The Memorial March of D.W. Reeves
Program for 250th Celebration (1887)
On June 23, 1886, Providence began its 250th anniversary celebration with a procession from City Hall to the First Baptist Church. The American Band of Providence, RI, led the procession.
The exercises at the First Baptist Church were led by General Elisha Hunt Rhodes and the program began with a brand-new march by David Wallis Reeves, Memorial March, composed for the anniversary celebration. The march was performed by Reeves’ American Band.
Col. Elisha Hunt Rhodes, 1861
Photo courtesy of the Providence Public Library Digital Archives
He would later serve as Brigadier General of the Rhode Island Militia
Reeves’ American Band
Photo courtesy of The American Band
The score for the march was included in the printed program book.
That summer Reeves and the American Band were contracted to perform in Hull, Massachusetts at Nantasket Beach. We know they performed the march that summer and again at the 1890 Saint Paul (MN) Exposition.
Taking the score from the 250th Anniversary Celebration, we were able to create a modern concert band arrangement of the Memorial March. Reeves included both organ and choir in the last section of the march. You may recognize the melody as Martin Luther’s Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (A Mighty Fortress is Our God) but Reeves used different words. We have yet to make a recording which includes the chorus.
The first performance of this modern version was done on June 3, 2023, at Macys in Philadelphia. Here is a clip of The New Jersy Wind Symphony with the Wanamaker Organ
The march has also been performed by The American Band of Providence, Rhode Island and the Seacoast Wind Ensemble of Kittery, Maine. Here is a performance of the march at the 2023 Boston Festival of Bands at Faneuil Hall.
The American Band performed the march in Newport during their concert at the 2023 Touro Park Summer Concert Series. We know the American Band has been performing in Newport since the late 1830s, we believe this was the first performance of this march in the city.
We look forward to more performances of the march! If you are a band director, the march is available here.
Your donation to our 2024 Summer Drive for Music will help us create more modern versions of these early marches and give us the ability to record them and the more than 1000 musical works with ties to Newport.
Thank you for your support and for joining us on our musical journey.