[March] A curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts!
A march is a type of musical piece for marching.
In everyday settings, it’s often used as background music for parade-style processions at school sports festivals.
Originally, marches were performed for military parades and ceremonial occasions such as weddings and funerals.
When we think of marches, we often picture powerful percussion rhythms and bright, brassy melodic lines.
However, there are also pieces known as concert marches—written for performance in concert settings—that are characterized by an elegant, beautiful atmosphere.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of marches all at once, and we hope it will help you choose background music for processions or select repertoire for concerts.
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- [March] A selection of famous march masterpieces played on the piano!
[March] A curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts! (11–20)
Best FriendMatsuura Shingo
The set piece for the 2003 wind band competition.
With its bright tone and light main theme, it’s said to be frequently used at sports day opening ceremonies.
It’s a classic march in which the brass punctuates the flowing melody with accents.
A Trumpeter’s HolidayLeroy Anderson
The famous piece “Bugler’s Holiday,” well known from footraces at school sports days, is an orchestral work by the American composer Leroy Anderson.
It’s said to have been composed for buglers who couldn’t freely play their trumpets while in the military, expressing the desire to at least play to their hearts’ content on their day off.
In Japan, it’s familiar not only at sports days but also as TV background music, in commercials, and in anime.
With its cheerful, rhythmic character, it’s highly recommended for concerts such as wind ensembles!
Toys ParadeHirayama Yūichi
One of the set pieces for the 2020 All Japan Band Competition, which was canceled due to the impact of COVID-19.
The piece is divided into a section with a lively, march-like rhythm that leaves a strong impression, and a section where you can fully savor the beauty of wind instruments.
In the march section, a familiar-sounding melody is used, and the trombone glissandi and the trills in the flutes and clarinets add an extra touch of charm.
Incidentally, the 2020 set pieces, including this one, were adopted as the 2021 set pieces as they were.
Concert Suite The Nutcracker, Op. 71 — No. 1: MarchTchaikovsky = Pletnev
The ballet music The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The first piece, March, from Mikhail Pletnev’s piano transcription Concert Suite “The Nutcracker,” Op.
71, is a dazzling work that instantly brightens the listener’s heart.
Known as a virtuosic concert piece for solo piano, this suite comprises seven beautiful numbers, beginning with the lively-tempo March.
Why not enjoy the thrill of expressing its sparkling world on the piano?
Brian’s holidayNaitō Jun’ichi
This was a set piece for the 2008 All-Japan Band Competition.
The opening fanfare is very powerful, so it seems it’s often used at sports days not as a march, but for relays and sprint races.
From the middle section toward the end, the gentle melody continues, making it a perfect piece for an autumn sports day under clear skies.
Artillery of HonorJohn Philip Sousa
Also known by the alternate title “Auld Lang Syne March,” this piece was composed by John Philip Sousa, the so-called March King.
It features his signature bold, crisp melodic lines, and in the middle of the piece, the melody of “Auld Lang Syne” is quoted.
Unlike the well-known “Auld Lang Syne,” it’s up-tempo and cheerful, making it perfect for entrance marches at sports festivals.
Although not widely known, it’s popular as a “hidden gem” where a familiar tune suddenly appears.
March: A curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts! (21–30)
Beyond the K-pointTakahashi Shinya
Composed as the fourth set piece in 1999, this work remains one of the most popular marches today.
What first captures our ears is the fanfare at the beginning, built from rapid trumpet notes.
If you’ve ever performed this piece, you probably practiced that section many times.
The melody that follows features phrases where crisp, staccato articulation coexists with smoothness, conveying the distinctive beauty of a concert march.