Johannes Hanssen

Valdresmarsj

Valdres is a mountain region that lies between Oslo and Bergen. Johannes Hanssen (1874-1967) composed the march for the Valdres Battalion between 1901 and 1904, using the Battalions horn-signal combined with a traditional style folk-tune.
The march has been named 'one of the greatest marches in the world' on many occasions, and it is a firm favourite with it's national flavor and unusual style.

This version is similar to Johannes Hanssens revised version for Wind Band from 1954. However, it is interesting to notice that in Hanssens very first version of the march half a century earlier, the first theme was played by the Eb-Cornet, just like in this arrangement for brass band.