Annotation:Finale in the Battle of Prague
X:1 T:Finale in the Battle of Prague M:2/4 L:1/8 R:March S:O'Farrell - Pocket Companion, vol. IV (c. 1810) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:G d | gd d2 | ge !trill!e2 | d>B c/B/A/G/ | F/G/A/F/ D2 | gd d2 | ge "tr"e2 | dB d/c/B/A/ | G2G2 :| |: FF FE/F/ | GG GA/B/ | cc d/c/B/A/ | Bd BG | FF FE/F/ | GG GA/B/ | cA GF | G2G2 :| fdef | (g/f/)g/a/ gb/g/ | fd ef | g3 b/g/ | fdef | (g/f/)g/a/ gb/g/ | fdef | g2 g>d | cABG | A/G/A/B/ Ad | cABG | A/G/F/E/ D2 | c/A/B/G/ | A/G/A/B/ Ad | cABG | A3 z ||
FINALE IN THE BATTLE OF PRAGUE. AKA - "Battle of Prague (2) (The)." English, March (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBC (O'Farrell): AABBCC (Kirkpatrick). One of the most widely published piano pieces in Britain and America at the turn of the century and into the nineteenth was "The Battle of Prague" (c. 1788) by the Czech-English composer Franz Kotzwara, who died in England in 1791 (see "annotation:March in the Battle of Prague" for more). A descriptive, episodic work for piano, it features trumpet calls, patriotic airs, low bass rumbles in imitation of cannon fire, spirited passages for marching and attacking armies; each section bears a title or a description of what aspect of the battle is depicted in those measures. Indeed, many of the melodies from the piece were employed in popular and traditional music, including several marches.
A version of the tune can be found in the mid-19th century music manuscript collection of flute player William Killey (Jurby, Isle of Man) under the title "Quickstep in the Battle of Prague" (No. 75), albeit in a different key.
