Hostrauser's Top 100 Marches

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Hostrauser's Top 100 Marches

Post by Hostrauser » Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:41 am

So, as I do just about every year, I sat down in October to revise my list of Top 25 marches. Then I decided to go whole hog: I pretty much listened to nothing but marches the month of October and crafted a list of my Top 100 marches.

The judging was about 5-10% objective (quality of the march) and 90-95% subjective (does it work for me?). Some marches rose higher than I expected, some dropped like stones. And along the way I learned some interesting things about myself, like:

1. Evidently, I like marches with a good clarinet trio-melody; there's quite a few of them on the list.
2. Evidently, I'm very particular about mainland European (specifically Germanic) marches. Very few of them work for me.
3. Every single Henry Fillmore trio sounds like a college fight song. :lol:
4. I don't think there's ever been a better composer of march counter-melodies than Kenneth J. Alford. Just fabulous.
5. I think I finally figured out why Sousa never quite works 100% for me: his marches are too rigid and "button-down." Very few Sousa marches can get my foot tapping and pulse racing. It's more along the lines of, "oh, that's very nice," and then on to the next march. At least Fillmore's fight-songs bring a little excitment to the table. This explains why there's a dozen or so Sousa marches in my Top 100, but only one in the Top 25.

I know I haven't heard every march in the world, but chances are if it's a Sousa or K. Alford march it hasn't been overlooked.

One march has a permanent exemption from my list: The Stars & Stripes Forever. It really is a brilliant march, but it's so bound to the American psyche (not to mention images of patriotism and retail sales) that I do not trust that I can compare it subjectively against other marches.

Oh, and "Bravura" didn't make the Top 100 but it was considered. (meow?) It's not a bad little march, just over-played to death, brought back from the dead, and over-played to death again.

The purpose of this thread is to provoke discussion. I'm sure you'll agree with some of my choices, and strongly disagree with others. :) What are some of your favorites? Let's see some Top 10 lists from other WOP members.

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Post by Hostrauser » Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:42 am

Hostrauser's Top 100 Marches - 2007
100. New Corn Palace (King)
99. Sarasota (King)
98. Sound Off (Sousa)
97. Shrewsbury Fair (Neville)
96. The Trombone King (King)
95. The National Game (Sousa)
94. Sells-Floto Triumphal (King)
93. Royal Decree (English)
92. The Melody Shop (King)
91. The Skywriter (Bergeim)
90. Colchester Castle (Brigham)
89. Holyrood (K. Alford)
88. Acropolis (Hughes)
87. Gallant Zouaves (King)
86. The Beau Ideal (Sousa)
85. Alhambra Grotto (King)
84. Punchinello (Rimmer)
83. The Red Men's March (Hall)
82. Honest Toil (Rimmer)
81. Heralds of Victory (Emms)
80. The Loyal Legion (Sousa)
79. The Southerner (Alexander)
78. Carry On (Winson)
77. War March of the Tartars (King)
76. Yankee in Vienna (Alexander)
75. In Storm and Sunshine (Heed)
74. Entry of the Gladiators (Fucik)
73. Solid Men to the Front (Sousa)
72. Royal Standard (Brigham)
71. Fame & Glory (Matt)
70. Cornish Cavalier (Moyle)
69. Invictus (King)
68. Sonntag Ist's (Stieberitz)
67. The Viking (King)
66. March Grandioso (Seitz)
65. Simoraine (Barraclough)
64. Old Circus Band (Jewell)
63. Knights of the Road (Huffer)
62. Arromanches (Kelly)
61. Yankee Robinson (Huffer)
60. Honey Boys on Parade (Cupero)
59. Under the Double Eagle (Wagner)
58. The Glory of Cory (Broadbent)
57. Gloria (Losey)
56. Emblem of Freedom (King)
55. The Purple Pageant (King)
54. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Sousa)
53. Imperial Life Guards (Mansfield)
52. The Voice of the Guns (K. Alford)
51. The Squealer (Huff)
50. Gallito (Lope)
49. Salute to the Sultan (Lawrence)
48. The Corcoran Cadets (Sousa)
47. New Mexico (Sousa)
46. Cyrus the Great (King)
45. Marche Indienne (Sellenick)
44. The Black Horse (Ord Hume)
43. Hail to the Spirit of Liberty (Sousa)
42. Bon Voyage (King)
41. March of the Mortarmen (Chernetsky)
40. Lights Out (McCoy)
39. The Vedette (K. Alford)
38. Bombasto (Farrar)
37. O.R.B. (Anderson)
36. On the Mall (Goldman)
35. Bennet's Triumphal (Ribble)
34. Riders for the Flag (Sousa)
33. Troopers Tribunal (Fillmore)
32. Centaur (Broadbent)
31. The Pride of the Wolverines (Sousa)
30. Castel Caerffili (Powell)
29. Valdres March (Hanssen)
28. On the Campus (Sousa)
27. The Klaxon (Fillmore)
26. The Elephant (Ord Hume)
25. Nazir Grotto (King)
24. Revelation (Chambers)
23. The Gallant Seventh (Sousa)
22. Under the Admiral's Flag (Fucik)
21. The Crosley March (Fillmore)
20. Law and Order (H. Alford)
19. Brooke's Chicago Marine Band (Seitz)
18. Army of the Nile (K. Alford)
17. Farewell to a Slavic Woman (Agapkin)
16. Quality Plus (Jewell)
15. The Cossack (Rimmer)
14. British Eighth (Elliot)
13. Blaze Away (Holzmann)
12. Children of the Regiment (Fucik)
11. Eagle Squadron (K. Alford)
10. Washington Grays (Grafulla)
9. Our Gallant Infantry (Edwards)
8. Neddermeyer Triumphal (King)
7. Joyce's 71st New York Regiment (Boyer-Lake)
6. Golden Bear (Richards)
5. The Contestor (Powell)
4. Hostrauser's March (Chambers)
3. Purple Carnival (H. Alford)
2. Onward (Luthold)
1. The Boys of the Old Brigade (Chambers)

