Hans Christian Lumbye was a Danish bandmaster and composer; he was born in Copenhagen on May 2, 1810. During one of the many sea voyages the family had to make because of Lumbye's father's soldiering, Hans Christian fell ill, which probably led to his hearing loss in old age. Lumbye learned to play the violin, the trumpet, received lessons in music theory, and began composing his own songs and marches at an early age. At the age of 14, he became a military musician and in 1829 had himself transferred to Copenhagen. When Lumbye was off duty, he played for dances. At the same time, he continued to work as a composer, wrote a great deal of dance music, and became a sought-after orchestra leader in Copenhagen's distinguished circles. The decisive musical turn came when Lumbye became acquainted with the works of Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss (father) and soon composed in this style - he was also called the Strauss of the North. This style of music was very well received by the public, which also meant that Lumbye's concerts at the Tivoli amusement park were well attended and very successful. Lumbye had been there from the beginning when the park opened in 1843; he played there with his orchestra from spring to fall. In the winter, when Tivoli was closed, Lumbye's orchestra played in Copenhagen's theaters, at high society parties, or they traveled on concert tours throughout Denmark and abroad. The orchestra still exists today; in the summer it is called 'Symphony Orchestra of Tivoli' and in the winter it is called 'Zealand's Symphony Orchestra'. Lumbye wrote more than 700 pieces of music and is one of the few Danish composers whose music is played abroad. He was fast and up-to-date. He wrote music when something extraordinary happened in the city, in honor of the royal family or other prominent people. Almost a hundred of his melodies have female first names as titles. In 1872 Lumbye had to quit as orchestra leader and conductor because he was weakened and hard of hearing. In May 1873 he conducted his famous 'Champagne Gallop' for the last time at a concert - sitting down. On March 20, 1874, Hans Christian Lumbye died. During a five-month summer engagement in St. Petersburg, which was to be a complete success for Lumbye, he composed numerous new pieces. During his guest appearances it became a small ritual that he ended it with a salute to the audience. For lack of a suitable new piece, he chose one he had written two years earlier, the 'March for the Danish Civil Guard'. At his final concert he performed this without further ado under the title 'Mon Salut à St. Petersbourg' and earned the enthusiasm of the audience. This magnificent march, originally composed for symphony orchestra, has some peculiarities: The rather unusual filigree introduction sounds as if the Guard were marching on the court, and the trio contains distinct Slavic echoes. Since its performance in St. Petersburg in 1850, the march was largely unknown and hardly played. Now it has been rediscovered and has been published for the first time ever by the music publisher RUNDEL in a version for wind orchestra, arranged by the Russian arranger Leontij Dunaev. Lumbye's crowd-pleasing compositional style is particularly suited to the wind band sound, which now presents the 'Saint Petersburg Salute' with dignity once again.