Yorck March

Yorckscher March, played by the United States Marine Band

Beginning of the Yorck March by Ludwig van Beethoven

The March No. 1 in F (WoO 18). Of Beethoven , known as Yorckscher Marsch or march of Yorck's corps ( Armeemarsch II, 103; Armeemarsch II, 37; army March II, 5), is one of the most famous German Militärmärsche . In 1813 the march was named in honor of the Prussian general Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg .

history

Ludwig van Beethoven composed the piece in 1809 as "March for Archduke Anton " and named it in the same year as "Marcia No. 1 for the Bohemian Landwehr ”. As the first march of the two marches for military music , it was planned in a simplified form for a carousel on August 28, 1810 in the Laxenburg palace gardens in honor of Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria .

In 1813 the march was named in honor of the Prussian general Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg , who a year earlier without permission from King Friedrich Wilhelm III. the Convention of Tauroggen had signed. This act is considered to be the beginning of the German states' wars of liberation against Napoleon . The score was published by the Berlin publishing house Schlesinger in 1817 in the collection of Geschwindmärschen for the Prussian army as No. 37 entitled York Corps. 1813.

Since the Prussian traditions have always played an important role in the German armed forces, the Yorcksche March was and is one of the most important military marches in Germany . For example, it is the traditional march of the guard battalion at the Federal Ministry of Defense and the mandatory entry march of the Great Zapfenstreich , the highest military ceremony in the Bundeswehr .

In Prussia, the Yorcksche March was the official parade march of the 1st Guard Regiment on foot during march in trains. It also served as an honor march of the National People's Army and the theme song for the German soldier broadcaster in the GDR . It is also popular abroad.

literature

Achim Hofer : The Royal Prussian Army March Collection 1817–1839. Origin, environment, description. Kliment, Vienna 2007. ISBN 978-3-85139-025-4 .
Alexander Wheelock Thayer : Ludwig van Beethoven's life. Volume 4, Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1907 ( online at Zeno.org .).

Web links

2 Marches for Military Band : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
YouTube - Yorckscher March, played by the music corps of the Bundeswehr
YouTube - Yorckscher March, played by the Central Orchestra of the National People's Army

Individual evidence

^ Peter Clive: Beethoven and his world. A biographical dictionary . Oxford, New York 2001, p. 7.

[1] Peter Clive: Beethoven and his world. A biographical dictionary . Oxford, New York 2001, p. 7.