I couldn’t care less about military marches, but I do care about enduring prejudices against Canadian composers — such as our army’s decision to switch the official march for its troops from one British piece (“Celer Paratus Callidus”) to another (“Brave Little Army”).
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A news article posted yesterday on Canada.com (operated by Postmedia) quoted Royal Military College professor Randall Wakelam, who “was hopeful that one day a Canadian composer would fashion an official march that could stand as a tribute to the military’s proud history and accomplishments.”
As Postmedia’s Lee Bethiaume reported:
Asked why a Canadian-written or -specific military march wasn’t chosen, especially since the Great Little Army is also the official march for the 2nd battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Canadian Army spokeswoman Colleen McGrann said: “There was no currently written Canadian march that was equally compelling.”
(You can read the full article here.)
Despite my admiration for the incredible work Canadian Opera Company general director Alexander Neef has done over the past five years, I couldn’t help thinking of very similar thoughts he has expressed concerning Canadian-written opera.
And as is the case with just about everything else under the sun, if one person is brave enough to express something, it surely means that there are hundreds if not thousands more quietly sharing similar opinions.
Here we stand, three generations into a concerted national effort to nurture Canadian culture. It’s a reminder of how this is an unending process — especially in a country where the background of its culture-makers is ever-changing.
So, if we go back in time just a little bit, two very successful Toronto composers from a generation for whom military marches actually meant something immediately stand out.
Could it be that Godfrey Ridout (1918-1984) would not have been able to write a fine march? And what about Howard Cable — alive and kicking at 92 — the person who wrote the first Hockey Night in Canada theme?
I think the answer is that no one in charge thought to ask.
Sometimes sins of ommission are just as bad as those of commission (and I don’t mean that as a pun).
It didn’t take me long to find two things. The first is a 1975 piece — George III, His Lament — by Ridout, which contains a fine march in its last 3 minutes (and I realise that it’s not of a Canadian tune, but that’s not the point). Here it is played by two late champions of Canadian music — the CBC Vancouver Orchestra and conductor Mario Bernardi:
The other thing I found was 1999 Canadian Forces directive on “authorized marches,” which contains several Canadian efforts:
National Défense
A-AD-200-000/AG-000
THE HONOURS, FLAGS AND HERITAGE STRUCTURE OF THE
CANADIAN FORCES
OPI: DHH 1999-01-04
Chapter 7
ANNEX A
AUTHORIZED MARCHES IN ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
ORGANIZATION / ÉTABLISSEMENT MARCH
Military College
Royal Military College of Canada – “Precision”. For pipe band – “Alexander Mackenzie”
Commands
Maritime Command – “Heart of Oak”
Land Force Command – “Celer Paratus Callidus”
Air Command – “RCAF March Past”. For pipe band – “RCAF March Past”
CF Northern Area – “Canada North”
Formations
Naval Formations – “Heart of Oak”
Defence Information Services Organization – “Communications”
Land Force Western Area – “Invercargill”
Land Force Quebec Area – “Carillon”
1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group – “Sons of the Brave”
5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group – “Allons-y”
34 Canadian Brigade Group – “Mon Ami”
38 Canadian Brigade Group – “March Past of 38 Brigade”
Air Formations – “RCAF March Past”
Canadian Forces Recruiting, Education and Training System – “Century of Progress”
Branches and Branch Functional Units
Naval Operations Branch – “Heart of Oak”
Artillery Branch: Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA) – Quick March for dismounted parades – “British Grenadiers”; Slow march for concerts, mess dinners and parades – “Royal Artillery Slow March”; Trot Past for mounted parades – “Keel Row”; Gallop Past for mounted parades – “Bonnie Dundee”
Armour Branch – “My Boy Willie”
Armoured Regiments – See Annex B
Artillery Branch: The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA) less RCHA: Quick March for dismounted parades – “British Grenadiers”; Slow march for concerts, mess dinners and parades – “Royal Artillery Slow March”; Trot Past for mounted parades – “Keel Row”
Military Engineering Branch – “Wings”
Communications and Electronics Branch – “The Mercury March”
1 Canadian Division Headquarters and Signal Regiment – “Corps March of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals” (Begone Dull Care)
Infantry Branch – “The Canadian Infantryman”
Infantry Regiments – See Annex B
Air Operations Branch – “RCAF March Past”
Logistics Branch – “March of the Logistics Branch”
Medical Branch – “The Farmer’s Boy”
Dental Branch – “March Past of the Royal Canadian Dental Corps”; Slow March – “Greensleeves”
Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Branch – “REME Corps March Past” (Both “Lillibulero” and “Auprès de ma Blonde” should be played”); Slow march – “The Craftsman”
Chaplain Branch – “Onward Christian Soldiers”
Security Branch – “Thunderbird”
Legal Branch – “When I, Good Friends, Was Call’d to the Bar”
Band Branch – None authorized (By military custom, this branch is not authorized a
march as it is responsible for providing music to the CF and does not parade by itself with musical accompaniment.)
