John Philip Sousa

Bandleader, composer

For the Record…

Selected writings

Selected compositions; marches

Sources

Among America’s greatest treasures is the legacy of John Philip Sousa, “The March King.” The music of this beloved bandleader and composer, whose most prolific period straddled the turn of the 20th century, continues to fill hearts with a wave of national pride and patriotism. Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” is, in fact, the national march, and his creative medium, the marching band, has become an American institution.

John Philip Sousa was the child of European parents. His mother, Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus, was born in Bavaria, and his father, John Antonio Sousa, was a Spanish immigrant of Portuguese parents. Sousa’s parents were married in Brooklyn, New York, in 1848; six years later they moved to Washington, D.C., where Mr. Sousa became a trombonist with the U.S. Marine Band. The Sousa’s third child, John Philip, was born on November 6, 1854.

Sousa’s relationship to music was virtually inevitable; in John Philip Sousa, American Phenomenon, Paul E. Bierley related, “Sousa’s natural talent, coupled with the stimulating environment in which he was raised, has caused historians to remark that his development as the prime example of a musical patriot was a natural one and that he was obviously born at the right time and place in history.” The stimulating environment was a musician’s home just a stone’s throw from the Marine barracks; the right time was the Civil War.

At about age six, Sousa attended a music conservatory. For four years he studied a number of instruments, including the trombone and alto horn, and displayed extraordinary talent. When he was ten, Sousa began attending his father’s Marine Band rehearsals. It was also at this time that he became a witness to his country’s torment. The Civil War years, 1861-1865, turned Washington into an armed camp. The proximity of the battles and the family’s visits to the hospital to see the wounded were part of Sousa’s childhood experience. Washington was buzzing with the chaotic sounds of war and among these were military bands. In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa recounted, “There were bands galore ... I loved all of them, good and bad alike.”

Sousa’s first professional opportunity came in 1868. While studying harmony, composition, and violin, the 13-year-old was offered the position of bandleader with a visiting circus. Sousa reflected, “The more I thought of it the more wonderful it seemed to follow the life of the circus, make money, and become the leader of a circus band myself. What a career that would be!” His father didn’t see it that way, though; the senior Sousa quickly took his son to the Marine Corps head-quarters

For the Record…

Born November 6, 1854, in Washington, DC; died of heart failure, March 6, 1932, in Reading, PA; son of John Antonio (a trombonist with the U.S. Marine Band) and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus Sousa; married Jane van Middlesworth Bellis (an amateur vocalist), 1879; children: John Philip, Jane Priscilla, Helen Sousa Abert. Education: Attended music conservatory run by John Esputa, Jr., for four years; studied music with George Felix.

Enlisted in U.S. Marine Corps as apprentice to Marine Band, 1868; toured with musical companies and vaudeville show, worked in Philadelphia theaters, taught music, composed, and corrected proofs for a publisher, 1875-1879; led amateur musical theater company that became professional under his tutelage, c. 1879; led Marine Band, 1880-1892; formed Sousa Band, 1892; toured U.S. and abroad with Sousa Band, 1900-1911; wrote autobiography, Marching Along, 1928.

Selected awards: Gold-tipped baton from U.S. Marine Band, 1892; appeared on postage stamp honoring famous Americans, 1940; centennial medallion struck by Austrian Mint, 1954; inducted into Hall of Fame for Great Americans by New York University.

Member: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; honorary president of American Bandmasters Association.

and had him signed up as an apprentice violinist. In Jon Newsom’s book Perspectives on John Philip Sousa, John Philip Sousa III reasoned, “For a child with my grandfather’s obviously abundant imagination, the Marine Band must have been an acceptable substitute for the circus.”

When he was 20, Sousa received a special discharge from the Marines and embarked on a career as a professional musician. He toured with two companies and a vaudeville show, worked at two Philadelphia theaters, taught music, composed operettas, and even corrected proofs at a publishing company. In 1879, Sousa conducted Gilbert and Sullivan’s immensely popular H.M.S. Pinafore. Under his masterful orchestration, the amateur company at his command was able to turn professional. Its success led to a season on Broadway where famous composers took in Sousa’s production.

