Königgrätzer Marsch

"Königgrätzer Marsch"

"Königgrätzer Marsch" cover
March by Johann Gottfried Piefke
Released 1866
Genre Military march
Composer(s) Johann Gottfried Piefke

The Königgrätzer Marsch (AM II, 134 (AM II, 195)), also known as Der Königgrätzer or Der Königgrätzer Marsch, is one of the most famous German military marches, composed in 1866 by Johann Gottfried Piefke in commemoration of the Battle of Königgrätz, the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War, in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. In Piefke's most successful arrangement of the Königgrätzer Marsch, another march, Der Hohenfriedberger (commemorating the Battle of Hohenfriedberg), is used as a trio. The commonly played version (AM II, 195)[1][2] is set as an infantry march, while an alternate adaptation is arranged as a cavalry galop (AM III, 228). Piefke also composed the "Königgrätzer mit anderem Trio"[3] ("Königgrätzer with other Trio") (Heeresmarsch IIIB, 67), but this secondary composition is far less recognized.

History

The Battle of Königgrätz, deciding battle of the Austro-Prussian War.

The first draft of the march is to have been written by Piefke on the battlefield itself. The confident six-eighths meter composition follows the battle in two parts, the beginning motif signifying the indecisive combat between the first Prussian contingent and the Austrians, the second motif signifying the arrival of Prussian reinforcements. Piefke employed Der Hohenfriedberger as a trio to recall the older victories of king Frederick the Great over the Austrians in the 18th century. The victory in the Battle of Königgrätz paved the way for the supremacy of Prussia in the German Confederation and ultimately led to the establishment of the German Empire in 1871.

The Königgrätzer Marsch continues to be extremely popular and is a staple of any modern German military parade, whereas in Austria it is heard only very rarely, because the piece is associated with Austrian military failure. Like many other German marches and musical compositions (such as Der Hohenfriedberger and the Badenweiler Marsch), the Nazis made significant use of the Königgrätzer Marsch. The piece has the dubious distinction of being one of Adolf Hitler's reported favorite marches, and it was often played during his public appearances including the Nuremberg Rally. This connotation, however, has not dimmed the march's image, and it has been recorded many times by bands and orchestras since the Second World War. Like many German marches it is also used by the Chilean Army and the Russian Army. The "Königgrätzer" is the regimental march of the 2nd Battalion, The Jamaica Regiment[4] and the gallop march (with the addition of a French fanfare) of the 1st Armored Cavalry Regiment "Granaderos" of Chile.[5] It was the march of the 91st Oldenburg Infantry Regiment and the parade-march of the 1st Bavarian Infantry Regiment "König" of the Imperial German Army.

In popular culture

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=E5ojTIxEZBQ Königgrätzer Marsch
  2. ↑ https://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=34WsELgAJKo
  3. ↑ https://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=7b3mGFUAxdM&bpctr=1404936425
  4. ↑ http://www.jdfmil.org/Units/infantry/2jr/2jr_home.php
  5. ↑ https://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=wqD_Ds490p4

External links

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