(Final 2007 revised rankings, 12/26/07)
Last edited by Hostrauser on Wed Dec 26, 2007 3:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Post by Flying bird » Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:48 am

:shock: is there a website where I can listen to the marches listed above?

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Post by Hostrauser » Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:00 am

One site? I doubt it. You might be able to find half or more scattered across the web, though. Keep in mind this list was pulled from about 75-80 march CDs.

The USAF Band site has the following marches online:
66. Invictus (King)
60. Knights of the Road (Huffer)
38. Lights Out (McCoy)
33. Brooke's Chicago Marine Band (Seitz)
30. Troopers Tribunal (Fillmore)

http://www.usafband.af.mil/ensembles/Ba ... -1&Genre=8

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Post by midavid » Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:14 am

:oops:
Last edited by midavid on Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hostrauser's Top 100 Marches

Post by vore » Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:16 am

Hostrauser wrote:I pretty much listened to nothing but marches the month of October
:shock:

OK... I might get involved, but I need some clarification. Are these your favorite marches for sitting down concerts or for parade band. Many marches which are terrific compositions don't work for parade band.

vore 8-)
Last edited by vore on Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Notable Mention?

Post by ZJH » Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:24 am

MIDPRONIUM wrote:Would you have at all considered for notable mention either "Thunder and Blazes" by Julius Fučík or "His Honor" by Henry Fillmore? If not, that's okay.
:oops:
Thunder and Blazes = Entrance of the Gladiators = Einzüg der Gladiatoren

It's on there.
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My top 30

Post by Luis » Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:25 am

Hostrauser wrote:Hostrauser's Top 100 Marches - 2007
94. Sound Off (Sousa)
93. Shrewsbury Fair (Neville)
83. The Beau Ideal (Sousa)
77. The Loyal Legion (Sousa)
76. The Southerner (Alexander)
75. Carry On (Winson)
70. Solid Men to the Front (Sousa)
63. March Grandioso (Seitz)
50. The Voice of the Guns (K. Alford)
44. Cyrus the Great (King)
24. The Klaxon (Fillmore)
23. The Elephant (Ord Hume)
22. The Gallant Seventh (Sousa)
21. Under the Admiral's Flag (Fucik)
20. The Crosley March (Fillmore)
18. Army of the Nile (K. Alford)
15. The Cossack (Rimmer)
14. British Eighth (Elliot)
11. Eagle Squadron (K. Alford)
10. Washington Grays (Grafulla)
7. Joyce's 71st New York Regiment (Boyer-Lake)
3. Purple Carnival (H. Alford)
1. The Boys of the Old Brigade (Chambers)
Other ones that didn't make your top 100 that I personally like are Hands Across the Sea, On Parade, Power and Glory, Mars der Medici, French National Defile, Bullets and Bayonets, and Arnhem.

