John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa
Sousa in 1900; photo by Elmer Chickering
Nickname	The March King
Born	November 6, 1854(1854-11-06) Washington, D.C.
Died	March 6, 1932(1932-03-06) (aged 77) Reading, Pennsylvania
Place of burial	Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps United States Navy
Years of service	Marines: 1868–1875, 1880–1892; Navy: 1917–1918
Rank	Warrant Officer (Marines), Lieutenant Commander (Navy)
Commands held	U.S. Marine Band, U.S. Navy Great Lakes Naval Station Band

John Philip Sousa (pronounced /ˈsuːsə/;^[1] November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J. Alford also being known as "The March King". Among his best known marches are "The Washington Post", "Semper Fidelis" (Official March of the United States Marine Corps), and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (National March of the United States of America).

Born of Portuguese/Spanish (his father was born in Seville, Spain) and Bavarian ancestry, Sousa began his career playing violin and studying music theory and composition under John Esputa and George Felix Benkert. His father eventually enlisted him in the United States Marine Band as an apprentice in 1868. After departing the band in 1875, Sousa eventually learned to conduct. From 1880 until his death, Sousa began focusing exclusively on conducting and wrote marches during this time. He eventually rejoined the Marine Band and served there for 12 years as director. Upon leaving the Marine Band, Sousa organized his own band. He toured Europe and Australia and also developed the sousaphone, a large brass instrument. On the outbreak of World War I, Sousa was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander and led the Naval Reserve Band in Illinois. Following his tenure there, Sousa returned to conduct the Sousa Band until his death in 1932.

Biography

John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C., on November 6, 1854, to John Antonio Sousa and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus. He was of Portuguese and Bavarian descent.^[2] Sousa started his music education by playing the violin as a pupil of John Esputa and George Felix Benkert (born 1831) for harmony and musical composition at the age of six. He was found to have absolute pitch. When Sousa reached the age of 13, his father, a trombonist in the Marine Band, enlisted his son in the United States Marine Corps as an apprentice to keep him from joining a circus band.

Sousa's birthplace, still standing on G St., S.E., in Washington, D.C.

On December 30, 1879, Sousa married Jane van Middlesworth Bellis (1862–1944). They had three children together: John Philip, Jr. (April 1, 1881 – May 18, 1937), Jane Priscilla (August 7, 1882 – October 28, 1958), and Helen (January 21, 1887 – October 14, 1975). All are buried in the John Philip Sousa plot in the Congressional Cemetery.

Several years after serving his apprenticeship, Sousa joined a theatrical (pit) orchestra where he learned to conduct. He returned to the U.S. Marine Band as its head in 1880 and remained as its conductor until 1892. Sousa led "The President's Own" band under five presidents from Rutherford B. Hayes to Benjamin Harrison. Sousa's band played at two Inaugural Balls, those of James A. Garfield in 1881, and Benjamin Harrison in 1889.^[3][4]

Sousa organized his own band the year he left the Marine Band. The Sousa Band toured from 1892–1931, performing at 15,623 concerts.^[5] In 1900, his band represented the United States at the Paris Exposition before touring Europe. In Paris, the Sousa Band marched through the streets including the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe – one of only eight parades the band marched in over its forty years.^{[citation needed]} In 1911 they went to Australia and performed in Sydney and Melbourne (then the national capital).

The marching brass bass, or sousaphone, a modified helicon, was created by J. W. Pepper – a Philadelphia instrument maker who created the instrument in 1893 at Sousa's request using several of his suggestions in its design. He wanted a tuba that could sound upward and over the band whether its player was seated or marching. The sousaphone was re-created in 1898 by C. G. Conn and this was the model that Sousa preferred to use.

~ John Philip Sousa~ US Postage, Issue of 1940

Sousa lived in Sands Point, New York. A school (John Philip Sousa Elementary) and a band shell are named after him and there is also a memorial tree planted in nearby Port Washington. Wild Bank, his seaside house on Hicks Lane, has been designated a National Historic Landmark, although it remains a private home and is not open to the public.^[6]

Sousa died of heart failure at the age of 77 on March 6, 1932, in his room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania. He had conducted a rehearsal of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" the previous day with the Ringgold Band. He is buried in Washington, D.C.'s Congressional Cemetery.^[7]

Military service

Sousa served in the U.S. Marine Corps, first from 1868 to 1875 as an apprentice musician, and then as the head of the Marine Band from 1880 to 1892; he was a Sergeant Major for most of his second period of Marine service and was a Warrant Officer at the time he resigned.

During World War I, he was commissioned a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve and led the Navy Band at the Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago, Illinois. Being independently wealthy, he donated his entire naval salary minus one dollar a year to the Sailors' and Marines' Relief Fund. After returning to his own band at the end of the war, he continued to wear his naval uniform for most of his concerts and other public appearances.

Music

Sousa and his newly-formed civilian band, 1893

See also: List of compositions by John Philip Sousa

Marches

Sousa wrote 136 marches, published by the Sam Fox Publishing Company beginning in 1917 and continuing until his death.^[8] Some of his most popular and notable are:

• "The Gladiator March" (1886)
• "Semper Fidelis" (1888) (Official March of the United States Marine Corps)
• "The Washington Post" (1889)
• "The Thunderer" (1889)
• "High School Cadets" (1890)
• "The Liberty Bell" (1893) (credits theme for Monty Python's Flying Circus)
• "Manhattan Beach March" (1893)
• "King Cotton" (1895)
• "Stars and Stripes Forever" (1896) (National March of the United States)^[9]
• "El Capitan" (1896)
• "Hands Across the Sea" (dedicated to the band of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets – the Highty-Tighties) (1899)
• "Hail to the Spirit of Liberty" March (1900)
• "Invincible Eagle" (1901) (Dedicated to Pan-American Buffalo Exposition)
• "Fairest of the Fair" (1908)
• "Glory of the Yankee Navy" (1909)
• "U.S. Field Artillery" (1917) (Modified version The Army Goes Rolling Along is the official song of the U.S. Army)^[10]
• "Who's Who in Navy Blue" (1920)
• "The Gallant Seventh" (1922)
• "Nobles of the Mystic Shrine" (1923)
• "The Black Horse Troop" (1924)

• "Pride of the Wolverines" (1926)
• "Minnesota March" (1927)
• "New Mexico March" (1928)
• "Salvation Army March" (1930) (dedicated to The Salvation Army's 50th anniversary in the USA)

Sousa wrote marches for several American universities, including University of Illinois, University of Nebraska, Kansas State University, Marquette University, and University of Minnesota.^{[citation needed]}

Operettas

• The Smugglers (1882)
• Désirée (1883)
• The Queen of Hearts (1885), also known as Royalty and Roguery
• El Capitan (1896)
• The Bride Elect (1897), libretto by Sousa.
• The Charlatan (1898), also known as The Mystical Miss, lyrics by Sousa^[11]
• Chris and the Wonderful Lamp (1899)
• The Free Lance (1905)
• The American Maid (1909), also known as The Glass Blowers.

These operettas which Gervase Hughes calls "notable" (1) also show a variety of French, Viennese and British influences. (In his younger days, Sousa made an orchestration of H.M.S. Pinafore and played the first violin on the American tour of Jacques Offenbach.) The music of these operettas is light and cheerful. The Glass Blowers and Desirée have had revivals, the latter having been released on CD like El Capitan, the best known of them. El Capitan has been in production somewhere in the world ever since it was written and makes fun of false heroes. Still more outspoken against militarism is The Free Lance, the story of two kingdoms becoming united, which found its way to Germany (as "Der Feldhauptmann") by the time the Berlin Wall came down.

Sheet music cover, 1896

Marches and waltzes have been derived from many of these stage-works. Sousa also composed the music for six operettas that were either unfinished or not produced: The Devils' Deputy, Florine, The Irish Dragoon, Katherine, The Victory, and The Wolf.

In addition, Sousa wrote a march based on themes from Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Mikado, the elegant overture Our Flirtations, a number of musical suites, etc.^[12] He also frequently added Sullivan opera overtures or other Sullivan pieces to his concerts.^[13] He is also widely quoted saying, "My religion lies in my composition."^[14]

Other writing, skills, and interests

Sousa exhibited many talents aside from music. He wrote three novels – The Fifth String, Pipetown Sandy, and The Transit of Venus – as well as a full-length autobiography, Marching Along and a great number of articles and letters-to-the-editor on a variety of subjects.

As a trapshooter, he ranks as one of the all-time greats, and he is enshrined in the Trapshooting Hall of Fame.^[15] He even organized the first national trapshooting organization, a forerunner to today's Amateur Trapshooting Association. Sousa remained active in the fledgling ATA for some time after its formation. Some credit Sousa as the father of organized trapshooting in America. Sousa also wrote numerous articles about trapshooting.

Sousa circa 1880s

Mrs. John Philip Sousa circa 1905

Sousa's grave at Congressional Cemetery

Perhaps a quote from his Trapshooting Hall of Fame biography says it best: "Let me say that just about the sweetest music to me is when I call, ‘pull,’ the old gun barks, and the referee in perfect key announces, ‘dead’."^[15]

In his 1902 novel The Fifth String a young violinist makes a deal with the Devil for a magic violin with five strings. The strings can excite the emotions of Pity, Hope, Love and Joy – the fifth string is Death and can be played only once before causing the player's own death. He has a brilliant career, but cannot win the love of the woman he desires. At a final concert, he plays upon the death string.

In 1905, Sousa published the book Pipetown Sandy, which included a satirical poem titled "The Feast of the Monkeys". The poem describes a lavish party attended by a variety of animals, but overshadowed by the King of Beasts, the lion…who allows the muttering guests the privilege of watching him eat the entire feast. At the end of his gluttony, the lion explains, "Come all rejoice, You’ve seen your monarch dine."

In 1920, he wrote another work called The Transit of Venus, a 40,000-word story. It is about a group of misogynists called the Alimony Club who, as a way of temporarily escaping the society of women, embark on a sea voyage to observe the transit of Venus. The captain's niece, however, has stowed away on board and soon wins over the men.^[16]

Sousa held a very low opinion of the emerging and upstart recording industry. In a submission to a congressional hearing in 1906, he argued:

These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country. When I was a boy...in front of every house in the summer evenings, you would find young people together singing the songs of the day or old songs. Today you hear these infernal machines going night and day. We will not have a vocal cord left. The vocal cord will be eliminated by a process of evolution, as was the tail of man when he came from the ape.

Law professor Lawrence Lessig cited this passage^[17] to argue that in creating a system of copyrights in which control of music is in the hands of record labels, Sousa was essentially correct. Sousa also was credited with referring to records as "canned music," referring to the fact that cylinder records were sold in cans.

Sousa's antipathy to recording was such that he often refused to conduct his band if it was being recorded. Nevertheless, Sousa's band made numerous recordings, the earliest being issued on cylinders by several companies, followed by many recordings on discs by the Berliner Gramophone Company and its successor, the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor). The Berliner recordings were conducted by Henry Higgins (one of Sousa's cornet soloists) and Arthur Pryor (Sousa's trombone soloist and assistant conductor), with Sousa quoted as saying,^[18] "I have never been in the gramophone company's office in my life." A handful of the Victor recordings were actually conducted by Sousa, but most were conducted by Pryor, Herbert L. Clarke, Edwin H. Clarke, or by four of Victor's most prolific house musicians: Walter B. Rogers (who had also been a cornet soloist with Sousa), Rosario Bourdon, Josef Pasternack, and Nathaniel Shilkret.^[18] Details of the Victor recordings are available in the external link below to the EDVR.

Sousa also appeared with his band in newsreels and on radio broadcasts (beginning with a 1929 nationwide broadcast on NBC). In 1999, Legacy Records released some of Sousa's historic recordings on CD.^[19]

In 1922, he accepted the invitation of the national chapter to become an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band fraternity. Later, in 1925, he was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music, by the fraternity's Alpha Xi chapter at the University of Illinois.

In 1952, 20th Century Fox honored Sousa in their Technicolor feature film Stars and Stripes Forever with Clifton Webb portraying the composer. Fox music director Alfred Newman arranged the music and conducted the studio orchestra for the soundtrack. It was loosely based on Sousa's memoirs, Marching Along.

Sousa also wrote "A manual for trumpet and drum" an excellent booklet, published by the Ludwig drum company, with fine advice for the playing of the drum and trumpet. An early version of the trumpet solo to "Semper Fidelis" is included in this volume.

