The purpose of this book is to describe the function of military music in the musical life of Hungary in a historical context. With this historical account, it can contribute to the general wind music history revealing the details of band music in that culture. The study analyzes the music of the Hungarian Permanent Army from the early eighteenth century until the middle of the twentieth century. The musical development from the instruments of tunesters is described from the oboists, harmonie, and the seminal appearance of wind band as we know it today. Through the biographical sketches of conductors, descriptions of instruments used in various instrumentations, the role of the uniform unique to each band, and programs of the performed music, the study also describes the function of band music in the cultural life of Hungarian cities during this particular period. This descriptive study is an account of 200 years of Hungarian military music.

László Marosi was born in Sárvár, Hungary. He studied conducting at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, with Tamás Breitner. From 1982 to 1997 he was conductor of the Hungarian Central Army Wind Orchestra and recorded several works by Franz Liszt and contemporary Hungarian composers such as Kamilló Lendvay, Frigyes Hidas, László Dubrovay, Iván Patachich, János Decsényi, István Láng, and György Ránki. He also widely toured with the Orchestra throughout Europe. Besides, he taught conduction at the Teacher Training Faculty of the Liszt Academy, conducted the Academy’s Wind Band, and, from 1993 he became conductor of the professional Budapest Symphonic Band. Between 1989 and 1994, Marosi conducted more than fifty performances annually with the Budapest State Operetta Theater Orchestra. He was invited as a guest conductor by the Matáv Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, and toured Europe with the Strauss Symphony Orchestra in 1996 and 1998.

Following his professional career in Hungary, he earned a MM in conducting and a PhD in music education at Florida State University with James Croft and Philip Spurgeon. He frequently conducted the University Symphony Orchestra, including acclaimed performances of the music of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Shulamit Ran. As Visiting Professor, Dr. Marosi served as Associate Conductor of the FSU Wind Orchestra during the 2002/2003 academic year.

As guest conductor, lecturer and adjudicator he has appeared throughout Europe, England, Israel, South Africa, Namibia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico and in the United States.

For his contributions to Hungarian contemporary music, he was twice awarded the Artisjus prize by the Hungarian Composers’ Union. In 1997 he was awarded the FAME prize for his international conducting activities and won the RIA award for his international research activities at University of Central Florida in 2012.