Paul Richards, of Nellyford, has composed a march entitled “The Daily Progress” — it is, in fact, an ode to that very newspaper. Richards is a trumpet player in the Charlottesville Municipal Band, and the piece will get its first performance on Tuesday night at the band’s Spring Concert at PVCC.
Believe it or not, this is an old tradition. In the newspaper that is the object of Richards’ affection, John Yellig writes:
With Richards’ composition, The Daily Progress takes its place alongside other newspapers with their own marches, such as the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post, which had its ditty penned by the legendary composer John Philip Sousa.
The tradition of dedicating marches to newspapers originated in the 19th century, when bandleaders hoping for prominent billing sought to flatter editors by dedicating compositions to their publications. Oftentimes, the song in question had been recycled several times over at previous stops along the tour.
“The Daily Progress,” Richards said, is an original.
The promotion seems to be particularly good for the Progress, who has received a write up in Editor & Publisher as a result of the original work.
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