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May 4, 2024 · The Stars and Stripes Forever is one of the most recognizable songs ever written, and has come to embody the United States of America in the minds of people all over the world. In this article, we’ll explore the history, meaning, and enduring popularity of this iconic piece of music.
Oct 4, 2024 · Biography of John Philip Sousa, American bandmaster and composer of many remarkable military marches, including ‘Semper Fidelis’ (1888), which became the official march of the U.S. Marine Corps; ‘The Washington Post’ (1889); ‘The Liberty Bell’ (1893); and ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ (1897).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
"The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. [1]
THE MARCH KING: JOHN PHILIP SOUSA. Who was this man who became a musical legend during his own lifetime with such hits as “The Stars and Stripes Forever”, “The Liberty Bell” (best known as...
- The Marine Corps and Music Were The Family Business.
- He Almost Joined The Circus as A teenager.
- Sousa Was Employed by Traveling Theater Orchestras.
- He Was A Respected and Disciplined Conductor.
- Sousa Was Head of The Marine Band For Two Important Firsts.
- Sousa Composed The Official Marine March.
- A British Band Journalist Is Responsible For Sousa’s Nickname – The March King.
- Sousa’s Baton Has Been Passed Down Through generations.
- Sousa Rejoined The Military in His 60s.
- Sousa Received Numerous Posthumous accolades.
Sousa was born close to the Marine Barracks in Washington on November 6, 1854. Antonio Sousa, his father, was a member of the United States Marine Band.
He had training in piano and many other instruments. However, violin was his instrument of choice and he exhibited prodigious skill. A youthful Sousa nearly joined the circus band when he was 13, but luckily, his father stepped in and enrolled his son as an apprentice musician in the Marine Band instead. He was part of the band for seven years, wit...
When he received his discharge from the Marine Corps, Sousa conducted and played violin in Washington. He also toured with multiple theater orchestras. In 1876, he moved to Philadelphia where he was a composer, arranger and proofreader for various publishing houses. He composed the incidental music and the march for the musical “Our Flirtation” and...
Sousa became the Marine Band’s 17th leader on October 1, 1880, and he undoubtedly left his mark. “Rehearsals became exceptionally strict, and he shaped his musicians into the country’s premier military band … attract(ing) discriminating audiences” and gaining a widespread reputation for excellence.
At the end of the 19th century, the Columbia Phonograph Company was seeking to put out a recording with its titular technology (comparatively new on the scene): the phonograph. With Sousa at the helm of the Marine ensemble, Columbia picked the Marine Band, which released its first recordings in 1890. As the decade neared its close, over 400 various...
Titled “Semper Fidelis,” Sousa dedicated his 1888 composition to the officers and men of the Marine Corps.
Sousa’s 1889 work, the “Washington Post” march garnered immense popularity. He had originally written it as a promotion for an essay contest put on by the Washington Post newspaper. The march was even adapted and became associated with a dance: the two-step. The “Washington Post” march’s overwhelming critical and popular acclaim prompted a British ...
Sousa’s farewell gift upon retirement from his post as Marine Band conductor is passed down to each new leader of the ensemble. Sousa’s musicians gifted him with an engraved baton as a token of their respect and esteem in 1892. His daughters Jane Priscilla Sousa and Helen Sousa Abert gave the baton back to the band in 1953, and it is now presented ...
According to the Dallas Winds Symphony’s John Philip Sousa website, Sousa joined the Naval Reserve in 1917 during World War I. He was 62 years old. The rank of lieutenant was bestowed on him and his salary was a dollar per month.
He died on March 6, 1932, in Pennsylvania, and his body lay in state in the Band Hall at Marine Barracks in Washington. In the ensuing decades, this legendary patriot and his music were honored in diverse tributes. 1. December 9, 1939: The Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge spanning the Anacostia River in Washington was dedicated to the memory of the great...
You are listening to the most famous, and perhaps most frequently played piece of American music ever written, John Phillip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever. This week Think Tank...
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The Stars and Stripes Forever, march by American composer John Philip Sousa that premiered in 1897. The piece stands as the quintessential example of the composer’s music. Sousa composed well over 100 marches, and the best known of all those is the patriotic The Stars and Stripes Forever.
