Transit of Venus March

Description

The transit of Venus across the Sun in December 1882 gave this Sousa march its title. It was written in 1883 for the unveiling in Washington of a statue of the physicist Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and a title drawn from an astronomical event was presumably chosen to suit a ceremony honouring a scientist.

In G major and 6/8, it lasts about 1 minute 56 seconds, one of the shorter Sousa marches here. Even so it holds 1,625 notes, some fourteen per second. Its range, C2 up to G6, is unusual for Sousa in fitting within 61 keys.

With so many notes packed into a short span, this advanced march tests your concentration in keeping the dotted rhythms and the lilt of 6/8 intact all the way through. Because every note is playable on a 61-key digital keyboard, it is one of the more practical Sousa marches for anyone practising at home on one. Slow the playback, check each strain with the hand colours, finish them one by one, and then raise the tempo.

Marches defined by their strong, steady rhythm, spanning from Bach's keyboard works to Sousa's popular American marches.