The Parade of the Tin Soldiers is a jolly march composed originally for Piano and recorded many times over the decades. Each Christmas season at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan the Rockettes perform a traditional danceroutine to the tune. Of particular charm is the moment near the end when the soldiers fall down in a long chromatic scale.Composer arranger conductor bandleader Kapellmeister Leon Jessel was active in his native Germany fromthe late 1800?s until the rise of Nazism ended his career in the 1920?s. Before that he had worked extensively as a musician and created Germany?s most beloved operetta Schwarzwaldmädel (Black Forest Girl) and others almost aspopular.