[March] A curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts!

Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

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.

[March] Carefully Selected Classics of Marches and Brilliant Pieces Popular at Concerts! (41–50)

The wind of MayMajima Toshio

1997 Contest Piece (III) – The May Wind

The wind of MayMajima Toshio

May Breeze is a march composed by Toshio Mashima, a legend who led Japan’s wind band scene.

Chosen as a set piece for the 1997 All-Japan Band Competition, it became very popular, with more than half of that year’s participating ensembles performing it.

True to its title, it’s a refreshing march that evokes the feel of spring.

The opening section is written in 6/8 time and is played with a different sense of rhythm from the main march theme.

Getting into the groove of this changing meter is the key to playing it well.

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Funeral MarchSetoguchi Fujikichi

Funeral March

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.

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Tokyo Olympic MarchKoseki Yūji

Tokyo Olympic March with Fanfare, 1964

Tokyo Olympic MarchKoseki Yūji

In October 1964, when a stately march resounded through the National Stadium, the piece composed by Yuji Koseki became a pivotal work that colored the first Olympic Games ever held in Asia.

Its elegant yet powerful brass sound and vibrant rhythm not only enlivened the athletes’ entrance but also stood as a symbol to the world of Japan’s postwar recovery.

Brimming with brightness and splendor befitting a festival of peace and youth, the work offers a melody of hope that only a composer who had lived through war could express.

It is truly a piece you’d want to use for a sports day opening ceremony or entrance parade—an elevated, dignified march perfect for highlighting children’s big moment on stage.

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In conclusion

We introduced popular and classic march pieces. Even within marches, the character varies widely—from pieces with the vigorous power typical of traditional marches, to concert marches with an elegant, beautiful atmosphere, and even works composed as set pieces for wind band contests. Each has its own appeal, and listening to them can make you feel a surge of strength from within. I hope this article helps you choose repertoire for events and concerts.