Festival March Erkki Gustav Melartin / Arr. Marc Koninkx

Titel / Title: Festival March
Untertitel / Subtitle: Juhlamarssi from Prinsessa Ruusunen
Herausgeber / Publisher: Baton Music
Instrumentation: concert band
Produkttyp / Product: Partitur + Stimmen
Serie / Series: Baton Music orchestral series

Erkki Melartin (1875 1937) was a Finnish composer. Although Melartin was chiefly a lyricist, the symphony was central to his musical output. He wrote six symphonies and was the first Finnish composer to bear Mahler's influence. His musical output also includes an opera, Aino' (based on the character from the Finnish national epic), a violin concerto, four string quartets, and many piano pieces. Despite working in the same time period as Jean Sibelius he was not influenced by the more famous composer's style, and his work has been largely overshadowed by that of Finland's most revered composer.
In 1904 Melartin composed music for the ballet Prinsessa Ruusunen' (Sleeping Beauty'). The Juhlamarssi' (Festival March) from this ballet is the most popular wedding march in Finland. Dutch arranger Marc Koninkx transcribed this march now for Symphonic Band.