Track Listing

1. Praesentiermarsch mit Deutschlandhymne (Fr. Wilh.III)
2. Defiliermarsch AM II, 168 (Faust)
3. Grossdeutsche Grenadiere - Marschlied (Majewski-Schwerin)
4. Regimentsgruss - Marsch (Steinbeck)
5. Parademarsch der Kraftfahr-Kampftruppe (Schmidt)
6. Marsch nach Motiven aus Quadrillen AM II, 126 (Strauss)
7. Grand Changing of the Guard w. Drill Commands (Becker)
8. Soldatenlieder-Potpourri (v. Luetzow, arr.)
9. Oberst von Tippelskirch - Marsch (Bauerfeld)
10. Westerwald - Marschlied (Trad.-Neuhaeuser)
11. Pariser Einzugsmarsch AM II, 38 (Walch)
12. Lied der Infanterie (Kuntzen-Werth)
13. Panzerlied (Groeschel-Wiehle)
14. Marsch nach Motiven d. Oper �Indra� AM II, 155 (Flotow)
15. Marschlied der Panzergrenadiere (Schultze-Seeger)
16. Lied der Sturmartillerie (Pfeffer)
17. Landser und Panzer - Marschlied (Majewski-Widmayr)
18. Soldaten, Kameraden - Marsch (K�ssel)
19. Alte Garde - Marschlied (Heuser-Schaumburg Lippe)
20. Zapfenstreich Marsch (Trad.-Wieprecht)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80119 in Music
• Released on: 2006-05-15
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
This album takes the listener on a musical excursion through the history of the famous Regiment-, Division- and Panzerkorps- "Grossdeutschland", presenting military marches and soldiers’ songs in a compilation that chronicles this elite German military unit's evolution from the "Wachtruppe" - the army guard detachment stationed in Berlin during the Weimar Republic - to the mighty combined arms force of the late war years.

Brandenburg Historica has searched the globe to assemble the priceless 78rpm records (dating from 1928 to 1943) that at we have transcribed for this compilation. Eighteen of this album’s TWENTY tracks feature marches and soldiers' songs that are performed by the unit's own choruses and/or bands, while the remaining selections highlight central aspects of Grossdeutschland’s unit history and wartime career. These rare source recordings have been restored for maximum fidelity while preserving their unique period ambience.

Included in this collection are not only "Grossdeutschland's" official parade march and its presentation march (presented in a rarely heard "honor guard" arrangement with the German national anthem), but also a rare transcription of "Grossdeutsche Grenadiere", the regimental song of GD that features music by GD Obergefreiter Hans-Martin Majewski and lyrics by Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland's commander in the French Campaign, Oberst Gerhard Graf von Schwerin. Also presented is a selection of the parade marches and songs of the German mechanized forces of the Second World War (including a rousing vocal version of the much requested "Panzerlied"), as well as those traditional marches played during guard changing ceremonies and parades in which the "Grossdeutschland" units were regular participants.

Painstakingly researched and produced, the album is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated twenty four-page booklet that presents a detailed overview of "Grossdeutschland's" career, the history of its two bands and detailed background information on the featured musical selections.

Review
'The music is very well played, consisting of marches and also soldier s songs.... this CD is truly amazing in its quality... you would be hard pressed to realize that most of the recordings are over sixty years [old].... [The CD also includes] a very informative and well-illustrated booklet.... Grossdeutschland is a superior product worth having.' --November 2006 Issue of RVS (Newsletter of the Robert Hoe Branch of the International Military Music Society)

Review
'An interesting piece of musical history, concluding impressively with Wieprecht s Zapfenstreich-Marsch! The [CD] booklet is not only very lengthy at twenty-four pages, with a historical dissertation on the military orchestras of the period as well as an outstanding discussion of each musical piece, but also includes a selection of photos. The technical quality of the CD is outstanding in light of the antiquity of the original recordings. In short, for connoisseurs of historic recordings, this CD is certainly worth it.' --September 2006 Issue of Defilé (Official Publication of the International Military Music Society, Netherlands Branch)

Customer Reviews

GD CD
This CD is excellent and well worth the price, the sound quality is first class and includes rare music that you probably will not hear elsewhere.
There is also a very detailed history of the Division included with the CD, something that goes beyond the expected. Purchasers will have no regrets when buying this CD.

An excellent compilation
The twenty tracks on this CD are relevant not only to GD, but to German military music in general, with many well known pieces. Sound quality is excellent, better than I had expected from this kind of archival material. The accompanying liner notes booklet is unusually comprehensive and provides both a brief history of GD and of the various musical selections. Highly recommended!

Grossdeutschland Marches
These are some of the world's great marches performed by some of the best instrumentalists of the time. Even though these were recorded between 65 and 80 years ago, the sound quality is excellent, which should come as no surprise since the Germans were at the forefront of recording technology at that time. This arrangement of Westerwald is the most beautiful I have ever heard.