Fireworks, picnics, and of course parades thats what the 4th of July is about
Written: Jul 03 '04
Product Rating:
Pros: Upbeat and toe tapping marches performed by the Boston Pops
Cons: None that I could find
The Bottom Line: Stars and Stripes Forever and the Greatest Marches is a fun and lively CD to play at picnics or just when you want to be active and happy.
klueger's Full Review: Stars & Stripes Forever and the Greatest Marches
When I was in elementary and high school I was a member of the marching band. I didn’t particularly like the marching part except I did like going around to the parades. Plus we got to play marches during the parades. I played the trombone, which would have a good upbeat part for most marches. That’s probably why I enjoy marches. Browsing at the libraries music section I found Stars and Stripes Forever & The Greatest Marches . I felt this was a great CD especially for this weekend. I picked it up and have listened to it numerous times since getting it Monday.
I guess I’ll start my review by giving some definitions of what a march is. According to dictionary.com a march means to walk steadily and rhythmically forward with others. The CD jacket gives a couple other definitions. It discusses a definition given by Thomas Busby in 1828 “A military piece intended to accompany and regulate the footsteps of soldiers.” The jacket goes on to state “This is the narrowest possible definition, for it ignores funeral and wedding marches, the marches that preceded serenades and other outdoor entertainments, concert marches, opera processionals, and marches intended for ballroom use.” This CD has selections of these different types though a lot probably could be considered military marches.
I think one thing that almost all marches have in common is that they are upbeat and have a certain cadence allowing one to move in step or at least tap there foot. As I said I enjoyed marching in the parades because we where able to play many of the great marches. However, our band came nowhere the talent displayed on this CD by the Boston Pops. The conductor was Arthur Fiedler.
All right what are some of my favorite marches on the CD. Well I have to admit one is a military march. Semper Fidelis composed by Sousa. Sousa truly was one of the great march composers. He understood how to use the duple meter and rhythmic pulse required for marches. Yet he was able to give them personality of their own. The majority of marches including this one definitely make you want to hold your head up high and march even if it is off to battle. (Though I have never done this I am proud of all the men and women who have served and are serving our country. I salute you in this review.)
Another march I really enjoy is Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 composed by Elgar. I guess the reason I like this one is it to brings back some great memories. As you may or may not know this is the march that is played at a lot of graduations. It was played as we processed into the gymnasium of my college. This was a very proud day for me because I worked darn hard to get my degree. It is another march that you want to hold your head up high with a huge smile. This march at least for me also makes you march with a bit of a swagger. As I listen to it on this CD I still raise my head and smile thinking yeah that was a great moment in my life.
I would make a side note here that I think this is one of the great things about music it touches our inner selves and helps us remember defining moments in our life. Some music may make us sad others happy. I believe marches can do both. Though our family tradition does not include funeral marches I think that for those that have this tradition listening to this type of march may set off melancholy emotions. I personally only have good memories when listening to marches.
I do enjoy all the marches but to save space I will only discuss my three most favorites. What is the third march that I would list as my favorite on this CD? Well it probably is one of the most famous and very appropriate for this weekend. Stars and Stripes Forever composed again by Sousa. Again this is a very upbeat and fun song to march around to. I remember marching in the 4th of July parades and this certainly was one of the pieces we played most often. I didn’t even mind marching around the school parking lot when we played this song. You just have to march when you hear or play this one. As I said earlier Sousa was a master at composing marches. I would again like to quote from the jacket because they say my feelings much better than the words I can come up with. The most famous of all march composers was John Philip Sousa, who lived in America during the last part of the 19th century when aggressive patriotism was in the air. Sousa was more than a product of that era: he was a symbol of it..
Here is a listing of the other great marches superbly performed by the Pops.
1. Aida: Grand March (Verdi) 3:35
2. Babes In Toyland: March of the Toys (Herbert) 3:48
3.Semper Fidelis (Sousa) 2:34
4. Suite No. 1 Op. 43: Marche Miniature (Tchaikovsky) 1:58
5. Yankee Doodle (Traditional – arr. Gould) 2:31
6.Up the Street (Morse) 2:09
7. The Damnation of Faust: Rakoczy March (Berlioz) 4:12
8.Caucasian Sketches: Procession of the Sardar (Ippolitov-Ivanov) 3:45
9. Sambre et Meuse (Planquette) 3:56
10. The Ruins of Athens: Turkish March (Beethoven) 1:37
11. Colonel Bogey (Alford) 3:06
12. Dixie (Emmett-Black) 0:47
13. American Salute (When Johnny Comes Marching Home) (Gould) 4:09
14. Strike Up The Band (Gershwin) 2:44
15. Radetzky March (Johann Strauss) 2:51
16. Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Elgar) 5:45
17. Algerian Suite: French Military March (Saint-Soens) 4:29
18. Mlada: Procession of the Nobles (Rimsky-Korsakoff) 4:29
19. Valdres March (Hansen) 3:22
20. National Emblem March (Bagley) 3:00
21. The Stars and Stripes Forever (Sousa) 3:25
I have to admit Fiedler and the Pops have had my fingers tapping on the keys writing this review. This is probably the first review that I literally had my fingers tapping in rhythm writing the review. I think that Fiedler and the Pops did a fine job with all these marches and treated them as the unique entities that each is. They brought the emotion and feelings that I believe the composers had wished when they wrote the pieces.
Steve Vining is the producer of the CD, and did a fine job with the production. The songs flow right into each other sometimes taking you by surprise by the contradiction in marches but it works well. Again you have to tip your hat to Fiedler and the Pops for their interpretation of the marches. RCA was the publisher and copyrighted this piece in 1990.
I would like to wish you all a Happy 4th of July. Stay safe and remember America will stand strong and we are proud of our military that continue to keep our freedom and independence.
Thanks for reading and I hope you will have found this review helpful in someway.
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