This march was written by one of the lesser-known composers of band music, New Englander David Wallace Reeves, and was dedicated to the officers and men of the 2nd Regiment of the Connecticut Army National Guard. They were sometimes referred to as the "2nd Connecticut Regiment." When you hear of an Army unit identified by the name of a state (such as the 2nd Connecticut Regiment), more often than not that unit is part of that state's National Guard

"Alte Kameraden" (German for "Old Comrades") was written by Carl Teike in 1899, and has since become one of the most popular marches in the world. It was written to honor the loyalty among those comrades-at-arms who have served together in the military in their younger days,a loyalty that remained strong for the rest of their lives, long past their military experiences. You can still see that same strong loyalty among the comrades-at-arms of today, displayed by veterans of World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq. This transcription of "Alte Kameraden" is derived from the original German march, and not the American version published later.

Almost everybody and his mother on the Planet have written their own arrangements of "Amazing Grace" so I guess I should not be the exception. "Amazing Grace (And Then some)" is written for Solo Tuba, accompanied by a wind band. I was inspired to write this chart by a young man named Brandon Jones who lives in the Mobile, Alabama area. He was about 20 years old at the time of this writing (in 2012). He wanted to dedicate it to his father who had died when Brandon was about 4 or 5 years old. My arrangement of "Amazing Grace (And Then Some)" is not just another "theme and variations" type of work. Instead, I have interwoven two additional hymns ("Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" and "I Will Sing of My Redeemer") in order to break up the monotony of just the one hymn (hence the subtitle "And Then Some") Oh, did I mention that Brandon plays a C tuba that was passed down from his father?

"Boston Commandery" is a Masonic march written by Thomas W. Carter in 1892. It was dedicated to the regional office of the Freemasony that was headquartered in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. In the march, Carter used the hymn "Onward Christians Soldiers" by Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan as the melody for the trio, with the woodwinds providing the obbligato above the music. There have been many composers who were Masons; among them are Edward E. Bagley, W. Paris Chambers, Herbert L. Clarke, Merle Evans, Henry Fillmore, Karl L. King and John Philip Sousa. And Freemasony also includes in its ranks such musical luminaries as Louis Armstrong, Gene Autry, Count Basie, Ludwig van Beethoven, Irving Berlin, Roy Clark, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman.

Capriccio Italien is considered a "fantasy for orchestra", composed in 1880 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece is a medley of Italian folk music and street songs that he heard during a visit to Rome in the middle of Carnival. He was so inspired by what he saw and what he heard during his Roman Holiday, that he immortalized his visit in his Italian Caprice. He even included a bugle call that he heard from a nearby garrison of an Italian cavalry regiment. The original band transcription was written by Louis-Philippe Laurendeau of Montreal, Canada in 1903.

"Carmen Fantasie Brillante" was composed by Francois Borne (1840-1920). It is based on themes from the opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet, composed in 1875, just 3 months prior to his death. In about 10 to 12 minutes, Borne runs through many of the great themes from this, one of the most popular operas of all time. The fantasy (written in 1900 and originally orchestrated that same year by Raymond Meylan) begins with the music of Carmen's first entrance in the opera, goes to the "Fate" theme, the Cigarette Girls' Song from Act I and the Habanera. From that point, the music builds up in excitement for the Gypsy Dance. Just as the listeners assume that the piece is ready to close, Borne trumps all that has come before with a triumphant statement of the famous Toreador Song. I played a band arrangement of this beautiful piece when I was temporarily with the Air Force Band of the West, San Antonio, Texas in late 1997, and I decided to duplicate that feat, it took me 14 years, but I finally did it.

"Chi Me Frena in Tal Momento", also known as the Sextette from Lucia di Lammermoor, is one of the most colorful and memorable moments in opera. Operatic music was an important part of the band repertoire at the turn of the 20th century. "Lucia di Lammermoor" is a tragic opera in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The libretto was loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor. The story concerns the emotionally fragile Lucy Ashton (Lucia) who is caught in a feud between her own family and that of the Ravenswoods. The setting is the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland (Lammermoor) in the 17th Century."

Throughout the late 19th Century and well into the 20th Century, there have been many patriotic marches written for band (and later transcribed for orchestra) by the composers of the day. The most famous, of course, is John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever", written in 1897, and is now the National March of the United States of America. Other patriotic marches include "National Emblem", "Americans We" and "Liberty Bell". Still another patriotic march is "The Chimes of Liberty", written by Edwin Franko Goldman in 1922. It is possible that Goldman wrote this march to take advantage of the lyrics of "My Country tis of Thee"; where we "let freedom ring". And what rings better than bells and chimes? The chimes are definitely featured in the second half of the march. The march also includes a very interesting piccolo obbligato.

The Circus Bee is a circus march written by Henry Fillmore of Cincinnati, Ohio in February 1908. Because of its complexity and advanced writing, it is sometimes used as either an opener or an encore piece in band concerts. The Circus Bee was a celebration of sorts for the fact that Henry Fillmore and his father, who managed their publishing business in Cincinnati, finally agreed that the young composer could publish his music "at home", even though it did not meet the elder Fillmore's standard of being religious music. It was during this period of conflict between father and son that Henry, showing defiance to his father for "not repenting" his desire to write marches, reportedly told him, "I will huff and I will puff, and I will continue to write marches." This alleged statement by the younger Fillmore gave birth to one of his many composing pseudonyms, Will Huff. The march is named after an imaginary circus newspaper and reflects Fillmore's lifelong interest in circuses and his varied experiences while touring with five different big top shows where he played the trombone. He was also famous for his many "trombone marches", such as "Bones Trombone", "Teddy Trombone" and the famous "Lassus Trombone", all showcasing the trombone glissando, or "smear", caused by moving the trombone slide in and out while playing the instrument (usually loud).