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?

Post by JCYS » Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:54 am

What, no Broadbent marches?

HERETIC!

:lol: :lol:

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Wish there were

Post by JCYS » Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:57 am

Flying bird wrote::shock: is there a website where I can listen to the marches listed above?
I have all...or 99% of them (and many others)...on mp3 now, it would be great if there was a website where you could listen to them. I wonder what it would cost to create such a site?

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Post by JazzGeek » Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:33 pm

"Purple Carnival" over "Army Of The Nile"? :roll:
Those are your opinions, thank (insert your deity here)..... 8-)

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Post by Hostrauser » Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:34 pm

vore wrote:OK... I might get involved, but I need some clarification. Are these your favorite marches for sitting down concerts or for parade band. Many marches which are terrific compositions don't work for parade band.
Yeah, this is what I struggled with the most. I'm afraid I don't have a solid answer for you. A couple of marches on the list (Marche Indienne by Sellenick and Gallito by Lope) I can't see working very well on the street, which is the same reason I kept Fucik's "Florentiner" and Alford's "The Vanished Army" from being considered. I also didn't consider band arrangments of orchestral marches (Hanssen's "Valdres"; Strauss's "Radetsky"; etc.)

I'm afraid I wasn't very consistent with this but, for the sake of discussion, let's operate under the assumption that these are my favorite marches for parade band. (Even though, as I've said, a couple of them are a stretch.)

MIDPRONIUM wrote:Would you have at all considered for notable mention either "Thunder and Blazes" by Julius Fučík or "His Honor" by Henry Fillmore? If not, that's okay.
:oops:
Thunder and Blazes, as has been explained, is #71. His Honor didn't even come close to the Top 100 for me.

Angel wrote:Other ones that didn't make your top 100 that I personally like are Hands Across the Sea, On Parade, Power and Glory, Mars der Medici, French National Defile, Bullets and Bayonets, and Arnhem.
All of those were considered but did not make the Top 100. Arnhem was the closest to the cut... at 101! :shock: Its overall rating (76.5) was just behind BB&CF (76.7).

jcys wrote:What, no Broadbent marches?

HERETIC!

:lol: :lol:
I know it's a big list, Jeff, but try doing a CTRL+F (find) on the page. ;)

Hint: #29. :cool:
Last edited by Hostrauser on Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Hostrauser » Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:35 pm

JazzGeek wrote:"Purple Carnival" over "Army Of The Nile"? :roll:
Those are your opinions, thank (insert your deity here)..... 8-)
Thank no one? ;)

Like I said, it's based on what works for me, not the technical quality of the march.

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Post by guardthepiccolo » Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:56 pm

OK really I need to go to class but I'm going to try to do this quick off the top of my head, and I will probably revise it later if I feel like it...
So here's my top 10 marches. These are almost all parade related, with the exception of "The Glory of Cory," because I have yet to see a band play it on the street, and would be really surprised to see a band play it well on the street. Haven't seen Invictus or Squealer either.

10. Invictus/The Squealer/Purple Carnival-various (I couldn't decide)
9. In Storm and Sunshine- Heed
8. Arromanches- A.E. Kelly
7. Carry On- Herbert Winson
6. Jugendfruhling- H.L. Blankenburg
5. Sonntag Ist's- Ernst Stieberitz
4. The Cossack- William Rimmer
3. Muhledorf-Brodabent
2. The Glory of Cory-Broadbent
1. Unter der Admirals Flagge- Julius Fucik

Hmm...that doesn't feel quite accurate but it's close...
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Re: Wish there were

Post by Kuxica » Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:22 pm

jcys wrote:
Flying bird wrote::shock: is there a website where I can listen to the marches listed above?
I have all...or 99% of them (and many others)...on mp3 now, it would be great if there was a website where you could listen to them. I wonder what it would cost to create such a site?
Ok Im glad you mentioned because I have been looking for a sound file for law and order...can you direct me to where I acna obtain an mp3 file?
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