Musicatlas
Music
“Alte Kamaraden” plus many other marches.
Life
March composer Carl Albert Hermann Teike was born in Altdamm Germany in 1864. He was often called the German march king. He wrote about 100 marches.
He joined the band of the Grenadier-Regiment König Karl (5. Würtembergisches) nr. 123 in 1883, which was then led by the conductor Julius Schrek. In 1885 he composed his first march, “Am Donaustrand”. This title was later changed to “Prinz Albrecht”.
His military career ended abruptly after a new conductor, called Oelte, had succeeded Schrek. In 1889, when Teike had written a new march, after the first time it was played Oelte said: “We have enough marches; throw it into the fireplace”. This march was later named “Alte Kameraden”. The episode caused Teike to leave the army.
After his resignation from the army he joined the police force in Ulm. In 1895 he moved to Potsdam and joined the police force there. Due to bad health he had to leave the Potsdam police in 1907.
He died in Landsberg an der Warthe in 1922.