Hail Heidecksburg

It appears to be the fate of many a great, and even world-famous march that the renown of its often unknown composer is connected with one march only. This definitely holds true for the fascinating concert march ”Hoch Heidecksburg” (Hail Heidecksburg) and its composer, Rudolf Herzer. Rudolf Herzer was born on November 11, 1878 at Rottleben located in the southern Harz Mountains where he grew up in utmost poverty. Due to his special talents he joined – probably in 1902 – the ranks of the many military musicians of the Old Army. He is said to have been promoted to Sergeant as early as 1908 and to have conducted the band of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Thuringian Infantry Regiment No. 96 which was stationed in Rudolstadt. The magnificent castle of the princely city of Rudolstadt, the Heidecksburg, evidently inspired Herzer to write this sparkling march, and an appropriate title it was too. At that time it was common practice to use well-known bugle or horn calls for military or concert marches. Out of ”Mort”, the retreat for rifle units, emerges a great sonorous concert march which eventually became one of the few marches of truly universal bearing. According to some sources, its premiere performance during a maneuver in 1912 was not really successful. This possibly was the reason why Herzer gave up the promising career of a military musician. In the period to follow he conducted a salon orchestra in one of the cafés on Berlin’s fashionable Friederichstrasse. When World War I broke out in 1914, he rejoined the army as a volunteer and soon after was engaged in combat on the eastern front with his regiment. Rudolf Herzer was severely wounded there and died on October 20, 1914 in the garrison hospital in Allenstein (East Prussia).

Siegfried Rundel’s new arrangement of “Hoch Heidecksburg” considers the importance of the march on the one hand and on the other he takes into account the development of the band towards the symphonic wind orchestra.