Personnel Selection Branch – “Semper Intellegere” (Rondo Sentimentale)
Training Development Branch – “Salut”
Public Affairs Branch – “Liberty Bell”
Intelligence Branch – “E Tenebris Lux”
Postal Branch – “First Post”
Miscellaneous (Not in order of precedence)
Academic Staff of Canadian Military Colleges – “March of the Peers from Lolanthe”
Combat Service Support Units – “Duty Above All”
Canadian Forces Academy of Leadership and Language – “Our Challenge”
Aerospace Maintenance Development Unit; For pipe band – “Salute to Excellence”
Canadian Forces Publication Depot – “The Great Little Army”
Canadian Forces Base Montreal – “Servir”
25 Canadian Forces Supply Depot – “March 25 CFSD”
Canadian Parachute Centre – “The Longest Day”
3 Canadian Support Group – “Face àl’adversité”
Cadet Instructor Cadre Officers – “La feuille d’érable”
Royal Canadian Army Cadets – “Cadet”
Royal Canadian Air Cadets – “RCAF March Past”
ANNEX B
COMBAT ARMS REGIMENTS AND UNITS
NOTE – An asterisk (*) indicates both Regular and Reserve Force components. The order of precedence for each is different unless combined for the occasion; see Chapter 1 and Chapter 7, Paragraph 34.
Armour
The Royal Canadian Dragoons For concerts, mess dinners and mounted Parades – “Monsieur Beaucaire”; For dismounted parades – “Light of Foot”
Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) “Soldiers of the Queen”
12e Régiment blindé du Canada* – “Marianne s’en va-t-au moulin”; Slow march/Marche lente – “Quand vous mourrez de nos amours”
The Governor General’s Horse Guards “Men of Harlech”
8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) – “The Galloping 8th Hussars”
Slow march/Marche lente : “The 8th Hussars” (tune “Road to the Isles”)
The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) – “John Peel”
The Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment)(RCAC) – “Braganza”
Sherbrooke Hussars – “Regimental March of the Sherbrooke Hussars”
12e Régiment blindé du Canada (Milice)* As for 12e Régiment blindé du Canada/Mêmes
marches que le 12e Régiment blindé du Canada.
1st Hussars – “Bonnie Dundee”
The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC) – “Old Solomon Levi”
The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) – “Men of Harlech” and “St. Patrick’s Day”
The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own) (RCAC) – “I’m Ninety-Five”
The South Alberta Light Horse – “A Southerly Wind and a Cloudy Sky”
The Saskatchewan Dragoons – “Punjaub”
The King’s Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) – “Colonel Bogey”
The British Columbia Dragoons – “Fare Ye Well Inniskilling” (5th Royal Inniskilling
Dragoon Guards); For pipe band – “Scotland the Brave”
The Fort Garry Horse – “El Abanico” and “St. Patrick’s Day”
Slow march/Marche lente – “Red River Valley”
Le Régiment de Hull (RCAC) – “La Marche de la victoire”
The Windsor Regiment (RCAC) – “My Boy Willie”
Artillery
49th (Sault-Ste-Marie) Field Artillery; For military band – see Artillery marches. For
pipe band – “A Hundred Pipers”
1st Air Defence Regiment (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish); For military band – see Artillery marches; For pipe band – “Highland Laddie”
Infantry
The Royal Canadian Regiment* – “The Royal Canadian Regiment” (also published under the title “St. Catharines”); Slow march – “Pro Patria”
Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Medley of – “Has Anyone Seen the Colonel”, “Tipperary” and/et “Mademoiselle from Armentières”; Slow march/Marche lente : “Lili Marlene”
Royal 22e Régiment* – “Vive la Canadienne”; Slow march – “Marche lente du Royal
22e Régiment” (also published under the title “La prière en famille”)
Governor General’s Foot Guards – “Milanollo”; Slow march – “Figaro”
The Canadian Grenadier Guards – “British Grenadiers”; Slow march – “Grenadiers Slow March” (also played in quick time when entering camp or barracks).
