[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 curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts! (21–30)
March “Beyond the K-Point”Takahashi Shinya
A passionate and powerful wind band march adds vibrant color to any sports day.
Composed by Shinya Takahashi in 1999 as a set piece for the All Japan Band Competition, this work is named after the K-point in ski jumping.
Its charm lies in a bright, lively melody interwoven with modern harmonies that create a rich, resonant sound.
You can enjoy a commanding performance of this piece on the album “All Japan Band Competition: Reference Performances of Set Pieces 1997–1999,” recorded by the Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band (now the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra) as a reference rendition.
From scenes of vigorous marching to the opening of the ceremony, this is a piece that shines in every moment of a sports day.
Just listening to it straightens your posture and gives you a refreshing urge to step forward—perfectly suited to the spirit of the event.
Sports Show MarchKoseki Yūji
Composed in 1949 as the theme song for NHK’s sports broadcasts, this piece has been used during coverage of events such as high school and professional baseball.
Over time, it has also come to be frequently played at school sports days, so many people have likely heard it at least once.
The composer was Yuji Koseki, known as the “Japanese Sousa” for his many marches.
The melody line, which makes you feel excited and ready to move, carries a certain nostalgia and has an irresistible charm that draws you in.
March: Carefully selected classics of marches and dazzling pieces popular in concerts! (31–40)
Funeral MarchSetoguchi Fujikichi
A dignified and ceremonious masterpiece of wind band music takes on a splendid form at the hands of Tokichi Setoguchi, a leading military musician of Japan’s Meiji era.
Elevating the familiar melody of “Auld Lang Syne” into a solemn march, this work was included on an SP record introduced as a new release at the main Tenshodo store in 1897.
Performed by the German Polydor Military Band, it unfolds in a powerful Western-style three-part structure tinged with melancholy, fully drawing out the virtues of the graded wind band instrumentation—from 12 to 45 players—that Setoguchi valued.
To this day, it retains an undimmed allure as a piece that resonates in the heart during ceremonies and formal occasions where an atmosphere of gravitas is desired.
March “Patriotism”Saitō Ushimatsu
This march, with a powerful wind band melody ringing out, was composed by Ushimatsu Saito in December 1937 for the Navy Band.
Its dignified, weighty atmosphere and the solemn lyrical melody of the middle section are beautifully balanced, and its high level of craftsmanship led to its selection as an official piece jointly adopted by the Navy and Army.
An SP record was released at the time by Polydor, featuring a performance by the Imperial Japanese Navy Band under the baton of Seigo Naitō.
From the wartime period through the postwar years, it was widely performed at ceremonies and events throughout the Asia-Pacific region and became familiar to local audiences in places like Indonesia and Palau.
The trio section incorporates Tokichi Setoguchi’s nationally beloved song “Aikoku Koshinkyoku” (Patriotic March), the composer also known for “Gunkan March.” This is a must-hear for those who wish to savor the rich sonorities and solemn melodic beauty of wind band music, as well as for anyone interested in the history of Japanese military music.
old friendCarl Teike
It is a famous German military march, composed in 1889 by composer Carl Teike.
It is also known as one of the world’s three great marches.
Although it is now considered Teike’s signature work, it reportedly was not well received at the time.
The title “Old Comrades” was named after Teike’s comrades-in-arms from his time in the army.
In Japan, the piece is familiar as background music for school sports days, television, radio, and sports programs.
With its stately melody, it’s the quintessential march.
Why not choose it as the entrance music for your school sports day or athletics festival?
March “Ramses II”Abe Yuichi
An exotically flavored work by wind band composer Yuichi Abe, themed around the great kings of ancient Egypt.
The brilliant fanfare that opens the piece and the heroic sonority of the horn section that follows are striking, vividly portraying the Pharaohs’ overwhelming majesty and their grand historical saga.
Selected as a required piece for the All-Japan Band Competition in 1995, it is also known for having challenged many players.
For those who have competed, many may have special memories tied to this work.
Though demanding, it is a piece that allows performers to fully showcase their abilities.
Perfect for bands aiming to captivate audiences with a sweeping, dramatic performance.
Grand MarchKonagaya Soichi
Grand March is a march composed by Soichi Konagaya.
It was written in 1996 for a selected band in Shizuoka Prefecture and attracted attention after being published by De Haske in the Netherlands.
The piece opens with a brilliant trumpet fanfare, and when the lower voices of the trombones and horns join in, a majestic sonority unfolds.
True to Konagaya’s background as a percussion specialist, the percussion writing really shines in this piece.
It’s also perfect as an entrance march, so give it a try!
