Word famous marsch by Johannes Hanssen in a Brass Band edition by Roar Kvam.
Johannes Hanssen (2 December 1874 in Ullensaker – 25 November 1967 in Oslo) was a Norwegian bandmaster, composer and teacher. He was bandmaster of the Oslo Military Band from 1926 to 1934 and again from 1945 to 1946. Hanssen received the King's Order of Merit in Gold and King Haakon VII's Jubilee Medal.
His most famous composition is his Valdres marsj (Valdres March, 1904), a march celebrating the beautiful Valdres region in Norway that lies between Oslo and Bergen. The main theme is the signature fanfare for the Valdres Battalion, which is based on an ancient melody formerly played on the medieval lur, an uncoiled wooden wind instrument. The melody of the trio section derives from a fiddle tune traditional in Hardanger and a pentatonic folk tune, above a typical Norwegian drone bass line.
Hanssen wrote this about his first composition:
“I think the beautiful signal of the Valdres batallion, upon which the march has been written, invites to a joyfull march including what we call typical Norwegian melodies and rythms. I state with satisfaction that the Valdres march has been accepted both by the choosy music critics of Oslo as well as by the ‘boys in the street’, who whistle it whenever I pass along. It has given me a lot of pleasure, that to a certain degree is overshadowed by the fact that I never since, in my long life, have succeeded in writing something better than this, my first attempt as a composer.”
The march was first performed by the Oslo Military Band in 1904 with Johannes Hanssen playing tenor horn. Only two people applauded, his two best friends. Later he sold rights to a publisher for the equivalent of five dollars.
Johannes Hanssen wrote this about the first performance:
“Two friends of mine among the audience, one of them was Harald Heide, allowed themselves quite a modest applause, but didn’t succeed in carrying along the audience. Lieutenant Alme, who was conducting the Band of the 2nd Brigade at that time, looked at me above his spectacles and said: ‘Well how much will you have pay for this Hanssen?’ However I was glad to have the march played, and well played.”