Marsch

As Printed on a Score

Printed as a title (Marsch) or inside a heading (“Im Marschtempo”). It names the character and implies a steady walking or marching pulse for the whole piece or section.

How Composers Use It

A march implies duple or quadruple metre, a regular strong pulse, dotted rhythms and clear phrase groups — music for walking bodies. Composers from Beethoven to Mahler and Berg turned it into a symphonic idea, often ironic or tragic. As a title it sets expectations; add a tempo word or metronome mark, since processional, military and funeral marches move at very different speeds.

Example

Berg, Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6: the third piece is titled “Marsch”.

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