National Emblem
Encyclopedia
National Emblem is a march composed in 1902 and published in 1906 by Edwin Eugene Bagley
. It is a standard of the American march repertoire, appearing in eleven published editions.
Bagley composed the score during a 1902 train tour with his family band. He became frustrated with the ending, and tossed the composition in a bin. Members of the band fortunately retrieved it and secretly rehearsed the score in the baggage car
. Bagley was surprised when the band informed him minutes before the next concert that they would perform it. It became the most famous of all of Bagley’s marches. Despite this the composition did not make Bagley wealthy for he sold the copyright for $25.
Bagley incorporates into the march the first twelve notes of The Star-Spangled Banner
played by Euphoniums and Trombones and ingeniously disguised in duple rather than triple time. The rest of the notes are all Bagley’s, including the four short repeated A-flat major chords that lead to a statement by the low brass that is now reminiscent of the National Anthem. Unusually, Bagley’s march does not incorporate either a break strain or a stinger.
The U.S. military uses the trio section as ceremonial music for the color guard when presenting and retiring the colors.
John Philip Sousa
was once asked to list the three most effective street marches ever written. Not surprisingly, Sousa listed two of his own compositions, but for the third, he selected "National Emblem". When Sousa formed and conducted the 350 member U.S. Navy Jackie Band at the Naval Station Great Lakes
he chose five marches for World War I Liberty bond
drives. Four were by Sousa, Semper Fidelis, Washington Post, The Thunderer, Stars and Stripes Forever and Bagley’s National Emblem. National Emblem was the favorite march composition of Frederick Fennell
, who made an arrangement of it in 1981. Fennell called the piece “as perfect a march as a march can be”.
Besides Fennell’s arrangement, there are also band arrangements by Albert Morris (1978), Andrew Balent (1982), Paul Lavendar (1986), and Loris J. Schissel (2000).
The band of Arthur Pryor
made the first recording of the march on May 19, 1908 followed by a United States Marine Band
recording on March 21, 1914 (both recordings by the Victor Talking Machine Company
).
The best-known theme of this march is popularly sung in the US with the doggerel
verse "and the monkey wrapped his tail around the flagpole". In Britain, the same theme is sometimes sung with the words, "have you ever caught your bollocks in a mangle". Puerto Rican comedian José Miguel Agrelot
constantly scat-sang this section in his public appearances whenever he referred to military topics or personnel. The theme is also used as the intro to the Phil Ochs
anti war song "The War is Over
". Jazz
players in the 1920s sometimes "quoted" the third (trio) strain because it fit over the chords in the solo strain of Tiger Rag
. The Tubachristmas
arrangement of "Jingle Bells
" incorporates the "trio" section before returning to the holiday tune.
The Indiana
Hoosiers
Marching Hundred plays the first eighteen bars of the trio section every time the Hoosiers make a first down during home football games. The Crimson Quarry student section pumps their fist in the air during the song and then points the direction the Hoosiers are marching at the end of the song.
The march has been featured in movies such as Protocol
, Stripes
, and Hot Shots!
. It ends The Brady Bunch
episode 82 from Season 4, "The Show Must Go On," in which Peter and Bobby play the music to accompany Mike and Greg's rendering of the poem "The Day is Done" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Edwin Eugene Bagley
Edwin Eugene Bagley was born in Craftsbury, Vermont on May 29, 1857 and died in Keene, New Hampshire on January 29, 1922. He is famous for composing the National Emblem....
. It is a standard of the American march repertoire, appearing in eleven published editions.
Bagley composed the score during a 1902 train tour with his family band. He became frustrated with the ending, and tossed the composition in a bin. Members of the band fortunately retrieved it and secretly rehearsed the score in the baggage car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
. Bagley was surprised when the band informed him minutes before the next concert that they would perform it. It became the most famous of all of Bagley’s marches. Despite this the composition did not make Bagley wealthy for he sold the copyright for $25.
Bagley incorporates into the march the first twelve notes of The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
played by Euphoniums and Trombones and ingeniously disguised in duple rather than triple time. The rest of the notes are all Bagley’s, including the four short repeated A-flat major chords that lead to a statement by the low brass that is now reminiscent of the National Anthem. Unusually, Bagley’s march does not incorporate either a break strain or a stinger.
The U.S. military uses the trio section as ceremonial music for the color guard when presenting and retiring the colors.
