I had to take this piece out of my files after hearing someone complain that Dudley Buck did not need to be on the Contrebombarde pull-down list of composers! The last time I performed this piece was at a Caltech commencement ceremony in 1976, the bicentennial of the USA. When I played the theme, 6,000 people stood up! We had to make an announcement that it was OK to sit for the remainder of the piece.
This piece also demonstrates the tonal variations of the Willis Studio 70 - particularly its ample supply of reeds. The 32' and solo tuba are used only on the last two notes.