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John Philip Sousa
November 6, 1854(1854-11-06) – March 6, 1932 (aged 77)

Portrait of John Philip Sousa taken in 1900
Nickname The March King
Place of birth Washington, D.C.
Place of death Reading, Pennsylvania
Allegiance 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. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ is the county seat of Berks County Pennsylvania and the center of the Greater Reading Area. S. Marine Band, U. S. Navy Great Lakes Naval Station Band

John Philip Sousa (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. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the American march music is March music written and/or performed in the United States of America Because of his mastery of march composition and resultant prominence, he is known as "The March King". In public he was typically referenced by his full name.

Contents

Biography

Sousa was born in Washington, D.C., to John António de Sousa and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D His parents were of Portuguese, Spanish and Bavarian (German) descent; his grandparents were Portuguese refugees. The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race [1] Sousa started his music education, playing the violin, as a pupil of John Esputa and G. Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music F. Benkert for harmony and musical composition at the age of six. In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. Musical composition is an original piece of Music the structure of a musical piece the process of creating a new He was found to have absolute pitch. Absolute pitch (AP widely referred to as perfect pitch, is the ability of a person to identify or recreate a Musical Note without the benefit of a known 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. The United States Marine Band, colloquially known as "The President's Own", was established by an Act of Congress Sousa served his apprenticeship for seven years, until 1875, and apparently learned to play all the wind instruments while honing his mettle with the violin.

On December 30, 1879, he married Jane van Middlesworth Bellis. They had three children: John Philip Sousa, Jr (1 April 1881 - 18 May 1937), Jane Priscilla (7 Aug 1882 - 28 Oct 1958), and Helen (21 Jan 1887 - 14 Oct 1975). All three are buried in the John Philip Sousa plot in the Congressional cemetery. Jane joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1907. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR is a lineage -based membership organization of women dedicated to promoting Historic preservation, Education

Several years later, Sousa left his apprenticeship to join a theatrical (pit) orchestra where he learned to conduct. Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures He returned to the U.S. Marine Band as its head in 1880, and remained as its conductor until 1892. The United States Marine Band, colloquially known as "The President's Own", was established by an Act of Congress Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Cicotic Faggett Sousa organized his own band the year he left the Marine Band. The Sousa Band toured 1892-1931, performing 15,623 concerts. 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. The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (ʃɑ̃zeliˈze) is the most prestigious avenue in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris, France that stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle also known as the Place de l'Étoile.

Sousa repeatedly refused to conduct on the radio, fearing a lack of personal contact with the audience. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. He was finally persuaded to do so in 1929 and became a smash hit. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Sousa lived in Port Washington, New York. There is a school (John Philip Sousa Elementary), a band shell and a memorial tree planted in Port Washington.

Sousa died on March 6, 1932, in his room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ is the county seat of Berks County Pennsylvania and the center of the Greater Reading Area.

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. A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world In the United States military, a Warrant Officer (grade W-1 to W-5 is ranked as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks as well as officer cadets and candidates but

He volunteered to serve as a bandmaster in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War but was unable to serve due to illness. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities.

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. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Lieutenant Commander ( Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy) is a Commissioned officer rank in many navies Superior The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the reserve component of the United States Navy. Naval Station Great Lakes is the United States Navy 's Headquarters Command for training located in North Chicago Illinois. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. 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 the Marine Corps Band, 1893
Sousa and the Marine Corps Band, 1893

Marches

Sousa wrote 136 marches; some of his most popular and notable are:

Sousa wrote school songs for several American Universities, including Kansas State University, Marquette University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Minnesota. The Gladiator is a work by John Philip Sousa, written in 1886 while Sousa was leader of the US Marine Band " Semper Fidelis " is Latin for "Always faithful" Best known to Americans as the motto of the United States Marine Corps (often " " The Washington Post " is a patriotic march composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889. The Thunderer is one of John Philip Sousa 's marches It was written in 1889 High School Cadets, also known as HSC, is a march that was written in 1890 by John Phillip Sousa. " The Liberty Bell " is an American Military march composed by famous bandmaster John Philip Sousa Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy Manhattan Beach is an American march by John Philip Sousa (1854-1932 ' King Cotton' is a Military march composed in 1895 by John Philip Sousa. " Stars and Stripes Forever " is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the Magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa. El Capitan is an Operetta in three acts by John Philip Sousa and has a libretto by Charles Klein (with lyrics by Charles Klein and Hands Across the Sea is a Military march composed in 1899 by John Philip Sousa. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Virginia Tech Regimental Band, also known as the Highty Tighties, VPI Cadet Band, or Band Company, is a military Marching band and unit in Fairest of the Fair is the title of a 1908 march by John Philip Sousa. US Field Artillery is a patriotic military march of the US Army written in 1917 by John Philip Sousa. " The Army Goes Rolling Along " is the official song of the United States Army and is typically called "The Army Song The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. The Gallant Seventh was John Philip Sousa 's most famous march in the 1920's The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States Marquette University is a private coeducational Jesuit, Roman Catholic University located in Milwaukee Wisconsin. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research The University of Minnesota Twin Cities ( U of M or The U) is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system.

The marching brass bass, or sousaphone, is named after him. The sousaphone is a wearable Tuba descended from the Hélicon, and designed in an ergonomically efficient way such that it fits around the body of the wearer and

Operettas

Sheet music cover, 1896
Sheet music cover, 1896

These operetta 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 HMS Pinafore and played the first violin on the American tour of Jacques Offenbach. HMS Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor, is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and Libretto by Jacques Offenbach (born Jacob Offenbach 20 June 1819 in Cologne &ndash 5 October 1880 in Paris) was a German ) 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.