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....
was once asked to list the three most effective street marches ever written. Not surprisingly, Sousa listed two of his own compositions, but for the third, he selected "National Emblem". When Sousa formed and conducted the 350 member U.S. Navy Jackie Band at the Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...
he chose five marches for World War I Liberty bond
Liberty bond
A Liberty Bond was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financial securities to many citizens for the first time. The Act of Congress which...
drives. Four were by Sousa, Semper Fidelis, Washington Post, The Thunderer, Stars and Stripes Forever and Bagley’s National Emblem. National Emblem was the favorite march composition of Frederick Fennell
Frederick Fennell
Frederick Fennell was an internationally recognized conductor, and one of the primary figures in promoting the wind ensemble as a performing group. He was also influential as a band pedagogue, and greatly affected the field of music education in the USA and abroad...
, who made an arrangement of it in 1981. Fennell called the piece “as perfect a march as a march can be”.
Besides Fennell’s arrangement, there are also band arrangements by Albert Morris (1978), Andrew Balent (1982), Paul Lavendar (1986), and Loris J. Schissel (2000).
The band of Arthur Pryor
Arthur Pryor
Arthur Willard Pryor was a trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. In later life, he was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served on the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders during the 1930s.Pryor was born on the second floor of...
made the first recording of the march on May 19, 1908 followed by a United States Marine Band
United States Marine Band
The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States...
recording on March 21, 1914 (both recordings by the Victor Talking Machine Company
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
).
The best-known theme of this march is popularly sung in the US with the doggerel
Doggerel
Doggerel is a derogatory term for verse considered of little literary value. The word probably derived from dog, suggesting either ugliness, puppyish clumsiness, or unpalatability in the 1630s.-Variants:...
verse "and the monkey wrapped his tail around the flagpole". In Britain, the same theme is sometimes sung with the words, "have you ever caught your bollocks in a mangle". Puerto Rican comedian José Miguel Agrelot
José Miguel Agrelot
Giuseppe Michael Agrelot , better known as José Miguel Agrelot, was a comedian, radio and television host and media icon in Puerto Rico...
constantly scat-sang this section in his public appearances whenever he referred to military topics or personnel. The theme is also used as the intro to the Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
anti war song "The War is Over
The War Is Over (song)
"The War Is Over" is an anti-war song by Phil Ochs, a U.S. protest singer from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American military-industrial establishment. The song, which was originally released on Tape from California , has been described as "one of the most potent antiwar songs of...
". Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
players in the 1920s sometimes "quoted" the third (trio) strain because it fit over the chords in the solo strain of Tiger Rag
Tiger Rag
"Tiger Rag" is a jazz standard, originally recorded and copyrighted by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917. It is one of the most recorded jazz compositions of all time.-Origins:...
. The Tubachristmas
Tubachristmas
Tubachristmas is a music concert in cities worldwide that celebrates those who play, teach, and compose music for instruments in the tuba family...
arrangement of "Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
" incorporates the "trio" section before returning to the holiday tune.
The Indiana
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
Marching Hundred plays the first eighteen bars of the trio section every time the Hoosiers make a first down during home football games. The Crimson Quarry student section pumps their fist in the air during the song and then points the direction the Hoosiers are marching at the end of the song.
The march has been featured in movies such as Protocol
Protocol (film)
Protocol is a 1984 comedy film that starred Goldie Hawn and Chris Sarandon. The screenplay was by Buck Henry and it was directed by Herbert Ross....
, Stripes
Stripes (film)
Stripes is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, and John Candy. It also featured several actors in their first significant film roles, including John Larroquette, Sean Young, John Diehl, and Judge Reinhold. It was one...
, and Hot Shots!
Hot Shots!
Hot Shots! is a 1991 comedy spoof film starring Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Kevin Dunn, Jon Cryer and Ryan Stiles . It was directed by Jim Abrahams, co-director of Airplane! , and was written by Abrahams and Pat Proft...
. It ends The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
episode 82 from Season 4, "The Show Must Go On," in which Peter and Bobby play the music to accompany Mike and Greg's rendering of the poem "The Day is Done" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
External links
- http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/inharmony/detail.do?action=detail&fullItemID=/lilly/devincent/LL-SDV-194030&queryNumber=1 piano score at IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana at website of Indiana University.