Roland Forrest Seitz was an American composer, bandmaster, and music publisher. For his many march compositions he earned the sobriquet “The Parade Music Prince”.

He was born Roland Forrest Seitz on June 14, 1867 on a farm in Shrewsbury Township

Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania

Shrewsbury Township is a township in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,447 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which 0.03% is water...

 near Glen Rock, Pennsylvania

Glen Rock, Pennsylvania

Glen Rock is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,025 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Glen Rock is located at ....

. He was the youngest of eight children of William and Magdalena Zeigler. Despite an early interest in music, Roland started work as a printer’s apprentice at the weekly Glen Rock Item. He joined the family band performing on the flute; and then the Glen Rock Band performing first on the euphonium and then the cornet. In 1894 at age 27, Seitz enrolled in the Dana Musical Institute in Warren, Ohio. (Dana is now part of Youngstown State University

Youngstown State University

Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...

). Roland graduated from Dana in 1898.

Seitz returned to Glen Rock to teach wind and percussion as well as perform in the town band and soon became their conductor. By 1901, under Seitz, the band was selected to perform at the Pan-American Exposition

Pan-American Exposition

The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is present day Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Ave. to Elmwood Ave and northward to Great Arrow...

 in Buffalo, New York.

Beginning with New York Journal published in 1897, Seitz composed nearly fifty marches. One of these marches, Grandioso (1901), is often featured in parades. Grandioso incorporates a theme from the fourteenth of Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...

’s Hungarian Rhapsodies

Hungarian Rhapsodies

Hungarian Rhapsody redirects here. For the 1979 Hungarian film Hungarian Rhapsody . For the 1928 German film Ungarische Rhapsodie.The Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244, R106, is a set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes, composed by Franz Liszt during 1846-1853, and later in 1882 and 1885...

. Additional well-known marches include Brooke’s Chicago Marine Band (1901), Brooke’s Triumphal (1904), Salutation (1914), and University of Pennsylvania Band (1900). On November 21, 1930, John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....

 conducted the University of Pennsylvania Band at the student quadrangle in Seitz's march for the band. Afterwards, Sousa said: "That is one of the best band marches, aside from my own productions, I have ever conducted".

Seitz also opened a music publishing business in Glen Rock. His catalog included compositions by many famous march composers including W. Paris Chambers

W. Paris Chambers

William Paris Chambers was an American composer, cornet soloist and bandmaster of the late 19th century....

, Harold Josiah Crosby, Charles E. Duble

Charles E. Duble

Charles Edward Duble was an American band musician and composer. He played for 23 years in circus bands. His career started as trombonist with Sun Bros. Circus in 1909, and he played in others such as Gentry Bros. Dog & Pony Show, H. W...

, Frank H. Losey

Frank H. Losey

Frank Hoyt Losey was a musician, composer, and arranger of band and orchestra music. He is credited with over 400 compositions and 2,500 arrangements including his most recognized composition, Gloria March.Losey was born in Rochester, New York and raised in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania...

, George Rosencrans, and Charles Sanglea. In 1908, Seitz became the first to publish seventeen year old Karl L. King’s compositions. Roland’s company was purchased by Southern Music in 1964.

Seitz married Mattie A. in 1902. They had two children, Charlotte J. (1904-1999) and Nevins H. Seitz (1906-2003). Roland Seitz retired to live with his daughter Charlotte J. Zelley in Union City, New Jersey

Union City, New Jersey

Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...

in 1944. He died age 79 from a heart attack there on December 29, 1946.