Over There March

From Wind Repertory Project
George M. Cohan

George M Cohan (arr. James Lamb)


General Info

Year: 1917 / 2017
Duration: c. 2:41
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Piano
Publisher: Music by James Lamb
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $60.00; (digital) - $60.00   |   Score Only (print) - $10.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Snare Drum


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

George M Cohan's iconic Over There was one of the most popular songs from WWI. Combining bits of ragtime, march music like Sousa, and jigs, the song was an instant hit selling over 2 million copies. A must have for any WWI centennial concert.

- Program Note from publisher


George M. Cohan, a successful Broadway producer, playwright, performer, lyricist and composer, wrote Over There on his way into work. The headlines that inspired him the morning of April 6, 1917, were no ordinary ones. They announced that the U.S. had abandoned its isolationist policy and had entered World War I on the side of the Allied Powers against the Central Powers. Cohan based his music on a three-note bugle call, and the song was loved by the general public

President Wilson declared Over There a genuine inspiration to all American manhood" and Cohan remained unwavering in his patriotic fervor. However, a significant number of artists and performers grew increasingly disillusioned with a war in which 9,000,000 individuals lost their lives (117,000 of whom were Americans). Thus, Cohan's work was contrapunctal to the edgier music produced by performers such as James Reese Europe and Noble Sissle, who drew on their direct experience of war's brutality to developed such as On Patrol in No Man's Land recorded in March of 1919.

- Program Note from the Library of Congress


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Texas Woman's University (Denton) Wind Symphony (Carter Biggers, conductor; Melissa Hall, soprano) - 11 November 2022
  • California State Military Reserve Band (James Lamb, conductor) – 15 November 2018 (San Francisco, Calif.)
  • Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) Concert Band (Thomas Duffy, conductor) – 11 November 2018


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources