Download Stars and Stripes Forever

JOHN PHILIP SOUSA:
The name of John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1932) is almost synonymous with band music in America.
Child of a Portuguese father and Bavarian mother, he showed musical aptitude at an early age. At
ten, he was studying violin and harmony, soon learning to play wind instruments as well. He
played with the Marine Band at thirteen, and later was appointed leader of the same band, a
position he held for a dozen years before setting out to organize his own band. Along with his
ability to organize and conduct superb musicians, Sousa developed a distinct flair for writing
marches. He seemed instinctively to know how to compose for band instruments, and his style,
full of bouncing rhythms, brilliant instrumentation, and catchy tunes, earned for him the name of
The March King.
John Philip Sousa; At an early age, Mr. Sousa played violin in variety theaters, later turning to
operetta and playing under Offenbach in 1876-77. He was leader of the U.S. Marine Corps band
from 1880 until 1892, after which he formed his own very popular band. Sousa toured Europe
repeatedly, ultimate going on a world tour in 1910-11. Sousa’s fame rested mainly on his nearly
100 marches and some very successful operettas.
FAMOUS MARCHES:
Liberty Bell (march)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Liberty Bell is a march written by John Phillip Sousa in 1893 for the Liberty Bell's visit to
the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago and is the theme song for Monty Python's Flying
Circus.
Stars and Stripes Forever
The Stars and Stripes Forever March is the official march of the United States of America. Sousa
believed that the piece was divinely inspired. It came to him as he sailed home from vacationing
in Europe after learning of his manager's death. When he reached shore, he wrote "down the
measures that my brain-band had been playing for me, and not a note of it has ever been
changed". The original manuscript is in the Library of Congress and bears the inscription "J.P.S.,
Xmas, 1896", most fitting because it certainly is a wonderful Christmas gift to the American
people.
Washington Post
During the 1880’s, several Washington D.C. newspapers competed vigorously for public favor.
One of these, the Washington Post, organized what was known as the Amateur Authors’
Association and sponsored an essay contest for school children, commissioning Sousa to
compose a march for the award ceremony. When the new march was played by Sousa and the
Marine Band, it became immediately popular, and happened to be well suited to the two-step
dance, which was just being introduced. A dancemasters' organization adopted it at their yearly
convention, and soon the march was vaulted into international fame. The two-step gradually
replaced the waltz as a popular dance, and variations of the basic two-step insured the march∂s
popularity all through the 1890∂s and into the twentieth century. In fact, in some European
countries, all two-steps were called ∏Washington posts.
Next to "The Stars and Stripes Forever", it has been Sousa’s most widely known march.
SOUSA’S BAND:
There was a band that remained the most popular musical act in the world for over 30 years. The
first American musical organization to go on world tour. The first musical act to travel more
than a million miles and perform for more than a million people. A band that whose members
were the best in the world on their instruments. A band led by a world-famous composer and
conductor.
The band was marketed under several names, but was known to people the world over as...
Sousa's Band!
Herbert L. Clarke, cornet.
Herbert L. Clarke joined Sousa's Band after the death of Patrick Gilmore. By that time he had
already earned his reputation as the foremost cornet soloist in the country. In addition to
performing, he also wrote many of his own solos, including Bride of the Waves, which is still
popular today.
R. Meredith Willson, flute/piccolo.
After spending three years touring with Sousa, Meredith Wilson went on to write one of the most
famous Broadway musicals of all time, The Music Man. The musical, later made into a movie
starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones, tells the story of a slick band instrument salesman who
takes a sleepy Iowa town by storm.
August Helmecke, bass drum.
Mr. Helmecke was Sousa's highest-paid musician, and it was said that the two had an almost
telepathic communication. Sousa loved to add special bass drum and cymbal accents to his
marches during performances. A simple glance to Mr. Helmecke was all that was required.
Sousaphone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The sousaphone is a musical instrument named after John Philip Sousa, the famous marching
band conductor and composer.
It was invented in the 1890s to replace tubas in marching bands: in a concert, the tuba is
traditionally held on the musician's lap with the bell pointed upward. In marching, however, the
musician must hold the tuba in his hands. This proves very difficult due to the weight and shape
of the tuba.
The sousaphone is a valved brass instrument with the same tube length as a tuba, but shaped
differently so that the bell is above the head, the valves are situated directly in front of the
musician a few inches above the waist, and the majority of the weight rests on one shoulder.
Thus, the sousaphone can be carried far more easily than a traditional concert tuba, but sounds
very similar.
In recent years, sousaphones have been available made of fiberglass instead of brass. The tone is
slightly inferior to the brass instrument, but the weight is much less, the cost is lower, and the
sound is still acceptable in virtually any marching band performance.