Marc, Franz (b. Feb. 8, 1880, Munich, Ger.—killed in action March 4, 1916, near Verdun, France) German painter. His early works were aca¬ demic, but exposure to Impressionism and Jugendstil lightened his style, and in 1911, with Vasily Kandinsky and other abstract painters, he became a founding member of the Blaue Reiter group. He believed that spiritual essence is best revealed through abstraction and was passionately inter¬ ested in the art of “primitive” peoples, children, and the mentally ill. His own work consisted primarily of animal studies, since he believed non¬ human forms of life to be the most expressive manifestation of the vital force of nature.
marcasite \'mar-k3-,slt\ Iron sulfide mineral that forms pale bronze- yellow crystals; the name cockscomb marcasite refers to the shape of a common form of its crystals. Marcasite has the same chemical formula as pyrite (FeS 2 ) but a different internal (atomic) structure. It is less stable than pyrite, being easily decomposed, and is much less common.
Marceau \mar-'s6\ A Marcel (b. March 22, 1923, Strasbourg, France) French mime. After serving in World War II, he studied with the panto- mimist Etienne Decroux and had his first success in the role of Arlequin in Baptiste. He formed a mime troupe (1948-64) and earned world¬ wide acclaim in the 1950s with his production of the “mimodrama” of Nikolay Gogol’s Overcoat. In 1978 he founded a school of mimodrama in Paris. He is noted for his eloquent, deceptively simple portrayals, including his celebrated white-faced character Bip, reminiscent of Pierrot and of Charlie Chaplin’s tramp. See
also MIME AND PANTOMIME.
Marcel, Gabriel (-Honore) (b.
Dec. 7, 1889, Paris, France—d. Oct.
8, 1973, Paris) French philosopher, dramatist, and critic. His philosophi¬ cal works explore aspects of human existence (e.g., trust, fidelity, hope, and despair) which had traditionally been dismissed as unamenable to philosophical consideration. His use
Jean-Paul Marat, detail of a portrait by Joseph Boze, 1793; in the Museum of the History of Paris.
GIRAUDON/ART RESOURCE, NEW VORK
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of phenomenology was independent of the work of Edmund Husserl, con¬ sidered the founder of the phenomenological movement. Marcel was the first French proponent of existentialism.
Marcellus, Marcus Claudius (b. c. 268—d. 208 bc, near Venusia, Apulia) Roman general. Elected consul in 222, he fought in Gaul and won the spolia opima (“spoils of honour”), awarded for killing an enemy chief in single combat, for the third and last time in Roman history. He was consul again in 215 and 214. Serving in Sicily (214-211) in the Second Punic War, he took Syracuse after a two-year siege; his troops sacked the city and carried its art treasures to Rome. He served again as consul in 210 and 208. While fighting Hannibal near Venusia, he was caught in an ambush and killed.
Marcellus \mar-'se-bs\, Marcus Claudius (b. 42—d. 23 bc, Baiae, Campania [Italy]) Roman leader. Nephew of Augustus (he was the son of Augustus’s sister Octavia), Marcellus was Augustus’s presumed heir. He married Augustus’s daughter Julia in 25 bc and later that year served with Augustus in Spain. Great hopes had rested with him, and his unexpected death led to problems of succession.
march Musical form having an even metre with strongly accented beats, originally intended to facilitate military marching. Development of the European march may have been stimulated by the Ottoman invasions of the 14th-16th centuries. Marches were not notated until the late 16th cen¬ tury; until then, time was generally kept by percussion alone, often with improvised fife embellishment. With the extensive development of brass instruments, especially in the 19th century, marches became widely popu¬ lar and were often elaborately orchestrated. Composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Gustav Mahler wrote marches, often incorporating them into their operas, sonatas, or symphonies. The later popularity of John Philip Sousa’s band marches was unmatched.
March, Frederic orig. Frederick Ernest McIntyre Bickel (b.
Aug. 31, 1897, Racine, Wis., U.S.—d. April 14, 1975, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. actor. He began acting on Broadway, and his parody of John Bar¬ rymore in a touring production of The Royal Family earned him a five- year contract with Paramount Pictures; he reprised the role in the retitled screen adaptation, The Royal Family of Broadway (1930). He subse¬ quently appeared in more than 65 films, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932, Academy Award), A Star Is Born (1937), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, Academy Award), Death of a Salesman (1951), and Inherit the Wind (1960). He starred on the stage, often with his wife, Florence Eldridge, in plays such as The Skin of Our Teeth (1942) and Long Day’s Journey into Night (1956, Tony Award). A versatile stage and film actor, his cerebral approach occasionally resulted in stolid, emotionally uncon¬ vincing performances, but it more often produced compelling, complex characterizations.
March Laws Reform measures enacted by the Hungarian Diet in 1848 (see Revolutions of 1848) that sought to create a modem national Mag¬ yar state. The program, presented to the Diet by Kossuth Lajos, provided for internal Hungarian control of its own national guard, budget, and for¬ eign policy. The laws were constitutionally confirmed by Emperor Ferdi¬ nand I in April 1848. Austria denied the validity of the laws after the revolution was defeated (1849), but Hungary continued to insist on their legality. The Austrians reimposed their domination of Hungary until, under the Compromise of 1 867, Hungary received full internal autonomy.
March on Rome See March on Rome
Marchand \mar-'sha n \, Jean (b. Dec. 20, 1918, Champlain, Que., Can.—d. Aug. 28, 1988, Saint-Augustin, Que.) Canadian politician. After graduating from Laval University, he became a prominent union leader in Quebec. From 1961 to 1965 he was president of the Confederation of National Trade Unions. He was elected to the Canadian House of Com¬ mons in 1965 and served in the cabinet of Lester Pearson until 1968. From 1968 to 1976 he held cabinet posts under Pierre Trudeau. Elected to the Canadian Senate in 1976, he served as speaker from 1980 to 1983.
Marche Ymarsh\ Historic region, central France. Once part of Limousin, it was made a separate frontier countship (march) in the 10th century. During the 12th and 13th centuries it was divided into western and east¬ ern halves. It was held by the Bourbons (1342-1435) and by the Arma- gnacs (1435-77). Confiscated by Francis I in 1527, it was granted to the widows of French kings (1574-1643). It was a province of France until the French Revolution.
Marche Vmar-ka\ Region (pop., 2001 prelim.: 1,463,868), central Italy. It covers an area of 3,743 sq mi (9,693 sq km) and is situated between the Adriatic Sea and the region of Umbria and crossed by the Apennines; its only level land is along its river valleys and on the Adriatic shore near Ancona, its capital. Originally inhabited by Gauls and Picenes, it came under Roman rule by ad 292. During the early Middle Ages the southern part was ruled by the Lombards and the northern part by the Byzantines. Conflicts arose in 12th and 13th centuries with powerful feudal families and the attempt of the popes to reestablish their temporal authority; this culminated in 1631, when the duchy of Urbino was incorporated into the Papal States. Marche joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. An agricultural area, it has some industrial development.
Marciano \,mar-she-'a-no. Rocky orig. Rocco Francis Marche- giano (b. Sept. 1, 1923, Brockton, Mass., U.S.—d. Aug. 31, 1969, near Newton, la.) U.S. boxer and world heavyweight champion. Marciano began boxing in the army in World War II. An unscientific but hard- punching and exceptionally durable fighter, he won the championship title in 1952 by defeating Jersey Joe Walcott and relinquished it upon retiring in 1956. He was undefeated in 49 professional fights, scoring 43 knock¬ outs.