Frank W. Meacham - American Patrol March, Op. 92 (1885, arr. 1891)

Frank White Meacham (May 31, 1856 – December 22, 1909)[1] was an American composer and arranger of Tin Pan Alley. Meacham was born in Brooklyn, New York. His most famous work is American Patrol (1885), a popular march. Written originally for piano, it was then arranged for wind band and published by Carl Fischer in 1891. It was later arranged for Glenn Miller's swing band by Jerry Gray and was also arranged by composer Morton Gould.

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American Patrol March, Op. 92 (1885) piano
arr. for wind band by Schirmer (1891) different key.

Eastman Wind Ensemble conducted by Frederick Fennell

The original 1885 piano version of American Patrol by Frank White (F.W.) Meacham did not include the melody from “Dixie”. The inclusion of “Dixie” came later, in the band arrangement published in 1891 by Carl Fischer. This 1891 wind band edition, which expanded the piece into the popular “patrol” march format, added patriotic melodies such as “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean,” “Yankee Doodle,” and “Dixie” into the structure.
The “patrol” format mimics a military band approaching, passing, and fading away, with themes introduced at different dynamic levels.

Meacham lived in New York City for much of his life. Many of his works were military marches, tribute pieces, and early ragtime works. He died in New York City of pneumonia and is buried in the Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York.