John Philip

Sousa:
The Life and
Music of the
March King

Andrew Janes
Wind Ensemble
Literature
Fall 2014

The Quick Starter

Born November 6, 1854.
Father was a trombonist in the Marine Band.
Show unusual musical aptitude, including absolute
pitch recognition.
Beginning at age 7, he took lessons in voice and
on piano, flute, cornet, baritone, trombone, and
alto horn.
At 13, he tried to join a circus band, but his father
intervened and enlisted him in the Marines as an
Apprentice Bandsman. He stayed with the Band
until he was about 20 years old.

After leaving the

Marine Band, Sousa
began freelancing as
a performer and
young music
director for
entertainment
companies.
While touring as the
conductor of a
company in 1880,
(at 26 years old), he
received an
invitation to become
the 14th director of

New Sheriff In
Town

In one of his first acts as new director, he immediately

sought the music of European composers in the form
of transcriptions as a way to keep the bands
literature contemporary. Military bands were growing
in popularity, and often wore two hats as performers
for military obligations in addition to civilian
occasions.
Sousa was much more rigorous in his rehearsal
technique, which not everyone liked. Because of this,
Sousa created a process for unhappy musicians to
be discharged from their duties with the band.
This allowed Sousa to fill the band with younger, more
malleable musicians, which considerably raised the
performance standards of the band, as well as
concert attendance.

In 1892, Sousa was

approached by Patrick
Gilmores manager, and
was offered four times
his military salary of
$1,500, plus 20% of the
profit, to start his own
ensemble.
Sousa accepted, resigning
from the Marine band,
and calling his new
ensemble Sousas New
Marine Band.
Eventually, under
pressure from
Washington, the name

Sousa, the Composer

Known primarily for his marches, Sousa also wrote
many art songs and operettas, though most
have been relegated to obscurity.
The Liberty Bell was originally to be included
in an operetta, but he later decided to make it
a stand-alone march.
Sousas name became synonymous with
patriotism through his relentless reapplication
of the march to symbolize the vigor of the
American spirit.
Wars helped to increase the popularity of his
music, as his marches provided something
uniquely nationalistic for the public to
unanimously support.
The Stars & Stripes Forever came out just
before the start of the Spanish-American war.
(Composed Christmas of 1896, war in 1898.)

OVERTURES(4)

SUITES(11)

Rivals
Tally-Ho!
The Lambs' Gambol
Vautour (Sans Souci)

At The King's Court

Camera Studies
Cubaland
Dwellers of the Western World
Impressions at the Movies
CONCERT PIECES(2) Leaves from my Notebook
The Summer Girl
Looking Upward
Willow Blossoms
People Who Live in Glass
Houses
DESCRIPTIVE
Tales of a Traveler
The Last Days of Pompeii
PIECES(2)
Three Quotations
Sheridan's Ride

The Chariot Race

OPERETTAS(15)
Chris and the Wonderful
Lamp
Desiree
El Capitan
Florine (unfinished)
Katherine
The American Maid
The Bride Elect
The Charlatan
The Devil's Deputy
The Free Lance
The Irish Dragoon
The Queen of Hearts
The Smugglers
The Victory (unfinished)
The Wolf

INSTRUMENTAL
SOLOS(4)
An Album Leaf (violin)

TRUMPET AND DRUM

PIECES(9)

Four Marches for Regimental

Drums and Trumpets
Funeral March
Gallant and Gay We'll March
Away
Good Bye, Sweet Nannie Magee
Hannah, My True Love
Here's to Your Health. Sir!
Hurrah! We Are Almost There
Waltz
With Steady Step

OTHER VOCAL
WORKS(7)
Non-Committal Declarations
(vocal trio)
Oh, Why Should the Spirit of Mortal
Be Proud?

Only Thee
Pretty Patty
'Deed I Has to Laugh
Honeywood
2:15
Pushing On
A Rare Old Fellow
Reveille
A Serenade in Seville
Sea Nymph
Ah Me!
Smick, Smack, Smuck
Annabel Lee
Star of Light
Blue Ridge, I'm Coming Back to Stuffed Stork
You
Sweet Miss Industry
Boots
Tally-Ho!
Come Laugh and Be Merry
The Belle of Bayou
Teche
Crossing the Bar
The Fighting Race
Day and Night
The Free Lunch Cadets
Do We? We Do
The Journal
Fall Tenderly, Roses
The Love That Lives
Forever and a Day
Forever
Hoping
The Magic Glass
I Love Jim
The Milkmaid
I Wonder
The Song of the
I've Made My Plans for the
Dagger
Summer
The Song of the Sea
In Flanders Fields the Poppies
The Toast
Grow
The Window Blind
It Was Really Very Fortunate for There's a Merry Brown
Me
Thrush
It's a Thing We Are Apt to Forget There's Something
Lonely
Mysterious
Love Me Little, Love Me Long
Though Dolly Is
Love That Comes When MayMarried
Roses Blow
Untitled song
Love's Radiant Hour
Untitled song
Lovely Mary Donnelly
We Are Coming
Maid of the Meadow
We'll Follow Where the
White Plume Waves
Mallic
When He Is Near
Mavourneen Asthore
When the Boys Come
My Own, My Geraldine
Sailing Home!
My Sweet Sweetheart
While Navy Ships Are
Nail the Flag to the Mast

