march

In music, a piece originally intended to accompany marching soldiers or other people in procession, using a regular and repeated drum rhythm. One of the earliest known forms of music, marches are usually in duple time (2/4) or quadruple (or common) time (4/4), with a strongly marked beat and regular phrasing. There are various types, named according to their tempo: the funeral march, slow march, quick march, and, occasionally, double-quick march. The earliest examples of the march in art music are found in the work of Jean-Baptiste Lully and Françoise Couperin in the 17th century. The march has been used ever since, from Mozart operas as in Die Zauberflöte/The Magic Flute (1791), to Beethoven's Eroica symphony (1804), to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance Marches (1901).

March

Market town in Cambridgeshire, England, situated on the River Nene, 23 km/14 mi east of Peterborough; population (2001) 19,050. Agricultural tools are manufactured here, and there are engineering works. The town used to be an important railway junction, although this function is now in decline.