Jacques Offenbach was a product of the Paris Conservatory, becoming a professional cellist. However, today he is best known as the composer of light opera, including "Ballet Parisien," "La Belle Helene" and "Orpheus in the Underworld." This galop is a spirited and lighthearted work containing the origins of what we know today as the Marines' Hymn. This scoring by John Bourgeois is sure to become a standard.