Léon Jessel

The Parade of The Tin Soldiers Op. 123

The Parade of the Tin Soldiers is a jolly march composed originally for Piano and recorded many times over the decades. Each Christmas season at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, the Rockettes perform a traditional danceroutineto the tune. Of particular charm is the moment near the end when the soldiers fall down in a long chromatic scale. Composer, arranger, conductor, bandleader, Kapellmeister Leon Jessel was active in his native Germany from the late1800's until the rise of Nazism ended his career in the 1920's. Before that, he had worked extensively as a musician and created Germany's most beloved operetta Schwarzwaldmädel (Black Forest Girl) and others almost aspopular.