Admiral-Stosch-Marsch

On October 10, 1871, Emperor Wilhelm I decreed the establishment of a permanent navy band in Wilhelmshaven. Stabshoboist (Bandmaster) Latann became the first leader of this band of the 2nd Naval Battalion. When it was decided in 1878 to reduce the authorized strength of this organization, Latann lodged a protest and concentrated on finding a civilian employment. His efforts to found a music school in Wilhelmshaven and to find engagements in Jever and Njimwegen/The Netherlands were not really successful. It was only for a very short period that he was eventually employed as municipal music director in Bad Freienwalde in 1888, as he already passed away on October 10 of that year. His march “Admiral Stosch” which is still popular today reminds us of Albrecht von Stosch (1818-1896), first Chief of Staff of the newly formed German Admiralty. Stosch applied a lot of energy on the expansion of the German fleet and rendering possible the construction of men-of-war at domestic shipyards. In the march he integrated a musical citation (“It is the Lord’s Day) drawn from “The Shepherd’s Sunday Anthem” on a poem by Ludwig Uhland and set to music by Konradin Kreutzer.