The March of the Women, a complete set by Ethel Smyth dated 1911
SMYTH, ETHEL (1858–1944). The March of the Women. Complete set of eight original procession band parts:
No. 1 Flute & Piccolo in D♭; No. 2 1st & 2nd Clarinet in E♭; No. 3 1st & 2nd Clarinet in B♭; No. 4 1st & 2nd Horns in E♭; No. 5 1st & 2nd Cornets in B♭; No. 6 1st & 2nd Trombones; No. 7 3rd Trombone, Euphonium & Basses; No. 8 Side Drum, Cymbals & Bass Drum.
London: The Woman’s Press, 156 Charing Cross Road; and Breitkopf & Härtel, 54 Great Marlborough Street, 1911.
Eight oblong parts, each c. 170 × 120 mm. Nos. 1–3 printed on thick card with contemporary publisher’s advertisements to the verso (Songs of Sunrise; Popular Edition in F; prices and issue details); Nos. 4–8 printed on thinner paper, recto only, blank versos. Music printed in staff notation, each headed “The March of the Women” with the relevant instrumental designation and “Copyright 1911 by Ethel Smyth”. Several parts with contemporary pencil rehearsal markings and performance cues; general handling wear, light soiling and creasing consistent with outdoor and repeated use, but all complete and clearly legible. Overall, good to very good.
Smyth composed The March of the Women in 1910 to words by Cicely Hamilton; it was immediately adopted by the Women’s Social and Political Union as the principal anthem of the British suffrage movement and became a standard feature of rallies and large public processions. The present group represents the practical band issue prepared specifically “For Processional Purposes”, scored not only for woodwind and brass but also for full percussion (side drum, cymbals and bass drum), giving the music the volume and martial character required for mass outdoor demonstration.
The mixed production of the set—three parts on card with advertising, the remainder on cheaper paper—matches institutional examples (e.g. London Museum holdings of individual parts). The presence of contemporary annotations and handling wear indicates genuine working use.
Complete sets of the original procession parts are seldom encountered.