Thematic material, structure and form, melody and counterpoint, and harmony.
There is much to learn about music composition from studying the humble march, such as thematic material, structure and form, melody and counterpoint, and harmony.
‘Grey Gladiator’ was written to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the tragic loss of HMAS SYDNEY II off the West Australian coast during WWII. The thematic material was chosen to reflect the great sense of loss felt by the Australian population on hearing the news. The melodic material and the imagery associated with it's performance at the memorial service is very much associated with naval service (band and drums, bugles, fanfare trumpets), all of which were used during the performance of this march at the Cenotaph, Martin Place on 17 November 1991.
Most marches have a short introduction and are followed by a melody within a simple ternary form (A B A). I have structured ‘The Grey Gladiator’ as two sets of ternary material within a larger binary structure (A & B).
The A Section
I used the bugle call ‘Grog’ for the introduction, which is followed by a jovial Jack Tar feeling in the A section comprising two 16 bar phrases. A countermelody is introduced into the second phrase to add some counterpoint to the melodic material. The melody and countermelody also forms an harmonic sound. The is a 16 bar bass melody developed around ‘Hearts of Oak’ which, up until 1990, was the Official March of the Royal Australian Navy. This 16 bar section is followed by a repeat of the second phrase. This delivers a slightly modified ternary form (A B A) within the larger binary structure.
The B Section or Trio
This section commences with the bugle call ‘Saluting Guns Crew’ then a modulation followed by the bosun call ‘Pipe the Side’. The internal structure of this B section is similar in form to the earlier A section.
The 32 bar melody in the trio is based around Sydney’s motto, Thorough and Ready. Here are the words I couched for the trio:
Men of the Sydney, we’re proud of your heritage
Young men of Australia’s Navy all at sea
Thorough and Ready, your motto stands you in pride
Go forth with your country’s blessing to victory.
Bugle excerpts can be heard throughout the Trio including Last Post and Reveille, and a countermelody is introduced into the second phrase of the trio to add some counterpoint to the main melody. This countermelody is very strongly influenced by the tune ‘Hearts of Oak’.
A 12 bar bridge passage led by the fanfare trumpets is introduced before a repeat of the Trio’s first phrase; but this time there is additional counterpoint, first in the upper woodwinds and then in the tenor and basses. The march concludes with a strong uplifting and resilient feel.
So, this march contains two ternary sections within an overall binary structure.
Some marches achieve a strong ternary structure by use of Da Capo. See 'Heed the Call':
Please send me an email if you would like to enter a conversation with me on compositional techniques.
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