SONGS(70)

The March
King

By the time of Sousa, marches

were no longer serving a
marching or militaristic purpose
exclusively, but rather
celebrating or commemorating
different heroes, regiments,
schools, or events.
Typically featured a consistent
form:
Intro, First strain (often
repeated), second strain (often
repeated, usually featuring low
winds), trio (usually in
neighboring key), Dogfight, and
sometimes a coda.
This structure was coupled with
contrasting styles from marcato
to legato, and dynamics from p
to ff.

The Marches of JPS

Inspired Simplicity

Generally, his earlier marches tend to be militaristic in character. After the turn of the 20th
century, the marches became more sophisticated.
In spite of his image as a military man, only 32 of his marches bear military titles.
12 for expositions/fairs, 11 for schools, and ten for stage productions.
The remainder were written for organizations, events, etc.
30 carry no specific dedications, and 21 were written exclusively for
individuals.
Typical Sousa march is moving forward at all times.
His marches show his violinists earlots of leaps and melodies that fall nicely on violin, but
can be quite difficult for wind players or even to whistle.
Average length, excluding medleys and dirges, comes to 2:35 minutes, with the shortest
being Guide Right (1:28) and the longest being The Free Lance (4:07).
Roughly twice as many of his marches are written in cut time as in 6/8 times. However, many
of his most popular marches were exclusively in 6/8 time, as this was the rhythm of the
popular two-step dance of the time.
Sousa never took credit for creating the march form, but he did manage to standardize its
deployment.
Introduction usually 4 bars long, with subsequent sections usually in 16 or 32
bar durations.
Episodes have no set length, and are sometimes as long or longer than the
sections they are separating.
Sousa did not insist that his methods and interpretations be preserved or mimicked. In fact,
he went to great trouble to keep such information to himself, likely to avoid competition from
rival bandleaders.
He would deviate from the score regularly with regard to such things as

Liberty Loan
Library of Congress
A Century of Progress
Magna Charta
Across the Danube
Manhattan Beach
America First
March of the Mitten Men
Anchor and Star
March of the Pan Americans
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company
March of the Royal Trumpets
Ben Bolt
Marquette University March
Bonnie Annie Laurie
Mikado March
Boy Scouts of America
Mother Goose
Bullets and Bayonets
Mother Hubbard March
Columbia's Pride
National Fencibles
Comrades of the Legion
New Mexico
Congress Hall
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
Corcoran Cadets
Old Ironsides
Daughters of Texas
On Parade
El Capitan
Esprit de Corps
On the Campus
Flags of Freedom
On the Tramp
Foshay Tower Washington Memorial
Our Flirtations
From Maine to Oregon
Pet of the Petticoats
George Washington Bicentennial
Powhattan's Daughter
Globe and Eagle
President Garfield's
Golden Jubilee
Inauguration March
Guide Right
Prince Charming
Hail to the Spirit of Liberty
Recognition March
Hands Across the Sea
Resumption March
Harmonica Wizard
Review (Opus 5)
Homeward Bound
Revival March
Imperial Edward
Riders for the Flag
In Memoriam
Right Forward
Jack Tar
Kansas Wildcats
Right-Left
Keeping Step with the Union
Sabre and Spurs
King Cotton
Salutation
La Flor de Sevilla
Semper Fidelis
Liberty Loan
Sesqui-Centennial Exposition
March
Solid Men to the Front

(143 total)

The Aviators
The Beau Ideal
The Belle of Chicago
The Black Horse Troop
The Bride Elect
The Chantyman's March
The Charlatan
The Circumnavigators
Club
The Crusader
The Dauntless Battalion
The Diplomat
The Directorate
The Fairest of the Fair
The Federal
The Free Lance
The Gallant Seventh
The Gladiator
The Glory of the Yankee
Navy
The Golden Star
The Gridiron Club
The High School Cadets
The Honored Dead
The Invincible Eagle
The Lambs' March
The Legionaires
The Liberty Bell
The Loyal Legion
The Man Behind the Gun
The Minnesota March
The National Game
The Naval Reserve
The New York
Hippodrome
The Northern Pines
The Occidental
The Pathfinder of
Panama
The Phoenix March

