Marching Mocs

Hail to the Chief is one of the most famliar patroitic marches. Learn the story behind the famous presidential song. The playing of the march typically signals that the President of the United States is about to arrive and is generally associated with the U.S. Marine Marching Band. The march is also played at the inauguration of U.S. Presidents.

The march was not originally composed for the President. It is often traced back to a poem by Sir Walter Scott’s “The Lady of the Lake” a poem first published in 1910. It was later performed in London and was adapted to James Sanderson’s “Hail To The Chief” melody.

Legend has it that Julia Tyler, wife of President John Tyler, first requested that “Hail to the Chief” be played to at official occasions. Sara Polk, wife of President Polk is credited with first using the march to announce the official arrival of the President From that point forward the tradition began.

Hail to the Chief was first played as part of an inauguration March 4, 1837 for the occasion of the inauguration of President Martin Van Buren and later as a more formal march to honor President James Polk at his inauguration in 1852.

In 1954 the U.S. Department of Defense announced that  “Hail to the Chief” would be the official music to announce the arrival of the President of the United States.

The U.S. Marine Band was formally established in 1798 by an Act of Congress. The Marine Band is the official organization that provides music for the President of the United States and is most closely associated with the song.

For a free copy of the lyrics and song visit loriferber.com

The song is not without its detractors. President Chester Arthur is said to have disliked the march so intensely that he requested that John Philip Sousa (who at the time was the conductor of the U.S. Marine Band) to compose a more dignified salute to the President called “Presidential Polonaise”.

Lori & Steve Ferber having been selling and collecting presidential memorabilia for over 35 years. They specialize in collectibles, souvenirs and memorabilia for all U.S. Presidents and operate a website at www.loriferber.com.

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Song dynamics are central to the art of songwriting and music. Learn this songwriting craft so your song development goes to the next level.
What’s the big deal you might ask? The answer usually is, without dynamics the song gets boring fast.
Great songs and music need to be a journey for the listener. Too much of anything doesn’t work. It’s like eating too much turkey dinner.
Its gets uncomfortable and the thought of more is the last thing on your mind. It’s the same with music.
It’s like pitching baseball. The pitcher who only throws one kind of pitch doesn’t last long. If you don’t give your listeners music with variations or dynamics, the listener gets bored.
They get bored and they go looking for some other pitcher, in your case another song.
Variety is what gives listeners satisfaction; it’s the spice in music. It applies to all aspects of your song. For example,
1. What is the volume of the music or vocals during the chorus or verse of the song? How different are they?
2. How much do the notes in the melody rise and fall in different sections of the song?
3. How is the melody structured in each section of the song? Too much unique melody is hard for listeners to remember.
4. What kind of sectional differences are there between verses and choruses?
5. Where does the lyric phrase come in on the beat in the bar? Is it before or after the downbeat?
6. How are the various instruments attacked? Are there differences in verses, choruses and bridges?
7. How long are the notes held in each section? Are there variances between sections?
8. Are the vocals phrased differently between the sections?
The idea is to have your song sound like music and not noise. Listeners need softness to feel the swell to high volume in lines and verses.
They also need the swell or decay in individual words. Think of music as a journey of contrasts for the listener.
Dynamics can set the mood in your song or change the mood for your listener. It also gives the singer in your song something to work with.
A song needs to hold back or be soft in some places and let go in others. It’s the lows that make the highs stand out more.
Listen to Celine Dion’s songs. She can really belt out the vocals. But you’ll find she also sings softly at times.
This contrast makes her power much more noticeable. Sometimes playing something softly draws more attention than if it were played at full volume.
All aspects of your song need to complement each other, so think about this as you’re writing. Creating song dynamics will help your listener connect with your song because it will be a more enjoyable experience.
They will want more and that’s good for you and them.