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. Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of Librettist W The Mikado, or The Town of Titipu, is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and Libretto by W

(1) Gervase Hughes,Composers of Operetta, New York, 1962

Sousa the Freemason

One year after the 1882 Transit of Venus, Sousa was commissioned to compose a processional for the unveiling of a bronze statue of American physicist Joseph Henry, who had died in 1878. A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the Planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, obscuring a small portion of the Joseph Henry ( December 17 1797 &ndash May 13 1878) was an American scientist who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Henry, who had developed the first electric motor, was also the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of C.

A Freemason, Sousa was fascinated by what the group considered mystical qualities in otherwise natural phenomena. According to Sten Odenwald of the NASA IMAGE Science Center[1], this played a significant role in the selection of the time and date of the performance, April 19, 1883, at 4:00 P. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common M. Dr. Odenwald points out that Venus and Mars, invisible to the participants, were setting in the west. The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University At the same time, the moon, Uranus, and Virgo were rising in the east, Saturn had crossed the meridian, and Jupiter was directly overhead. Virgo ( Virgin, symbol, Unicode ♍ is a Constellation of the Zodiac. According to Masonic lore, Venus was associated with the element copper, and Joseph Henry had used large quantities of copper to build his electric motors. Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29

The "Transit of Venus March" never caught on during Sousa's lifetime. It went unplayed for more than 100 years, after Sousa's copies of the music were destroyed in a flood. As reported in The Washington Post, Library of Congress employee Loras Schissel recently found copies of the old sheet music for Venus "languishing in the library's files". The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress [2] The piece was resurrected recently, in time for the 2004 Transit.

Sousa also composed a march, "Nobles of the Mystic Shrine", dedicated to the high degree freemasonry Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

Other writing, skills, and interests

Sousa exhibited many talents aside from music. He wrote five novels and a full length autobiography, Marching Along, as well as a great number of articles and letters-to-the-editor on a variety of subjects. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" Marching Along is an autobiography by John Philip Sousa depicting his life and his life's works His skill as a horseman met championship criteria. For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description He was also a connoisseur of cheese.

As a trapshooter, he ranks as one of the all-time greats, and he is enshrined in the Trapshooting Hall of Fame. Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive Clay pigeon shooting ( Shotgun shooting at Clay targets. [3] He even organized the first national trapshooting organization, a forerunner to today's Amateur Trapshooting Association. The Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATAserves as the governing body for the sport of American stye of trapshooting 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.

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’. "[3]

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 5th 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. " Sousa was said to explain the poem as nonsense verse, but there was definitely an egalitarian tone to it.

In 1920 he wrote another work called The Transit of Venus, a 40,000-word story. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar 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. Misogyny (mɪˈsɒdʒɪni is hatred (or contemptof women Misogyny is parallel to Misandry — the hatred of men The captain's niece, however, has stowed away on board and soon wins over the men. [3]

Sousa held a very low opinion of the emerging and upstart recording industry. The record industry is the part of the Music industry that sells Sound recordings of Music. In a submission to a congressional hearing in 1906, he argued that:

These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded Sound from the 1870s through the 1980s 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 folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of Mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the Larynx. 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 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. Lawrence Lessig (born June 3 1961) is an American academic and political activist Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for Sousa also was credited with referring to record as "canned music".

Sousa's antipathy to recording was such that he refused to conduct his band if it was being recorded. Nevertheless, Sousa's band made numerous recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor), usually conducted by Arthur Pryor. Victrola redirects here For other uses see Victrola (disambiguation The Victor Talking Machine Company ( 1901 – 1929 RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Arthur Willard Pryor ( September 22, 1870 &ndash June 18, 1942) was a Trombone virtuoso, Bandleader A handful of the Victor recordings were actually conducted by Sousa, who also appeared with his band in newsreels and on radio broadcasts (beginning with a 1929 nationwide broadcast on NBC). The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's In 1999, Legacy Records released some of Sousa's historic recordings on CD. [4]

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. Phi Mu Alpha (ΦΜΑ Sinfonia is a collegiate social fraternity for men with an interest in music

In 1952, Twentieth Century Fox honored Sousa in their Technicolor feature film Stars and Stripes Forever with Clifton Webb portraying the composer. Stars and Stripes Forever is a 1952 Bio-pic about 19th century composer John Philip Sousa, played by Clifton Webb. for the New Zealand politician see Thomas Clifton Webb Clifton Webb ( November 19, 1889 – October 13, Fox music director Alfred Newman arranged the music and conducted the studio orchestra for the soundtrack. Alfred Newman ( March 17, 1900 &ndash February 17, 1970) was a major American Composer of music for Films It was loosely based on Sousa's memoirs, Marching Along.

Media

References

  1. ^ The Library of Congress Biography: John Philip Sousa. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war.
  2. ^ Vocal score of The Charlatan
  3. ^ a b John Philip Sousa. National Trapshooting Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2008-02-25. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor
  4. ^ March King: John Philip Sousa Conducts His Own Marches. amazon. com. Retrieved on 2008-02-25. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor
Grave of Sousa at Congressional Cemetery (Washington, DC, USA)
Grave of Sousa at Congressional Cemetery (Washington, DC, USA)

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