Canadian army turns to British composer for new official march

OTTAWA — Old business cards weren’t the only things thrown out when the federal government returned the Canadian Army’s old name recently. Song sheets weren’t far behind.

The Canadian Army adopted a new official march, entitled The Great Little Army, that it feels not only better reflects the land force’s size and character, but is more catchy to boot.

Official marches are important touchstones of a military unit’s identity, and are often played during special events and occasions such as military parades.

The army’s old official march Celer Paratus Callidus, which is Latin for “quick, clever and ready,” was adopted in 1968 when the army was merged with the air force and navy, and renamed Land Force Command.

Despite being the official march for 45 years, Canadian Army spokeswoman Colleen McGrann said Celer Paratus Callidus “is neither particularly tuneful or easily recognizable, and thus has not become embedded in the army’s culture.”

When the federal government restored the army’s old name in August 2011, commanders saw “an ideal opportunity to clearly identify a new army march,” McGrann said.

The Great Little Army was written by renowned British Army bandmaster and composer Frederick Joseph Ricketts in 1916 under the pen name “Kenneth J. Alford.”

McGrann described the Great Little Army as “a fantastic march” that “seemed appropriate in both name and tune, and there was a strong desire in the army to use it.”

Asked why a Canadian-written or -specific military march wasn’t chosen, especially since the Great Little Army is also the official march for the 2nd battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, McGrann said: “There was no currently written Canadian march that was equally compelling.”

Royal Military College professor Randall Wakelam said Canada just doesn’t have a history of strong march composers, which is why many Canadian military units have adopted marches that have ties to other Commonwealth countries.

For example, the Royal Canadian Navy’s official march is the Heart of Oak, which is the same as the Royal Navy. The same is true of the Royal Canadian Air Force, which uses the Royal Air Force March Past.

“We’ve been able to by and large borrow from our previous military culture,” said Wakelam, who is a former member of the Governor General Foot Guards’ regimental band.

Wakelam suggests the name The Great Little Army was a bigger selling point to Canadian Army officers looking for a new march than the tune itself.

“It kind of describes how Canadian army people see themselves,” he said.

But he was hopeful that one day a Canadian composer would fashion an official march that could stand as a tribute to the military’s proud history and accomplishments.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Lee Berthiaume