Background
Piefke was born in Schwerin an der Warthe in the Grand Duchy of Posen.
Piefke was born in Schwerin an der Warthe in the Grand Duchy of Posen.
In the 1850s, he was Bandmaster for the 8th Infantry Regiment in Berlin. His famous marches include Preußens Gloria (Prussia"s Glory), Düppeler Schanzen-Marsch and the Königgrätzer Marsch (composed after the Battle of Königgrätz, 1866, the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War). Piefke arranged Franz Liszt"s symphonic poem - Tasso for military band and may also have similarly arranged some of Liszt"s marches.
He died in Frankfurt an der Oder.
"Piefke" persists as a derogatory nickname for Germans in Austria. Piefke"s Königgrätzer Marsch can be heard playing during the book burning scene in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
lieutenant was one of Adolf Hitler"s favorite marches and was often played during his public appearances.