General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: If I were Prez I would do away with brass bands and Sousa. [View all]Igel
(35,173 posts)And operettas.
But the marches were mostly concert and marching music, performed in a lot of concerts that didn't involve anything military. He served in the military. But most of his life, apart from his initial stint in the Marine Band and then during WWI was directing a band that toured. Not as part of an invasion force, but just as a touring music group.
It's music suitable for marching, for keeping a group of people walking in pace and in time. Hence it's used by militaries. But more groups than just the military marches, and they use it to. It's also fairly loud, so it's suitable for outside concerts. Just try having an outdoor concert in the absence of electronic amplification. You wind up with a lot of brass and woodwinds--rackets and shawms for a while, then brass when the guild's power was broken, then mixed bands.