News of the young music director’s accomplishments did not escape the attention of his former employer; in 1880, 25-year-old Sousa was named the 14th leader of the U.S. Marine Band. He was the first American-born conductor and the one who would elevate the band to celebrity status. Sousa stepped into the position with the know-how and energy of an experienced civilian conductor. He shook the dust off the stale institution by replacing most of the music with his own, changing the instrumentation, and improving the quality of the musicians. In the 12 years of Sousa’s leadership, the Marine Band’s reputation spread throughout the United States and even to Europe. It became a highly polished ensemble with a colorful virtuoso at the helm.

Though completely committed to his profession, Sousa was able to pursue a variety of interests. He was a devoted family man and nature lover. He also enjoyed reading, horseback riding, trapshooting, and boxing. Sousa was a gentle, disciplined man distinguished by his wit, strict code of ethics, and bottomless vigor. In his embroidered uniform hung with medals, behind his pince-nez glasses and his trademark mustache, wearing his white kid gloves and stirring emotion into the air with his gold-tipped baton, he cut quite a formidable figure.

Sousa led the Marine Band until 1892. He composed many exceptional pieces during this period, including “The Washington Post,” for the celebrated newspaper of the same name. That march shot him into prominence and earned him the title of “March King.” The Marine Band recorded with the fledgling Columbia Phonograph Co., and tours of the U.S. and Europe followed. In Europe, “The Washington Post” even spawned a popular dance called the two-step. When Sousa resigned from the military, he formed the Sousa Band, which enjoyed unprecedented success. Impressive engagements and world tours were the norm until life was once again interrupted by war.

In 1917, Sousa—then 62—reenlisted, this time joining the U.S. Naval Reserve Force as America entered World War I. Lieutenant Sousa formed a huge musical battalion of over three hundred members and marched across the country in tremendous parades that raised millions of dollars for the war effort.

While the world changed around him—marked by the dawn of radio and the first talking picture, Amelia Earhart’s solo flight, Adolf Hitler’s rise to power—Sousa had already earned his place in history. He had become a highly honored and cherished figure. The composer of 136 marches and hundreds of other arrangements, author of several books and novels, and inventor of the sousaphone never stopped working. On March 6, 1932, he died of a heart attack. So ended a rousing era of American history. Nonetheless, Sousa was one of the most decorated men of American music and was honored by many nations. A number of public places, structures, and even a warship have been named after him. Annual ceremonies are held in his memory.

Selected writings

The Trumpet and Drum (instruction), 1886.

National, Patriotic and Typical Airs of All Lands (compilation), 1890, reprinted, Da Capo, 1977.

The Fifth String (novel), 1902, reprinted, Paganiniana Publications, 1981.

The Transit of Venus (novel), 1919.

Marching Along (autobiography), 1928, reprinted, Da Capo, 1990.

Selected compositions; marches

“Semper Fidelis,” 1888.

“The Washington Post,” 1889.

“The Thunderer,” 1889.

“The High School Cadets,” 1890.

“The Liberty Bell,” 1893.

“Manhattan Beach,” 1893.

“The Stars and Stripes Forever,” 1896.

“Boy Scouts of America,” 1916.

“The Salvation Army,” 1930.

Sources

Books

Bierley, Paul E., John Philip Sousa, American Phenomenon, Prentice-Hall, 1973.

Newsom, Jon, Perspectives on John Philip Sousa, Library of Congress, 1983.

Sousa, John Philip, Marching Along, Da Capo, 1990.

Periodicals

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, November 8, 1973.

Musical America, March 25, 1932.

Newsweek, June 29, 1939.

New York Times, April 2, 1978; November 22, 1979; August 23, 1980; June 25, 1981.

Wall Street Journal, December 2, 1987.

Washington Post, August 23, 1976; August 28, 1983.

Washington Star-News, November 18, 1973.

—Iva Sipal

John Philip Sousa

At the end of the 19th century the name of the American bandmaster and composer John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) was virtually synonymous with the music of marches.

