The Mayor Corning March

by Cliff Lamere     June 7, 2017

Albany, NY was settled by the Dutch in the early 1600s.  That colony is today referred to as New Netherland.  In Albany, business was conducted in the Dutch language until 1800 (and a little beyond) even though the British took control of the colony in 1664 and then again in 1674.

At the end of World War II, a friendship developed between Albany and its adopted sister city of Nijmegen, The Netherlands which had been bombed by mistake by the Americans near the end of the war.  The oldest city in the Netherlands, dating back to the Romans, Nijmegen had much of the center of the city leveled at that time.  [Nijmegen is pronounced NĪ-meh-gen (NĪ as in nine).]

On July 4, 1947, a ship named the Westerdam left the Port of Albany loaded with 150 tons of grain and 150 tons of building materials (including glass), clothing, toys, food, etc.  The following year, the Dutch had only tulip bulbs to offer as a gift to Albany.  Those bulbs bloomed in the Spring of 1949, the first year of the annual Albany Tulip Festival.

Additional appreciation for Albany's kindness was expressed with a musical composition by A. H. J. (Tony) Kotter, conductor of the Nijmegen Police Band.  He composed a piece for piano which was named "The Mayor Corning March".  Charles Hustinx, the mayor of Nijmegen, then orchestrated the march for saxophones, flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons, and drums.  The composition arrived at Albany City Hall January 23, 1948.  Unfortunately, both versions of that composition have long been lost. 

Searches have been made for it in Albany and Nijmegen under the name of "The Mayor Corning March".  However, the mayor was embarrassed about his name being in the title.  The items sent to Nijmegen had been collected by Albanians and paid for by their cash donations, so he suggested what he thought was a better name, "The Albany March".  In July 2017, I am just at the beginning of searches under that name.  If you know anything concerning the possible whereabouts of a copy of the composition under either name, please contact me at:

zaq12345@nycap.rr.com

On the same day as its arrival, January 23, 1948, it was performed in Albany for the first time.  Joanne Coffey, a student from the College of St. Rose, played it on the piano and it was heard on WABY radio station. 

Mayor Corning suggested that the name should be changed to "The Albany March".  It was later played on the carillon in the City Hall tower, but three recent and current carillonneurs have never seen a score for the composition.

The following certificate apparently accompanied the composition when it was presented to Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd.

This certificate refers to Charle Main.  We would spell it Charlemagne.

Nijmegen has also been anglicized to Nymegen.

The next image is a letter to the Editor of the Knickerbocker News.  Eight years after the march had been played on the radio and on the city's carillon, Grace A. Moore of the Albany Public Library was suggesting that it be played at Albany's annual Tulip Festival. 

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