U.S. Air Force March, The
Robert M. Crawford (arr. Floyd Werle)
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General Info
Year: 1939 /
Duration: c. 1:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manuscript (Air Force Band)
Cost: Score and Parts - Unknown
Instrumentation
(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
The possibility for the adoption of a stirring song for the U.S. Army Air Corps was increased considerably in 1937 when Brig. Gen. H.H. "Hap" Arnold succeeded in persuading Liberty Magazine to sponsor a contest with a prize of $1,000 for the winning entry. During the two-year time limit, over 650 entries were submitted to the music committee, consisting of the wife of Brig. Gen. Barton K. Yount, Hans Kindler, Rudolph Ganz and Walter Nash, all distinguished musicians. Although entries were received from Irving Berlin, Meredith Willson and other prominent composers, the winning selection was composed by the "Flying Baritone," Robert MacArthur Crawford, in July 1939. He reportedly composed both music and words in two hours while plying his private plane from New York to his home in Connecticut.
The Army Air Corps Song, as it was first title, was adopted in September 1939 and was featured in the military production of Winged Victory by Moss Hart during World War II. It rose to the top of the Billboard charts after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The march is dedicated to “The Men Who Fly.”
The march has remained extremely popular with civilians as well as with the "wild blue yonder" pilots for whom it was written. The march was retitled in 1947, which the Air Force became independent of the Army, and was officially adopted when General Lew Allen Jr. gave the authorization on September 27, 1979.
- Program Note from Program Notes for Band
Media
- Audio CD: United States Air Force Band (Dennis M. Layendecker, conductor) - 2006
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
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- United States Air Force Band (Washington, D.C.) (Dennis M. Layendecker, conductor) – 19 December 2006 (2006 Midwest Clinic)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Born to the Sky March (arr. Yoder) (1945)
- Loyal Legionnaire March (1957)
- The U.S. Air Force March (arr. Werle) (1939/)
Resources
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Robert M. Crawford." Accessed 10 January 2022
- Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 142-143.