Prominent local march composers include Antonio Buenaventura and National Artist Lucio San Pedro. Some famous marches are:
| Title/piece | Composer | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lupang Hinirang | Julián Felipe | The national anthem of thePhilippines |
| Alerta Katipunan! (On alert Katipunan!) | Anonymous | One of the well-known marching songs by theKatipunan andPhilippine Revolutionary Army. |
| Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan (Salve Patria) (Noble hymn of theTagalogs) | Julio Nakpil | Tagalog hymn |
| Sampaguita March (Flor de Manila) | Dolores Paterno | Military/festival march |
| Mabuhay! | Tito Cruz Jr. | Presidential march |
| Ang Bayan Ko (my Nation) | José Corazón de Jesús | Patriotic song |
| Bagong Pagsilang (March of the New Society) | Felipe Padilla de León | A patriotic hymn during theFerdinand Marcos administration |
| AFP on the March | March past of theArmed Forces of the Philippines | |
| Martsa ng Kawal Pilipino | Official hymn of the Armed Forces of the Philippines | |
| Philippine Army March | Antonio Buenaventura | March past of the Philippine Army adopted in the late 40s |
| Marcha Libertador (March of the Liberators) | Posidio Bermejo Delgado | Revolutionary march composed in 1898, today official march of the town of Sta. Barbara in Iloilo |
Thailand's late king,Bhumibol Adulyadej, is a march composer. His most famous march piece, the "Royal Guards March", is played by military bands during theThai Royal Guards parade at theRoyal Plaza at Bangkok every 2 December yearly. It reflects the use of German and British military band influences in Thai military music.
Chinese marches tend to originate from time of theSecond Sino-Japanese War, with very few still being performed that were composed before 1930 (one notable exception to this is theMilitary anthem of China, which dates back to the late Qing Dynasty with lyrics commissioned byZeng Guofan). They are typically written in a major key, and performed at around 120 beats per minute. Prussian style oom pah rhythm is heavily used, seen in the Presentation March and March Past of the People's Liberation Army. The most famous of Chinese marches is theMarch of the Volunteers, which is the national anthem of thePeople's Republic of China.
North Korean marches are heavily influenced by the Soviet military band tradition mixed with Korean influences. Most of the marches are dedicated to the party and to their revolution and leaders. Use of a grandiose brass sound is almost always present in the music. Many marches are adapted from the North Korean revolutionary and patriotic song tradition, known as thetaejung kayo genre. Among the more popular North Korean marches played during state ceremonies are:
Modern Turkey's national anthem is the march, "İstiklâl Marşı", which has an aggressive tune. Generally, old Turkish marches from theOttoman Empire have aggressive lyrics, for instance in "Mehter Marşı". It is notable that Mozart and Beethoven also wrote popularTurkish marches. Modern marches played during ceremonies include theAtatürk March, played as the march-in and march-off piece of military bands in military parades and ceremonies.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Audio of Nyýazow's Honour march on Youtube |
Central Asian march traditions have spanned centuries and consists of many different military and national cultures. The main five Central Asian nations (Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan,Uzbekistan) commonly utilize Russian military marches during state functions, although they have made much quicker efforts unlike their Ukrainian and Belarusian counterparts to distinguish their military traditions from Russia. Most Central Asian nations have aTurkic culture and therefore uses marches with a mix of Russian and Turkish traditions. Tajikistan is an outlier in that it has a morePersian musical tradition.Afghanistan, like Tajikistan, has military marches that are similar to those inIran, but with more recent American and British influence in combination with the Russian tradition.
Some the more popular Central Asian marches are the following:
Although inspired by German, Spanish and French military music, marches of South and Central America are unique in melody and instrumentation.
Argentine marches are inspired by its military history and the influx of European immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries.Cayetano Alberto Silva's "San Lorenzo march" is an example that combines German and French military musical influences. Other examples include the "Avenue of the Camelias" March and theMarch of the Malvinas, used during the Falklands War and in military parades and ceremonies.
Brazilian military marches are popular called by the name"Dobrado", a reference to the most popular type ofbar in this music genre, the2
4. This type of music is influenced by the European and American march styles. Almost all states of Brazil have contributed to the growth of this tradition with a number of marches composed by local musicians, many of patriotic nature. Most popular composers are Antônio Manuel do Espírito Santo, with "Cisne Branco" (the official march of the Navy), "Avante Camaradas" e "Quatro Dias de Viagem" and Pedro Salgado, with "Dois corações" e "Coração de Mãe". Manoel Alves' "Batista de Melo" March, played widely in military and civil parades, while being the song of the Brazilian Army artillery and quartermaster services, isde facto the army's quick march past tune.
Colombian military march music, like "The National Army of Colombia Hymn", "Commandos March" and "Hymn of the Colombian Navy" is an adaptation of the European and the American march styles.
Venezuela's "The Indio and the Conquistador" is the officialmarchpast of the Military Academy of Venezuela. It is more famous for being played in slow time in military parades and ceremonies. Also famous is the official double march of the National Armed Forces of Venezuela's special forces and airborne units, "Carabobo Reveille", and the "Slope Arms" March, played in ceremonies featuring theFlag of Venezuela and the first march in the beginning of parades. Marches like these (including the anthem of the 114th Armored Battalion "Apure Braves", "Fatherland Beloved") show British, American and Prussian influence.
Mexican marches, like the "March of the Heroic Military College", "Airborne Fusiliers March", "National Defense March" and the "Viva Mexico March", are all inspired by American, Spanish, and French military music but have a faster beat. Some marches have direct French influence of bugle acommpaniment during parades for infantry units, since the Mexican Armed Forces has always maintained drum and bugle bands at the unit level.
Cuban military marches are inspired by both American, Spanish and Soviet military music. German military marches such as theYorckscher Marsch andPreußens Gloria are commonly used by theCuban Revolutionary Armed Forces Band during official functions such asmilitary parades. A notable Cuban military march is theHymn of July 26 (Himno del 26 de Julio). Other musical compositions include theMarcha de la alfabetización and theMarcha De La Revolución.[9]
Other Latin American marches are inspired by both European and Native American influences, such as the Peruvian marches "Los peruanos Pasan" and "Sesquicentenario" and the Ecuadorian military march "Paquisha".
Marches fromChile are a mix of European march music especially the German march tradition, and many are locally composed.Los viejos estandartes, the official march of the Chilean Army, is one such example. Several German, British and French marches (and even the US march Semper Fidelis) are also used by military and civil bands in parades and ceremonies most especially during national holidays.
Media related toMarches (music) at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
