Bombastic Orchestral Music: Marches, Hymns, Patriotic Songs, etc.

Let's talk about all the deliciously hammy, bombastic music people have composed through the centuries - to celebrate their country or a specific political cause, to accompany soldiers marching along in their Nice Hats and other Bling of War, to serve as a soundtrack to a film or TV series, or just to be awesome.

I have a playlist with this kind of music, simply called "Ham". It includes patriotic songs from several different countries (including three national anthems), film tunes like the Raiders March and the Star Wars theme, and even a few religious hymns. Another playlist, called "Links!", is full of old Socialist battle hymns, including a ridiculously hammy DDR version of the Internationale.

I'd like to kick off this thread with the Luftwaffe-Marsch, composed by Ron Goodwin for the film Battle Of Britain in 1969. It deliberately invokes Music to Invade Poland to - the piece was meant to symbolise the Pride of the Luftwaffe prior to the Battle. And Goodwin nailed it, to the extent that many YouTube users think it is an actual German military march. Enjoy.

C'mon, am I really the only one here who enjoys this kind of music?

The symphony that Shostakovich wrote at Stalin's behest—I think the Fifth—is pretty deliciously opulent and overblown.

I'll admit I don't listen to much proper orchestral music, but I've got a soft spot for the more bombastic forms of Baroque Pop, like Sufjan Stevens' "Age of Adz" and Pepe Deluxé's "The Storm".

"Age of Adz" is one of my favourite Sufjan Stevens tracks. It just sounds so... apocalyptic, in both senses of the word.

edited 18th Dec '12 1:04:15 PM by JHM

Enjoy the Civil War-era anthem of the Spanish Anarchist trade union:

The worldwide smash hit of 1887:

This is some of the most beautiful choral music I've ever heard.

Strange how people can make such beautiful music about such horrible subject matter...

The oh so funky Funkerlied.