See also

Biography portal

• William Bell (tuba player)

Notes

1. ^ Merriam-Webster Also commonly /ˈsuːzə/.
2. ^ "The Library of Congress Biography: John Philip Sousa". Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200152755/default.html. Retrieved January 10, 2008. 
3. ^ James A. Garfield (1989). "Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States". Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres36.html. 
4. ^ Benjamin Harrison (1989). "Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States". Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres38.html. 
5. ^ Bierley, Paul Edmund, “The Incredible Band of John Philip Sousa”. University of Illinois Press, 2006.
6. ^ Richard Greenwood (May 30, 1975), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: John Philip Sousa HomePDF (351 KB), National Park Service  and Accompanying photos, exterior, from 1975PDF (1.09 MB)
7. ^ Congressionalcemetery.org
8. ^ "Sam Fox, 89, Dies; Music Publisher", New York Times, December 1, 1971
9. ^ "US Code: Title 36, 304". Cornell Law School. October 30, 2006. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode36/usc_sec_36_00000304----000-.html. Retrieved November 2, 2006. 
10. ^ Army Regulation 220–90, Army Bands, November 27, 2000, para 2-5f, g
11. ^ Vocal score of The Charlatan
12. ^ Hughes, Gervase. Composers of Operetta, New York, 1962
13. ^ Bierley, Paul E. John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon, Prentice–Hall, Inc., 1973p. 102
14. ^ http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnphilip278555.html
15. ^ ^{a b} "John Philip Sousa". National Trapshooting Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080505070354/http://www.traphof.org/inductees/sousa_john_philip.htm. Retrieved February 25, 2008. 
16. ^ Willow Grove Park
17. ^ Lawrence Lessig, 2008, Remix: making art and commerce thrive in the hybrid economy, London: Bloomsbury Academic. Chapter 1.
18. ^ ^{a b} Smart, James R., The Sousa Band: A Discography, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1970
19. ^ "March King: John Philip Sousa Conducts His Own Marches". amazon.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000I0GN. Retrieved February 25, 2008. 

References

• 75 years after death here, Sousa sells out the Abe – Reading Eagle Newspaper
• Congressional hearing: in Copyright's Communication Policy by Professor Tim Woo, University of Virginia, May 2004 – Caution, 560k PDF.
• Berger, Kenneth. The March King and His Band: The Story of John Philip Sousa. New York: Exposition Press, 1957.
• Bierley, Paul E. “The Incredible Band of John Philip Sousa”. University of Illinois Press, 2006.
• Bierley, Paul E. John Philip Sousa, American Phenomenon. Rev. ed. Miami: Warner Brothers Publications, 2001.
• Bierley, Paul E. “The Works of John Philip Sousa” Integrity Press, 1984.
• Delaphine, Edward S. John Philip Sousa and the National Anthem. Frederick, MD: Great Southern Press, 1983.
• Lingg, Ann M. John Philip Sousa. New York: Henry Holt, 1954.
• Newsom, John, ed. Perspectives on John Philip Sousa. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1983.
• John Philip Sousa was raised as a freemason at the Hiram-Takoma Lodge No.10 in the District of Washington

External links

• The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music – Provides research-oriented management of band-related collections, including a large portion of Sousa's manuscripts and personal papers, held for use by students, scholars, and performing musicians
• The Works of John Philip Sousa – Marches in MIDI format; from The John Philip Sousa Home Page by David Lovrien, hosted by the Dallas Wind Symphony
• MIDI sequences of piano transcriptions of compositions by Sousa
• Harris, Neil: "John Philip Sousa and the Culture of Reassurance"
• Fennell, Frederick: "The Sousa March: A Personal View"
• Works by John Philip Sousa at Project Gutenberg
  • The Experiences of a Bandmaster – Project Gutenberg e-text of book by Sousa
  • The Fifth String – (ditto)
• Works by The Sousa Band at Project Gutenberg (audio recordings)
• The Feast of the Monkeys – the "nonsense verse" that Sousa wrote.
• "John Philip Sousa". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=964. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
• Sousa discography
• Victor Records by Sousa's Band from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR)
• Numerous Sousa photos
• Free scores by John Philip Sousa at the International Music Score Library Project
• The Mutopia Project has compositions by John Philip Sousa
• Free Brass Band version of Stars & Stripes Forever

Historical recordings

• Recordings by Sousa (archive.org)
• Recordings by Sousa (Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project)

Persondata
Name	Sousa, John Philip
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 6, 1854
Place of birth	Washington, D.C., United
Date of death	March 6, 1932
Place of death	Reading, Pennsylvania