Grand March in C

Despite the sad life of the composer, this is one of those pieces that WILL make you smile!

It's grandiose in what may seem to be in an old-fashioned, even humorous manner, and many will find in corny, but this WAS the style at the time!

In these troubled times, it's comforting to have something "predictable" and reassuring, and THIS is THAT piece!

This work is part of the special project that I have the pleasure of working on with John Henderson.

Alfred William Rawlings (1860-1924) was born in Marylebone, London, and died in Bronesbury, Middlesex.

Alfred William Rawlings and his brother Charles Arthur Rawlings were the sons of an impoverished blind piano tuner. They became beggars and were rescued from the streets and taken into the orphanage of a Mrs. Georgina Weldon, a friend of Charles Gounod, who gave him lessons. He was a prolific composer of piano pieces and both sacred and popular songs. He used 28 different pseudonyms.

The version of the piece you are hearing here is my "adaption" of the version that comes from "The Organist" series, which was published by Lorenz from 1898-1921, and edited by Emma Louise Ashford (1850-1930).

I say "adaptation," as you can see that the original version is on two staves, and appears to be more for harmonium.

I expanded the Lorenz version with considerable "filling out" and "dressing up," although none of the harmonies or melodic lines are changed.

It is the sort of thing that is really "behind the times," although you can make it sound nice if you use your imagination as I've done here.

The scores of the original and the "edited" version, the one I used as my starting point are attached below.