Leviathan March - J.F. Galuska

August 3, 2025 Leviathan March J.F. Galuska Big River Brass Band Nicolas Propes, conductor On October 24, 1908, the Royal Hungarian Orchestra made a stop in Iowa on its tour of the United States! The 11-member orchestra disembarked from its train, and found itself in the small Eastern Iowa town of Lost Nation! Despite the size of the community, the Saturday evening concert was a well-attended success, and the orchestra members were treated like royalty! They were treated so well in fact, that when the train came through the next day, one member decided to stay behind. That musician was John Francis Galuska who quickly set up shop as a music teacher teaching violin, viola, all brass instruments and clarinet. Galuska eventually became the director of the nearby Maquoketa Concert Band as well as the Delmar Band and the Orpheum Concert Orchestra. Galuska continued to move around Iowa making stops in Red Oak and Newton and conducted bands in each city. As he continued to conduct bands, Galuska also composed music including our next march which was composed for another seminal music man in Iowa - Major George W. Landers. As a member of the Iowa National Guard, Major Landers created the Iowa National Guard Band and, with help from Karl King, was influential in passing the Iowa Band Law in 1922 which allowed cities with populations under 40,000 to levy a tax for the support of municipal bands.The law is credited with helping to establish and sustain community bands across Iowa and inspired 40 other states to pass similar laws. The impact of this law continues to this day! A recent study found that there are over 100 community bands still active across Iowa and while they aren’t all supported by their municipality, they certainly benefit from the influence of the law. We can see the influence in our area with current bands like: Bettendorf Community Band, Black Hawk College Community Band, Burlington Municipal Band, CASI New Horizons Band of Davenport, DeWitt Community Band, Geneseo Maple City Band, Mercer County Community Band, Orion Community Band, River City Municipal Band (Clinton, IA), Sterling Municipal Band, Timber City Band (Maquoketa, IA), Quad City Wind Ensemble, and our very own Big River Brass Band. If you love band music, whether as a player or as an audience member, there are no shortage of opportunities in our area. Written to celebrate Major Landers and his contribution to the band community, this is J.F. Galuska’s "Leviathan March”. #MajorLanders #IowaBandLaw #March #Leviathan #Trumpet #Cornet #AltoHorn #Trombone #Tuba #Euphonium #BrassBand #LiveMusic #CommunityBand #MunicipalBand #Sousa