by THE WIRELESS
Mili TARY BAND
Conducted by B. WALTON
0'DONNELL
IT has always been a subject of debate among musicians -like the problem of the hen and the egg-whether marching tunes were first suggested by the rhythmic tramp of many feet, or whether bodies of men learned to march in step together by having rhythmic music sling or played. In any case, march leusic is probably almost as old as mankind himself-at any rate, as old as warfare, which is nearly the same thing.
But the strange thing is that the oldest march music of which we have any trace now is comparatively modern-no older than the seventeenth century. In the older European wars the march music of each different nation had an even more distinct character than now, and in Tudor and Stuart days there was probably only one marching tune for all the British armies.
Many of the earliest marches were founded on folk songs and were no doubt sung by the troops when no marching band was available, or even along with the band, when it was. This evening's programme includes several examples of march tunes which were originally songs, as well aa others which are, from a strictly musical point of view, not much more than a stirring and rhythmic martial noise.