Music to march to
From the battlefield to the barracks: Catherine Fletcher explores the continuing role of music for soldiers.
Why do soldiers march in time, and what role does music play in keeping them together? The military march may now be a familiar part of the classical repertoire, but it began as a practical response to the changing battlefield, helping soldiers to drill and move as one. Catherine Fletcher talks to Rachel Johnson of the Royal Northern College of Music about what marches and marching mean today, explores how military bands combine ceremony, morale and influence, and asks what sounds we might hear when they are told to “win hearts and minds”.
Producer: Ruth Watts
On radio
Broadcast
- Sun 25 Oct 202619:30BBC Radio 3
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