John Philip Sousa was born on Nov. 6, 1854, in Washington, D.C. His father was Portuguese, his mother German. At the age of 10 Sousa began violin lessons and later studied music theory and composition. By the time he was 13 he could play a number of band instruments and enlisted in the Marine Band. He was playing in civilian orchestras as well and subsequently got a discharge from the Marine Band. At 18 he became director of the orchestra at a variety house in Washington and later led orchestras for a comedy troupe and for Morgan's Living Pictures.

In 1876 Sousa joined the orchestra conducted by Jacques Offenbach at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The musical sensation of the exposition, however, was Patrick Gilmore, and it was here that Sousa first heard and admired Gilmore's band. After playing for a number of Philadelphia theaters, Sousa returned to Washington in 1880 to become director of the U.S. Marine Band, a post he held for 12 years. He reorganized the band, altered its instrumentation, raised its prestige, and built up its library.

In 1892 Sousa formed his own band, capitalizing on his fame by calling it the New Marine Band. A concert band rather than a marching band, it made its first public appearance in September 1892 in Plainfield, N.J. Its initial season was only a moderate financial success, primarily because of an unwise selection of cities for the tour. The following year at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago the band attracted thousands of people to each concert. So popular were Sousa's programs that after a few weeks Theodore Thomas, the musical director of the exposition, canceled the more elaborate symphonic and choral events he had planned for the fair, feeling they could not compete. Charles Harris's sentimental ballad "After the Ball" became a national hit during the fair as played by Sousa; its success set a new trend in American popular music.

Soon Sousa's band, operating without any subsidy, proved an economic as well as a musical success. It played for most of the important expositions after 1893, made annual tours through the United States and Canada, and was acclaimed on four trips to Europe and on one venture around the world. Sousa was decorated by the crowned heads of Europe and by various academies and societies. When the United States entered World War I, he was made a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve.

Sousa's fame as a composer was related to his success as a bandleader. Although his marches earned him the title of "March King," he nevertheless was influenced strongly by the style of Offenbach. Sousa's renowned marches include The Stars and Stripes Forever, The Washington Post, The High School Cadets, and The Gladiator. These are characterized by a strong rhythmic propulsion, jaunty, memorable tunes, and more wideranging harmony than normally found in marches. Many of his best marches came from operettas, and some were originally sung.

Sousa's exposure to Offenbach, coupled with the astonishing American success of Gilbert and Sullivan, convinced him to try composing for the stage. He wrote 10 comic operas, achieving greatest acclaim for The Bride Elect, El Capitan, and The Free Lance. For some of his operettas he wrote the lyrics and libretto as well. He composed many other works of miscellaneous variety and wrote three novels. His autobiography is considered among the most readable memoirs in American letters.

Like Patrick Gilmore, Sousa wanted to create commercial music for pure entertainment. His understanding of the great music of the past or of his own day was slight. He succeeded in bringing high-quality military music to the public, achieving an instrumentation for the concert band that permitted effects as soft as those of a symphony orchestra. Artistic results were of secondary importance to Sousa; his first concern was to entertain his audiences. During his 40 years as bandmaster, Sousa lifted the concert band to popular heights it had never attained before, grossed an estimated $40 million, and was one of the most respected musicians of his generation. He died on March 6, 1932, in Reading, Pa.

Further Reading

The best account of Sousa's career is his Marching Along: An Autobiography (1928). Interesting and informative studies are Mina Lewiton, John Philip Sousa: The March King (1944), and Kenneth Walter Berger, The March King and His Band (1957). There is valuable material on Sousa in Harry Wayne Schwartz, Bands of America (1957). Wilfrid Mellers, Music in a New Found Land (1964), contains a penetrating evaluation of his work.

Additional Sources

Bierley, Paul E., John Philip Sousa, American phenomenon, Columbus, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1986?, 1973.

Delaplaine, Edward S. (Edward Schley), John Philip Sousa and the national anthem, Frederick, Md.: Great Southern Press, 1983.

Heslip, Malcolm, Nostalgic happenings in the three bands of John Philip Sousa, Laguna Hills, Calif.: M. Heslip, 1982.

