Guadalcanal March

Richard Rodgers

Richard Rodgers (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)

General Info

Year: 1952 / 1978
Duration: c. 2:45
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Williamson Music

Availability separate from Victory at Sea not found.

For availability information, see Discussion tab, above.

Instrumentation

Piano (Conductor condensed score)
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet Solo-I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp
Timpani
Percussion, including:

• Bass drum
• Bells (low)
• Crash cymbals
• Gong (large)
• Military drum
• Orchestra bells
• Oriental drum
• Snare drum
• Suspended cymbal
• Tambourine
• Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

This march was taken from the score of Victory at Sea, a 1952 television series which was based on naval battles during World War II. The volcanic island of Guadalcanal, in the South Pacific, was the scene of the first large-scale U.S. invasion of a Japanese-held island.

The music was originally published for piano in 1952 by Williamson Music, Inc. (co-owned by Rodgers) and was arranged for band by Eric Leidzén in 1955. Rodgers's score for Victory at Sea was the first instrumental score conceived for television; having won the U.S. Naval Distinguished Public Service Award and a 1953 Emmy Award, it is still considered one of the best. With a performance time of 13 hours required for the entire series, it is also the longest, as noted in the Guinness 1984 Book of World Records. A nine-movement orchestral suite, arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, demonstrated that the score had both artistic and commercial merit - record albums of the suite have produced over one million dollars in sales.

-Program Note from Program Notes for Band

Media

• Audio CD: USAF Heritage Band of America (Larry H. Lang, conductor) - 2012

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Virginia Grand Military Band (Alexandria) (Arnald Gabriel, conductor) - 5 November 2022
• Kearsarge Community Band (New London, N.H.) (Aarne Vesiland, conductor) – 28 February 2016
• Cary Town Band (Cary, N.C.) (Paul Bowman, conductor) - 24 October 2014

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

• My Favorite Things (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Buckley) (1959/2014)

All Wind Works

• Bali Hai (arr. Yoder) (1949/1953)
• Blue Moon (arr. Barker) (1937/1962)
• Carousel: Highlights (arr. Yoder) (1945/1964)
• Carousel: Selections (arr. Leidzen) (1945/1948)
• Carousel Waltz (arr. Bennett) (1945/1957)
• Cinderella Waltz (arr. Bennett) (1958)
• Circus on Parade, The (arr. Warrington) (1935)
• Flower Drum Song (arr. Lang) (1958/1959)
• Golden Age of Broadway, The (arr. Moss) (2009)
• Guadalcanal March (arr. Bennett) (1952/1978)
• Guadalcanal March (arr. Curnow) (1952/1989)
• Guadalcanal March (arr. Leidzen) (1952)
• If I Loved You from "Carousel"(arr. Werle) (1945/)
• It's a Grand Night for Singing (arr. Brown) (1945)
• Highlights from "Oklahoma!" (arr. Moss) (1943/1994)
• Highlights from "Oklahoma!" (arr. Yoder) (1943/1954)
• Highlights from "South Pacific" (arr. Lang) (1949/1958)
• Highlights from "The King and I" (arr. Herfurth) (1951/1957)
• Highlights from "The Sound of Music" (arr. Cable) (1959)
• King and I, The, Selections (tr. Bennett) (1951)
• Lady is a Tramp (arr. Hastreiter)
• Manhattan (arr. Morrissey) (1925/1953/1959)
• March of the Siamese Children (arr. Bennett) (1951)
• My Favorite Things (arr. Jennings) (1959/1992)
• My Favorite Things (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Buckley) (1959/2014)
• Oklahoma! (arr. Bennett, adapt. Rodgers) (1943/1997)
• Oklahoma!: Selections (arr. Leidzen) (1943)
• Richard Rodgers in Concert (arr. Huff)
• Richard Rodgers in Concert (arr Lowden)
• Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" (arr. Edmondson) (1943/1982)
• Salute to Richard Rodgers (arr. Ricketts)
• Selections from "Carousel" (arr. Bennett) (1945)
• Selections from "Carousel" (arr. Custer) (1945/1995)
• Selections from "The Sound of Music" (arr. Christensen) (1959/1989)
• Slaughter on 10th Avenue (arr. Lang) (1936/1954)
• Slaughter on 10th Avenue (arr. Moss)
• The Sound of Music -- Selections (arr. Bennett) (1959/1960)
• The Sound of Music Medley (arr. Iwai)
• South Pacific -- Highlights
• South Pacific: Selection (tr. Leidzen) (1949)
• South Pacific Symphonic Scenario (arr. Bennett; adapt. Rogers) (1949/1999)
• Symphonic Highlights from "The King and I" (arr. Bulla) (1951/2016)
• Themes from "Victory at Sea" (arr. Maltby) (1953/1975)
• Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein (arr. Custer)
• Victory at Sea Symphonic Scenario (tr. Bennett) (1954/1955)
• Victory at Sea (arr Moss)
• You'll Never Walk Alone (arr. Rhea) (1945/2018)
• You'll Never Walk Alone (arr. Walden and VanDoren) (1945/2017)

Resources

• Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 512.
• Rodgers, R.; Bennett, R. (1978). Victory at Sea: Guadalcanal March [score]. Williamson Music: [New York].