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Marches are pieces with a clear military connection. However, the range of sentiments they evoke ranges drastically. The following marches – two from the UK and two from Japan – might best be described (in order) as militaristic, patriotic, heroic, and ceremonial. The presence of a strings section makes a significant difference in changing the mood of the piece from “martial” to “classical”.
Setoguchi: Warship March
This concert version sounds quite different to the version of this piece on the page Music (in the Cultural Memories menu).
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1
Elgar’s “tune of a lifetime” composed at the height of the British Empire and still a cornerstone of British patriotic pride.
Coates: Dambusters March
Part of the soundtrack to a classic British war film.
Koseki: Olympic March
Rather than a military march, this is for the entrance of the athletes to the stadium during the 1964 Tokyo Games … although the games are often said to represent Japan’s return to the international community after World War II.
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