Military song

[Dalia]

For you my American Friends.

 

[Sunni Man]

Irish Americans were very divided during the Civil war. About half fought for the Union and the other half for the Confederates. .....

 

[Dalia]

 

[Sunni Man]

A popular Soviet Union WWll song. .....

 

[Dalia]

 

[Dalia]

 

[Sunni Man]

Another popular song among soldiers during the Vietnam war. ....

 

[williepete]

 

[Stasha_Sz]

Bonjour, Come and share the military songs you love.

I start with a French military song.

Ah, Dalia, you stole my thunder... I was working up a thread on this very subject before work & Harvey got in the way.
Good to know great minds think alike.

Military, or martial music can be broadly broken down into three basic categories:
1) Formal marches. These are trotted out for formal parades or musters, usually feature full bands and all the pomp and circumstance that can be mustered for the occasion.
2) Marching songs. Something the troops can sing along to as they slog down the road both to keep in step and to get their mind off how much their kit weighs, how sore their feet are and what fate awaits them at the end of the march. These usually have a marching beat, lyrics the soldiers can sing along to and can be played by fife and drum.
3) Branch of service anthems. A song that encompasses what it means to be in that particular bit of the armed forces, its mission and all the camaraderie associated therein.

Here are some examples of martial music. First, the formal march; this piece, by Johann Piefke, was written to celebrate the victory of Prussia over France in 1871. Piefke performed it under only the most special occasions so much to the point that it became lost until 1909 when it was rediscovered and used by the Kaiser's army during the Great War. This is Militärmarsch Preußens Gloria:



The second type, is perhaps the most common to the troops in the field, since they sing it as they march along. This example, from Japan, memorializes a training exercise gone horribly wrong, green troops sent out for a winter training march get lost in the snow. This is Yuki no Singun, (Snowy March):



Finally, for Branch of Service Anthems, I have the opportunity to share what is probably my favorite bit of Martial Music, The Anthem of the Beiyang Fleet. The late Qing dynasty's main fleet, the Beiyang fleet was destroyed during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894~95. With the fleet, this song, though it was known to have existed, was totally lost. A chance discovery, in 2009, of a sheet of staff music with lyrics, in of all places, Great Britain, resurrected this important piece of music:



Hopefully these examples will lead the listener into a deeper appreciation of this fascinating and important genre of music.

 

[Vastator]

 

[konradv]

SSGT Barry Sadler- Ballad of the Green Berets

 

[konradv]

Johnny Horton- Sink The Bismarck

 

[konradv]

Johnny Horton- Battle of New Orleans

 

[Damaged Eagle]

*****SMILE*****

 

[Damaged Eagle]

*****SMILE*****

 

[IsaacNewton]

 

[Harry Dresden]

 

[Harry Dresden]

 

[Harry Dresden]

 

[Harry Dresden]