Johannes Hanssen
Johannes Hanssen (2 December 1874 in
Ullensaker – 25 November 1967 in
Oslo) was a
Norwegian bandmaster, composer and teacher. He was bandmaster of the Oslo Military Band from 1926 to 1934 and again from 1945 to 1946. Hanssen received the King's Order of Merit in Gold and King
Haakon VII's Jubilee Medal. His most famous composition is his ''Valdresmarsjen'' (Valdres March, 1904), a march celebrating the beautiful
Valdres region in Norway that lies between Oslo and Bergen. The main theme is the signature fanfare for the Valdres Battalion, which is based on an ancient melody formerly played on the medieval ''
lur'', an uncoiled wooden
wind instrument. The melody of the
trio section derives from a fiddle tune traditional in
Hardanger and a pentatonic folk tune, above a typical Norwegian
drone bass line. It was first performed in 1904 by the band of the second regiment of Norway, with the composer playing the
baritone horn himself. Numerous settings for
brass band exist in addition to various arrangements for
concert band and
orchestra.
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