Hands Across the Sea
Encyclopedia
Hands Across the Sea is a military
march
composed in 1899 by John Philip Sousa
. Sousa told interviewers that the following phrase inspired him to compose the march:
"A sudden thought strikes me; let us swear eternal friendship"
The march was dedicated to all of America's allied countries abroad and the Highty-Tighties
, the Regimental Band of the Virginia Tech Cadet Corps
. It is written in cut time and follows the standard march form (IAABBCCDCDC). It begins in the key of F major and ends in B-flat major. The third (C) section, or trio
, features a memorable and lyrical melody that is repeated and layered with a piccolo
obbligato
and finally a low brass
counter-melody
.
Hands Across the Sea remains as one of Sousa's more popular marches, and is still performed widely by bands.
This march is considered among the most popular of all marches due to the catchy tune in the trio. The piccolo part is quite important in the third playing of the trio.
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
composed in 1899 by John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
. Sousa told interviewers that the following phrase inspired him to compose the march:
"A sudden thought strikes me; let us swear eternal friendship"
The march was dedicated to all of America's allied countries abroad and the Highty-Tighties
Highty-Tighties
The Virginia Tech Regimental Band, also known as the Highty Tighties, VPI Cadet Band, or Band Company, is a military marching band and unit in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University...
, the Regimental Band of the Virginia Tech Cadet Corps
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in dormitories, march to meals in formation, wear a distinctive uniform on campus, and receive an intensive military and leadership...
. It is written in cut time and follows the standard march form (IAABBCCDCDC). It begins in the key of F major and ends in B-flat major. The third (C) section, or trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, features a memorable and lyrical melody that is repeated and layered with a piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
obbligato
Obbligato
In classical music obbligato usually describes a musical line that is in some way indispensable in performance. Its opposite is the marking ad libitum. It can also be used, more specifically, to indicate that a passage of music was to be played exactly as written, or only by the specified...
and finally a low brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
counter-melody
Counter-melody
In music, counter-melody is a sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent lead melody. Typically a counter-melody performs a subordinate role, and is heard in a texture consisting of a melody plus accompaniment...
.
Hands Across the Sea remains as one of Sousa's more popular marches, and is still performed widely by bands.
This march is considered among the most popular of all marches due to the catchy tune in the trio. The piccolo part is quite important in the third playing of the trio.
External links
- Hands Across The Sea (audio file) – In MIDIMusical Instrument Digital InterfaceMIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
format; from the John Philip Sousa website maintained by David Lovrien, hosted by the Dallas Wind SymphonyDallas Wind SymphonyThe Dallas Wind Symphony is a professional concert band based in Dallas, Texas .The DWS was founded in 1985 by Kim Campbell and Southern Methodist University music professor Howard Dunn...