# What is this (Tchaikovsky?) military march I'm remembering? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690 "2018-07-10T23:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/1 "2018-07-10T23:57:58Z")
My brother used to play it on vinyl when I was a toddler. I’m pretty sure he said it was by Tchaikovsky. It sounded like it was played with a full symphony. A fast triple-meter time signature (maybe 6/8). My attempt to sketch it out (the first line is the scale interval, the second is the beat): 8765 6 8765 6 523523 523523 6543 4 6543 4 … 123456 123456 123456 123456 123456 123456 … Another way to recognize it: there’s a football cheer that I remember from a Three Stooges episode that goes, “Give 'em the axe, give 'em the axe, give 'em the axe, the axe, the axe…” which matches the rhythm pretty closely. Googling “Tchaikovsky” and “military march” has turned up a couple of pieces that are definitely not it. TIA. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/2 "2018-07-11T01:51:44Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > My brother used to play it on vinyl when I was a toddler. I’m pretty sure he said it was by Tchaikovsky. It sounded like it was played with a full symphony. A fast triple-meter time signature (maybe 6/8). > > My attempt to sketch it out (the first line is the scale interval, the second is the beat): > > 8765 6 8765 6 523523 523523 6543 4 6543 4 … > 123456 123456 123456 123456 123456 123456 … > > Another way to recognize it: there’s a football cheer that I remember from a Three Stooges episode that goes, “Give 'em the axe, give 'em the axe, give 'em the axe, the axe, the axe…” which matches the rhythm pretty closely. > > Googling “Tchaikovsky” and “military march” has turned up a couple of pieces that are definitely not it. > > TIA. Reminds me of a song I used to sing in the SCA: “Oh, we think, we think, we think, the King is a fink, a fink, a fink, an emblem of respectability…” Unfortunately, this was a parody, and I don’t know its real title. ☹ I believe this is the football cheer you mention: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dOHd5CIlz_8/maxresdefault.jpg "Give em' the axe!!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOHd5CIlz_8) ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/3 "2018-07-11T02:11:12Z")
“Give 'em the axe” is a football chant from Stanford/Cal games. I think the Stooges used it in “Out West” - but I don’t think it relates directly to Tchaikovsky. Maybe I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/4 "2018-07-11T02:15:50Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Reminds me of a song I used to sing in the SCA: “Oh, we think, we think, we think, the King is a fink, a fink, a fink, an emblem of respectability…” > > Unfortunately, this was a parody, and I don’t know its real title. ☹ There’s an old song called “Lily the Pink” that may be the source of “The King Is a Fink”. (I’m just guessing based on rhymes and rhythm.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/5 "2018-07-11T02:26:23Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > There’s an old song called “Lily the Pink” that may be the source of “The King Is a Fink”. (I’m just guessing based on rhymes and rhythm.) That’s it! But I doubt it has any connection to Pyotr Il’ich. ☹ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RhjNgXyXEo4/hqdefault.jpg "Monty Python's Life of Tschaikowsky (sottotitoli in italiano)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhjNgXyXEo4) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/6 "2018-07-11T02:52:01Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > There’s an old song called “Lily the Pink” that may be the source of “The King Is a Fink”. (I’m just guessing based on rhymes and rhythm.) [The song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x8D4T--0v4) was a minor hit in the UK by the Scaffold. Two facts about the Scaffold: The guy in the middle is Roger McGough, who became one of the UK’s most respected poets. The guy on the right is Paul McCartney’s brother. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/7 "2018-07-11T04:10:35Z")
Seriously, could you (the OP) be remembering some part of Tchaikovsky’s _ **Slavonic March** _? :dubious: Both Mozart and Beethoven wrote Turkish marches, but I don't think that's what you're looking for. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/8 "2018-07-11T04:27:22Z")
It’s from Swan Lake. I’ll have the exact part in a few minutes. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/9 "2018-07-11T04:50:09Z")
I _think_ this is the piece you remember. It’s the second (fast) section of the Hungarian Dance from act 2, starting at 1:55. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giPClyie9aM) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/10 "2018-07-11T07:48:14Z")
Polovetsian Dances, maybe, by Aleksandr Borodin? [This part especially.](https://youtu.be/QWU1uj9WmOM?t=228) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/11 "2018-07-11T08:02:48Z")
I think it may be [\*\*Schubert’s Marche Militaire \*\*](https://youtu.be/PKUPBr0eY6Y?t=16s) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/12 "2018-07-11T08:34:24Z")
Nothing yet that matches the music mentioned in the OP, but I’m listening to some great music! Thanks to all. [quote=“terentii, post:7, topic:817690”] Seriously, could you (the OP) be remembering some part of Tchaikovsky’s _ **Slavonic March** _? :dubious: [/QUOTE] No, but thank you for that - you've IDed a snippet (4:45-6:22) which I've played for years in my rendition of "Guitar Rag" (it's an eclectic version). Much appreciated! > [@Alessan](#): > > Polovetsian Dances, maybe, by Aleksandr Borodin? [This part especially.](https://youtu.be/QWU1uj9WmOM?t=228) No, but the part starting at 7:36 was recorded as a popular song “Stranger in Paradise” (which I should have remembered from seeing [that commercial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP9u_7eSlTQ) in the 1970’s for a classical music compilation). Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/13 "2018-07-11T13:45:09Z")
Since we seem to be shotgunning this, how about the [Radetzky March](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHFf7NIwOHQ)? It’s by Johann Strauss (Sr), not Tchaikovsky, but its cadence seems to match. The video is from the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s concert, where the march — and audience participation — are traditional. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/14 "2018-07-12T02:58:13Z")
GAH! That particular excerpt from Swan Lake is obviously not it. I don’t know why I posted it. :smack::smack::smack: But I’m familiar with the piece you describe. I can hear it in my head! I just can’t find it. It is definitely Tchaikovsky. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/15 "2018-07-12T03:25:58Z")
FINALLY! Swan Lake, Act II, Danses des cygnes (end). The exact part you remember comes in about 40 seconds later. [Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake - The Kirov Ballet - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rJoB7y6Ncs#t=55m39s) The fairly well-known pas de quatre (4 ballerinas with joined, crossed hands) is a bit earlier in the ballet, at 50:14. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-tchaikovsky-military-march-im-remembering/817690/16 "2018-07-12T04:34:42Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > FINALLY! Swan Lake, Act II, Danses des cygnes (end). The exact part you remember comes in about 40 seconds later. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rJoB7y6Ncs#t=55m39s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rJoB7y6Ncs#t=55m39s) > > The fairly well-known pas de quatre (4 ballerinas with joined, crossed hands) is a bit earlier in the ballet, at 50:14. YES! Thank you!