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Seventy-Six Trombones

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Wikipedia article




'"Seventy-Six Trombones"' is a show tune and the signature song from the 1957 musical 'The Music Man', by Meredith Willson, a film of the same name in 1963 and a made-for-TV movie in 2003. The piece is commonly played by marching bands, military bands, and orchestras.Allen, Ira R. - [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/02/06/76-Trombones-for-Reagan-76/5513539586000/ '76 Trombones' for (Ronald) Reagan, 76] February 6, 1987McNary, Sharon - [https://laist.com/news/los-angeles-activities/rose-parade-2022-band-directors-marching-band The Big Challenges Facing What May Be This Rose Parade's Most Unusual Marching Band]. LAist- Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), December 30, 2021

In 'The Music Man'



In the musical, it is the primary sales pitch for a boy's band, sung by "Professor" Harold Hill.Nachman, Gerald. Showstoppers! The Surprising Backstage Stories of Broadway's Most Remarkable Songs. United States: Chicago Review Press, 2016. Hill uses the song to help the townspeople of River City, Iowa visualize their children playing in a marching band by claiming to recall a time when he saw several famous bandleaders' bands in a combined performance. While an average-sized high school marching band might have about 10 musicians playing the trombone, and a large college marching band seldom has more than 30 trombonists, the band that Harold Hill describes to the citizens includes 76 trombones, 110 cornets, "more than a thousand reeds", double bell euphoniums, and "fifty mounted cannon" (which were popular in bands of the late 19th century).

The song's opening lines are:

Seventy-six trombones led the big parade


With a hundred and ten cornets close at hand ...


The love ballad "Goodnight My Someone", which immediately precedes "Seventy-Six Trombones" in the musical, has the same tune but is played in 3/4 time at a slower tempo. At the end of the musical, lines from "Seventy-Six Trombones" and "Goodnight My Someone" are sung in alternation with each other. This technique is used in opera, but was unknown in Broadway musicals.

Notable performances



*Leroy Anderson wrote a popular arrangement of the piece incorporating other popular marches, including the 'National Emblem march' by Edwin Eugene Bagley, the Swedish march 'Under blgul fana'" ("Under the Blue and Yellow Flag") by Viktor Widqvist, the 'Second Regiment Connecticut National Guard' march by D. W. Reeves, and 'Stars and Stripes Forever' and 'The Washington Post March' by John Philip Sousa (in whose band Meredith Willson had actually played).Gramophone. United Kingdom: General Gramophone Publications Limited, 1981.

*It has long been a featured march and favorite of the Boston Pops.

*A jazzy arrangement appears on the 1963 Henry Mancini album, Our Man in Hollywood. The album notes state, "Probably the most played new march of the past decade ... the Mancini version scored for 8 trombones..."

*The 1982 Royal Variety Performance featured Howard Keel singing the song with a brass band.Radio Times 14 November 1982

*Andr Rieu and his orchestra customarily open and enter to the piece.Juregensen, John - [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703561604575282451507618986 A Maestro for the Masses]. Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2010

Homages



In Willson's hometown of Mason City, Iowa, the song is honored (along with the whole plot of 'The Music Man') in a building called "Music Man Square", which is located next to Willson's boyhood home.Mergen, Melanie - [https://globegazette.com/news/local/mason-citys-music-man-square-to-throw-birthday-bash-for-meredith-willson/article_8e6b6cfd-55b3-589c-a6ff-0818e6725cf0.html Mason City's Music Man Square to throw birthday bash for Meredith Willson]. Globe-Gazette, May 11, 2021 In one large room, there are 76 donated trombones hanging from the ceiling.

In popular culture



* In the romantic comedy 'The Other Sister', it is used as Carla and Daniel's love song.

* In the musical episode of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', "Once More, with Feeling", Spike remarks to Buffy "The day you suss out what you do want, they'll probably be a parade! With Seventy Six bloody Trombones playing!"

* In Chile, the instrumental march version (with Leroy Anderson's orchestration) was used as a theme song for the radio news show 'La Revista de Portales'. It was used because of an earlier use on the news show 'La bitcora en Portales'.Radio Portales de Santiago. Spanish Language Wikipedia

* In the Netherlands, the tune was used for theme song of the popular radio and television show 'Dik Voormekaarshow'.Dik Voormekaar De Dik Voormekaar Show, Label: CNR 540.019 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo Country: Netherlands Released: 1975 Genre: Non-Music, Pop Style: Comedy

* Jack Black sings the song in the 2011 film 'Bernie'.Jones, Kent - [https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/review-bernie/ Review: Bernie]. Filmcomment, April 26, 2012Coyle, Jake - [https://www.delcotimes.com/2012/04/26/movie-review-bernie/ Movie Review:Bernie] Delco Times, April 26, 2012

References



Category:1957 songs

Category:Hugh Jackman songs

Category:Songs from The Music Man

Category:American marches

Category:Songs about music

Category:Songs about musicians

Category:Songs written by Meredith Willson

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