Sousa, John Philip, Marching along: recollections of men, women, and music, Westerville, OH: Integrity Press, 1994. □

Sousa, John Philip (1854–1932), composer. Born in Washington, D.C., to a Portuguese father and Bavarian mother, he began his musical training while still in grammar school. After seven years as an apprentice to the U. S. Marine Band and fur‐ther studies with George Felix Benkert, Sousa worked with various theatre orchestras, primarily in Philadelphia, where he began to compose comic opera scores. In 1880 he became the bandmaster for the Marine Band and gained his greatest fame as a bandleader and composer of marches. His first musicals, mounted by John McCaull never played New York. His best‐known works, for which he sometimes served as librettist and lyricist, were El Capitan (1896), The Bride Elect (1898), The Charlatan (1898), Chris and the Wonderful Lamp (1900), and The Free Lance (1906). He also occasionally orchestrated others' scores, offered interpolations to other shows, and in 1915 appeared with his band in the Hippodrome extravaganza Hip Hip Hooray. Although Sousa sometimes had difficulty writing music for singers, his work was eminently theatrical and often memorably melodic. He is probably the only composer of his era, aside from Victor Herbert, whose work could enjoy a major revival. Indeed, his The Glass Blowers (1913) has recently been successfully mounted by opera companies. Autobiography: Marching Along, 1928.

John Philip Sousa , 1854–1932, American bandmaster and composer, b. Washington, D.C. He studied violin and harmony in his native city and learned band instruments as an apprentice to the U.S. Marine Band, in which his father played the trombone. Early in his career he conducted theater orchestras, and he played in Offenbach's orchestra in its American tour (1876–77). Sousa was leader of the U.S. Marine Band from 1880 until 1892, when he formed his own band. He toured the United States, Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world with great success. Sousa composed more than 100 marches, many of which became immensely popular, including "Semper fidelis" (1888), "The Washington Post March" (1889), "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (1897), and "Hands across the Sea" (1899). He also wrote several comic operettas, among them El Capitán (1896), The Bride Elect (1898), The Free Lance (1906), and The Glass Blowers (1913), and some orchestral music. In the development of the concert band he was the successor of Patrick S. Gilmore and did much to improve the instrumentation and quality of band music.

Bibliography: See his autobiography, Marching Along (1928); biographies by A. M. Lingg (1954), K. Berger (1957), and P. E. Bierley (1973).

Sousa, John Philip (1854–1932) composer and bandleader. From Washington, D.C., Sousa was born into a musical family and began his training early. At the age of thirteen, he was apprenticed to the Marine Corps and played in the Marine Band. His first march was published in 1873. Sousa left the Marines and worked for several years as a theatrical violinist and conductor. In 1880 he was offered and accepted the leadership of the Marine Band. He improved the quality of the band's musicianship and enlarged its repertoire; it became a popular source of pride for the Corps. Especially popular were the marches Sousa composed for the band to play at ceremonial functions. In 1892 he resigned to form his own band, which quickly won popular acclaim for its quality and for its repertoire, a blend of popular, classical, and patriotic works and Sousa's own marches. The group toured almost constantly for nearly forty years, both in the United States and in Europe; Sousa took time out during World War I to train army bandsmen. After the war, he returned to touring, and died while on tour in Pennsylvania. In all, he wrote 136 marches, among many other kinds of music, and his “Stars and Stripes Forever” is still a mainstay of patriotic band music.

Sousa, John Philip (b Washington D.C., 1854; d Reading, Penn., 1932). Amer. composer and bandmaster. As youth played vn. in th. orchs. Cond., US Marine Corps band 1880–92. Formed own military band 1892 which became very popular and toured Europe 4 times between 1900 and 1905 and the world in 1910–11. It was a victim of the 1931 Depression. Best known for his superb marches, of which he comp. nearly 100, among them Semper Fidelis (1888), The Washington Post (1889), Liberty Bell (1893), King Cotton (1895), The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896), El Capitán (1896), Hands across the Sea (1899), and many more. Also wrote several operettas, incl. The Queen of Hearts (1885) and El Capitán (1895).

Sousa, John Philip (1854–1932) US composer and bandmaster. He composed about 100 marches, including Semper Fidelis (1888) and The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896). He also composed numerous operettas, of which the most famous is El Capitan (1896).

http://www.dws.org/sousa