A beautiful tribute to Spain by a German Army music band

The German Army has a musical heritage dating back to the Prussian era, in the 18th and 19th centuries, and is characterized by its martial spirit.

The German Army revives one of its most famous military marches from World War II
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On October 1, the Panzergrenadierlehrbataillon 92 (Armored Grenadier Training Battalion 92) of the German Army held a change of command ceremony at its Sub-Officer Friederike Krüger Barracks (until almost a month ago Hindenburg Barracks) in South Munster (Lower Saxony). Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Woyth Sánchez had been in command of this unit since May 2022, commanding its approximately 700 panzer grenadiers.

As is customary at German Army military parades, this one featured musical accompaniment by the Heeresmusikkorps Hannover (Hannover Army Music Corps). In this video published last Saturday by Bad Bonsai we can see this music unit playing the "Präsentiermarsch Friedrich Wilhelm III" (Presentation March of Frederick William III), also known as the "Preußischer Präsentiermarsch" (Prussian Inspection March), a musical piece composed in the 18th century by King Frederick William III of Prussia, an instrumental march incorporated into the musical repertoire of the Prussian Army in 1841 and which has been performed by the German Army since its foundation in 1871. In this case, the march was played during the troop review:

As you may have noticed, the commander of the aforementioned German battalion has Spanish roots. His name, Ricardo Woyth Sánchez, is surely explained by the fact that he is the son of a Spanish mother and a German father. In Germany, a first name and a surname are commonly used. German soldiers wear their single surname on their identification patch, above the left pocket of their tunic. However, Lieutenant Colonel Woyth Sánchez wears both of his surnames on his chest, a way of always remembering his Spanish ancestry. At this change of command ceremony, the Heeresmusikkorps Hannover performed a Spanish pasodoble, "Amparito Roca", in honor of the outgoing officer, a beautiful tribute to the Spanish roots of their current Lieutenant Colonel:

"The outgoing commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Woyth Sánchez, wanted to say goodbye with a musical piece that expressed the Spanish temperament", points out Bad Bonsai. The pasodoble "Amparito Roca" was premiered on September 11, 1925 by Jaume Texidor Dalmau (1884-1957), a Catalan musician born in Barcelona but who spent much of his life in Valencia.

Texidor began his career as a composer when he was the director of the band of the 68th Regiment of the Spanish Army in Melilla. "Amparito Roca," named after one of Texidor's students, was his best-known work, although he also composed other pasodobles and several processional marches. I am pleased to see that his work is also known in Germany.

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Main image: Bad Bonsai.