The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada – “The Buffs” and “The Maple Leaf Forever”; Double Past – “Money Musk”
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment of Canada) – “The Highland Laddie”; Slow march – “The Red Hackle”
Les Voltigeurs de Québec – “Les Voltigeurs de Québec”
The Royal Regiment of Canada – “British Grenadiers” followed by “Here’s to the Maiden”
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) – “The Mountain Rose”
The Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment – “The Buffs”
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment – “I’m Ninety-Five”
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment – “The Lincolnshire Poacher”
4th Battalion/4e Bataillon, The Royal Canadian Regiment* – As for The Royal Canadian Regiment
The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada – “The Highland Laddie” and “Seann Triubhas”
The Grey and Simcoe Foresters – “The 31st Greys”
The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) – “The Campbells are Coming” and “John Peel”
The Brockville Rifles – “Bonnie Dundee”
Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders – “Bonnie Dundee”
Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent – “Rêves Canadiens”
Le Régiment de la Chaudière – “Sambre et Meuse” and “The Longest Day”
4th Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment (Chateauguay)* – As for Royal 22e Régiment
6th Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment * – As for Royal 22e Régiment
Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal – “The Jockey of York”
The Princess Louise Fusiliers – “British Grenadiers”
The Royal New Brunswick Regiment – “A Hundred Pipers” followed by “The Old North Shore”
The West Nova Scotia Regiment – “God Bless the Prince of Wales”; Slow march – “Garb of Old Gaul”
The Nova Scotia Highlanders – “The Sweet Maid of Glendaruel”
1st Battalion – “The Atholl Highlanders” and “The Piobaireachd of Donald Dhu”
2nd Battalion – “The Highland Laddie”
Le Régiment de Maisonneuve – “Sambre et Meuse”
The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa – “The Piobaireachd of Donald Dhu” and “March of
the Cameron Men”
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles – “Old Solomon Levi” (Pork, Beans and Hard Tack); Double Past – “Keel Row”
The Essex and Kent Scottish – “The Highland Laddie” and/et “A Hundred Pipers”
48th Highlanders of Canada – “The Highland Laddie”
Le Régiment du Saguenay – “Le Régiment du Saguenay”
The Algonquin Regiment – “We Lead, Others Follow”
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) – “The Campbells are Coming”
The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment – “The Highland Laddie”
The North Saskatchewan Regiment – “The Jockey of York”; For pipe band – “The Meeting of the Waters”
The Royal Regina Rifles – “Lutzow’s Wild Hunt”; Double Past – “Keel Row”
The Rocky Mountain Rangers – “The Meeting of the Waters”
The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light
Infantry) – “Bonnie Dundee”
The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada – “The Piobaireachd of Donald Dhu” and “March of the Cameron Men”
The Royal Westminster Regiment – “The Maple Leaf Forever”
The Calgary Highlanders – “The Highland Laddie” and “Blue Bonnets Over
the Border”
Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke – “Queen City”
The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada – “The Piobaireachd of Donald Dhu”
The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) – “Blue Bonnets Over the Border”
The Royal Montreal Regiment – “Ça ira”
The Irish Regiment of Canada – “Garry Owen”
The Toronto Scottish Regiment – “Blue Bonnets Over the Border”
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment – “The Banks of Newfoundland”
In my quick perusal of armed forces march prescriptions and adoptions, I noticed that the official march for the academic staff of Canada’s military colleges is the “March of the Peers” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Iolanthe.
I guess the irony was lost on someone.
So, for enlightenment, here is an entirely appropriate performance by Light Opera Sacramento:
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
