Uncle Teddy

Julius Fucik was a Czech composer, with over 400 marches, polkas, and waltzes to his name. As most of his work was for military bands, he is sometimes known as the 'Bohemian Sousa'. Today his marches are still played as patriotic music in the Czech Republic but his worldwide reputation rests primarily on two works: 'The Florentiner March' the march 'Einzug der Gladiatoren'. In 1910 he composed the march 'Uncle Tom'. The literary source for this title was the novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe. However, referring to the American President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (1859-1919), the march appeared as Uncle Teddy. Whether this was an idea of the composer or a clever move by his publisher, can no longer be proved today.