What makes a march 'world class'? Most listeners would agree that strong, memorable melodies, attractive harmonies and inner rhythmic vitality to be essential elements. The American march king, John Philip Sousa, pointed out in his autobiography, Marching Along, that the composer of a march must also hone and refine his craft so as to be economical in means chosen. "[A March] must be carved with unerring skill. Once padded, it ceases to be a march."

The majority of the 18 marches chosen here for this second volume of World Class Marches of The Salvation Army share both the first three traits and leanness of design. They have the added merit of being fun to play. If the band members don't also have joy in the performance, the march will fail, regardless of compositional technique. Writing a great march is not an easy task and only a few marches out of thousands transcend their time. Within this volume most come from the golden age of the Salvation Army march, essentially 1920-1960, though a few 'modern' scores have been added that take the listener as far as the late 1980s.