March - 20
Josef
Franz Wagner (20 March 1856 – 5 June 1908) was an Austrian military bandmaster
and composer. He is sometimes known by the sobriquet 'The Austrian March King'.
He
is best known for his 1893 march Unterdem Doppeladler or Under the Double
Eagle, referring to the double eagle in the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary.
The march became a favorite part of the repertoire of American composer and
bandleader John Philip Sousa, whose band recorded it three times. The piece was
the official regimental march of the Austrian Artillery Regiment Number 2 till
its dissolution in 2007.The first one-third part of the March song is featured
in the 1992 computer game Great Naval Battles: North Atlantic 1939-1943 when
Germany is being selected in the game play.
Wagner's
other most popular pieces are the Holzhackerbuam (also known as the Jolly
Lumberjack polka). In 1895, his only opera, Der Herzbub, premiered in Vienna. The
tune "Under the Double Eagle" was also used for the well known
animation segment "Conrad Poohs And His Dancing Teeth" in Monty
Python's Flying Circus.
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