"The Thunderer" is a
march
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
composed by
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...
in 1889.
The origin of the name is not officially known, though it is speculated that it gets its name from the "pyrotechnic
ffectsof the drum and bugle in
hescore." It is also one of Sousa's most famous and is one of the more difficult compositions to perform.
Composition
The piece is in much the same manner as most of Sousa's music; however, it is one of his first "distinctly American-sounding marches." The march follows the standard form (IAABBCDCDC) that is used in many of his other works. As is common, his themes are contrasting. During the repeat of the B section, Sousa introduces new countermelodic ideas. The trio is songlike. There is a
ritardando
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
leading into the repeat of the final theme, segueing to the piece's conclusion.
See also
*
List of marches by John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He composed 136 marches from 1873 until his death in 1932. He derived few of his marches from his other musical ...
References
1889 compositions
Sousa marches
Parlor songs
American military marches
Concert band pieces
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