See The Conquering Hero Comes Music for Lafayette's Visit to the United States in 1824

“OUR NATION’S GUEST”
MUSIC FOR THE VISIT OF MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE TO THE UNITED STATES 1824-25
Arranged by Jari Villanueva for small wind band.
This selection represents but a few of the many dozens of compositions and arrangements written to honor General Lafayette on his visit to the United States in 1824-25. At every stop, in every city, bands welcomed Lafayette, grand balls were held, and ceremony after ceremony commemorated his visit and his service to our new nation. Most of this music is unfortunately lost to us today. What remains is generally in the form of piano sheet music, but it is clearly evident from the inscriptions that these pieces were originally performed by military brass bands. This arrangement was carefully done in the style of the period with no modern harmonization or alteration to the original and represents, as closely as possible, the sound of the bands that Lafayette heard.
SEE, THE CONQUERING HERO COMES
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus was composed in a period of not much more than a month in 1746. As with the famous Messiah, Handel made use of previously composed material and indeed, See, the Conquering Hero Comes! was grafted from another oratorio about Joshua. The oratorio tells of the exploits of Judah Maccabee, a hero from Jewish sacred history who was victorious in battles against their pagan enemies. It was used by Handel as an allegory for the campaign of Charles Edward Stewart, who had returned from exile in France in 1745 in an attempt to raise an army of Scottish highlanders and recapture the throne from Handel’s patron, King George II. See, the Conquering Hero Comes! became well-known in Britain during the 19th century as the music was invariably played by brass bands at the opening of new railway lines and stations. According to records of the Bergen County Historical Society, the tune was played at Lafayette's visit to Hackensack, NJ on Thursday July 14, 1825. It was also featured in at least one newly written composition, entitled Lafayette’s Grand March and Quick Step, in which is introduced See the Conquering Hero comes, Dedicated to the Corporation of the City of New York, by E. Riley
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