Radetsky March

The "Radetzky March", Op. 228, (; ) is a march composed by Johann Strauss (Senior) which was first performed on 31 August 1848 in Vienna to celebrate the victory of the Austrian Empire under Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz (the piece's namesake) over the Italian forces at the Battle of Custoza, during the First Italian War of Independence. It has been noted that its tone is more celebratory than martial, but it nevertheless became popular among marching regimental soldiers.

Origin

Strauss had already used the theme in his ''Jubel-Quadrille'', Op. 130; the upbeat bears a considerable resemblance to the second theme from the Allegro in Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 100 composed in 1794.

For the trio, Strauss used an older folk melody called ''Alter Tanz aus Wien'' or ''Tinerl-Lied'' which was originally in 3/4 time. When Radetzky came back to Vienna after winning the Battle of Custoza (1848), his soldiers were singing the then-popular song. Allegedly Strauss heard this singing and incorporated the melody, converted to 2/4 time, into the "Radetzky March".

Reception

Along with the "The Blue Danube" waltz by Johann Strauss Jr., the piece became an unofficial Austrian national anthem. In 1932 Joseph Roth published his novel ''Radetzky March'', chronicling the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, the theme is used in numerous promotional jingles and at major sporting events, in particular at football matches of the Austria national team. Since 1896, the "Radetzky March" has been the official presentation march of the Chilean Army's Military School of the Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins and the Paraguayan Army's Marshall Francisco Solano López Military Academy. The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards of the United Kingdom adopted the "Radetzky March" as its regimental quick march.

When it was first played in front of Austrian officers, they spontaneously clapped and stamped their feet when they heard the chorus. This tradition, with quiet rhythmic clapping on the first iteration of the melody, followed by thunderous clapping on the second, is often observed when the march is played in classical music venues in an orchestral version prepared by Leopold Weninger (1879–1940).

Since it was first introduced in 1946 by conductor Josef Krips during the New Year's Concert (''Neujahrskonzert'') of the Vienna Philharmonic it is always played as a jubilant encore. It was announced in 2019 by the Vienna Philharmonic board of directors that a new version would be used that would replace the Weninger arrangement in an attempt to "de-Nazify" the march. The new arrangement was first performed at the New Year's Concert in 2020.

Piece parts

The "Radetzky March" consists of several main parts:
* ''The introduction'': the whole orchestra plays and the brass section carries the melody.

* ''The first figure'': played by the string section.
* At ''figure two'': the whole orchestra plays until figure three, when it repeats back to the D.S. (first figure).
* ''The trio'': played by the brass section, with the trumpet playing three sixteenth notes in the last bars.
* ''Figure five'': the whole orchestra plays.
* ''Figure six'': the whole orchestra plays and then repeats back to figure five.
* The orchestra plays until the last bar, then returns to the D.C. (beginning).
* The orchestra plays until figure three, finishing with the ''Fine'' ("end") bar— the direction is ''Da capo al fine'' (repeat from beginning up to the word ''Fine'').

In movies and television

List of film and television works where you can hear the Radetzky march.

* ''The Good Soldier Schweik'' (1956): Heard several times.
* The Stolen Airship (1966): Heard several times (every time an army appears)
* ''The Prisoner'' (1967–1968): Played by the Village brass band.
* ''Colonel Redl'' (1985)
* ''Battle Royale'' (2000)
* '' La Marche de Radetzky'' fr">:fr:La_Marche_de_Radetzky_(mini-série)">fr/small> (1994): This historical drama taken from the eponymous novel by Joseph Roth (1894–1939), depicts through the dismay of the young lieutenant von Trotta, the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the decade preceding 1914. This description is punctuated by cheerful notes and mocking the musical leitmotif: the Radetzky March.
* Chiro and Friends (2007): The song was used as the melody for the closing theme for the show.
* '' Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199'' (2013): In the fourth season of the show "Space battleship Yamato: 3199: REBEL" The song can be heard in the third episode during a space battle. It is assumed the music is actually being played inside the ship as a character can be seen tapping his foot to the rhythm.
* ''Svatojánský věneček'' cz">:cs:Svatojánský_věneček_(film,_2015)">cz/small> (2015): In this Czech fairytale, one of the suitors of the princess invents a special cartridge that serves as a musical instrument and can play the Radetzky march.
* ''DějePIC!'' (2017): Czech children's comedy show about famous Czech personalities. One episode is dedicated to Marshal Radetz.
* '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021): The piano piece that Rose practices and fails to perform is a version of the Radetsky March.

References

Sources

* Jeroen H.C. Tempelman
"On the ''Radetzky March''"
''Vienna Music'', no. 99 (Summer 2000), pp. 12–13

External links

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''Alter Tanz aus Wien''
a ''Radetzkymarsch'' trio adaptation (sheet music)

{{Authority control
Austrian military marches
1848 compositions
Compositions by Johann Strauss I
Orchestral marches
Concert band pieces
Joseph Radetzky von Radetz