As a military musician Parlow composed a few navy marches. The popular anvil Polka thereby developed rather from coincidence.
In 1852 the Berlin composer was commissioned as a first German naval music master to set up the first German naval music corps in Szczecin. His march composition “Under Full Sail” broke the record as the first German navy march. In May of 1864 Parlow received the first price against competitors from Great Britain, France, Italy, Austria, Russia and Spain for the military band competition in Lyon. As honorary award winner of European military music he was favorably decorated from Emperor Napoleon III.
From 1854 Parlow was military conductor of the infantry regiment of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1st Pomeranian) No. 2 in Szczecin. After the regiment had been moved in 1859 to Rastatt, he gave concerts frequently in Baden-Baden. Parlow peeked the interest of Johannes Brahms, who endorsed him the instrumentation of his Hungarian dances No. 5, 6 and 11-16. The 6th dance Parlow transposed around a half-tone higher, from D flat major to D major.
Upto 1880 Parlow was Director of Music for the Prussian Army. Subsequently, he went to Königsberg, where he took over the head of the music corps of the infantry regiment No. 43. In 1883 Albert Krantz (musician) became his successor.
In Hamburg Parlow led a symphony orchestra in1883. Finally, starting from 1886 he was an orchestra conductor in Wiesbaden. His son-in-law Arthur Michaelis was a director of the conservatoire there.
Parlow was the grandfather of Melanie Michaelis and Vater of Ernst Parlow, the brother-in-law of Gustav Havemann.