The
Marches
The Rifle
Regiment
The Royal Welch
Fusiliers (No. 1)
The Royal Welch
Fusiliers (No. 2)
The Salvation
Army
The Stars and
Stripes Forever
The Thunderer
The Triton
The Volunteers
The Washington
Post
The White
Plume
The White Rose
The Wildcats
The Wolverine
March
Transit of Venus
Triumph of Time
U.S. Field
Artillery
Universal Peace
University of
Illinois
University of
Nebraska
Untitled march

Anatomy of a March

Intro/Fanfar
e

Second
Strain
Tri
o
Dogfight

Coda (trio
recalled)

First
Strain

In Performance
The repertoire Sousa performed with his band were primarily
transcriptions of popular tunes both domestic and abroad,
as well as requests by his patrons.
One of Sousas primary goals was to please his
audience, which factored greatly in to the vast
popularity of his band.
Sousa did not like much time to pass in performance without
music playing; moreover, he hated the time between the
end of the clapping and the beginning of the next
composition.
Instead of letting the applause end, Sousa would
immediately strike up an encore, very often one of
his own marches. These encores were rarely listed in
the program, but were vital in preventing the
audience from becoming restless.
Many aspects of his programming reflected his experiences in
musical theatre, a potpourri style that led to diverse and

October 18, 1906 at the Boston

Foodfrom
Fair
Evening
8-10
1. Overture,Poet and Peasant by Suppe
2. Song for cornet,The Lost Chord by
Overture,Oberon by Weber
Sullivan
Soloist Mr. Herbert L. Clarke
Quartet for Saxophones,Rigoletto by Verdi,
3. Songs of Grace and songs of Glory by
Soloists Messrs. Schensley, Knecht, Schaich
and Becker
Sousa
(A collection of hymn tunes of the
Scenes fromLa Giaconda by Ponchielli
American Churches, introducingLead
Kindly LightandNearer My God to Thee,
Violin soloLargo by Handel,
the
Soloist Miss Jeannette Powers
two favorite hymns of the late President
McKinley.)
Fantasie,Siegfried by Wagner
4. Aria for soprano,Samson and Delilah by
St. Saens
Excerpts from the operatic works of Meyerbeer
Soloist Miss Ada Chambers
5. Gems fromLady Madcap by Rubens
a. Valse,Espana by Waldteufel
b. March,Jack Tar by Sousa
6. Second Polonaise by Liszt
7. a. Caprice,Paradise on Earth by
Ballad for soprano,Calm as the Night by Bohm
Einoedshofer
Soloist Miss Ada Chambers
b. March,King Cotton by Sousa
8. Violin Solo--prize song fromDie
Gems fromThe Bride Elect by Sousa
Meistersinger by Wagner,
Soloist Miss Jeannette Powers
Afternoon from 2-4

1.
2.

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

8.

9.

Average Sousa Band 63 Winds

1 Piccolo 4 Horns
6 Flutes 7 Cornets
2 Oboes 2 Trumpets
2 Bassoons 3 Trombones
21 B-flat Clarinets 2 Baritone Horns
1 Alto Clarinet 6 Tubas
2 Bass Clarinets
Harp
4 Saxophones Percussion

Sousa Band Instrumentation

Development

1893

1900

27 Woodwinds
19 Brass
46 Total, ~3:2 (WW:B)

48 Woodwinds
24 Brass
72 Total, 2:1 (WW:B)

By 1900, Sousa likely had significantly more resources available

to afford carrying a bigger band.
The increased ratio of woodwinds to brass in 1900 as compared
to 1893 allowed the ensemble to sound less like a band and
more like an orchestra in its
performance of popular tunes or
standard transcriptions.
Considerably larger venues became available to Sousa as he
became more and
more renowned, and he was able to write
for larger sounds to fill larger spaces.
The continuing development of brass instruments allowed them

Timeline of John
Philip Sousa

1854: John Philip Sousa born on November 6Father: John Antonio Sousa
(1824-1892)
Mother:Marie Elisabeth (Trinkaus) Sousa (1826-1908)
1861: Begins music and violin studies with John Esputa
1868: Enlists as an apprentice in the U.S. Marine Band on June 9
1871: Honorably discharged from the Marines on December 31
1872: Begins second enlistment in the Marines on July 8
1873: Copyrights early compositions, The Review March and The
Cuckoo Galop
1874: Honorably discharged from the Marines on May 18
Studies composition with George Felix Benkert (until 1876)
Becomes conductor of the Washington, D.C., Opera House (until 1877)
Conducts road company in Matt MorgansLiving Pictures(until 1878)
Plays 1st violin under Offenbach at the Centennial Exposition in
Philadelphia (until 1878)
Plays in Mrs. Drews Arch Street Theater Orchestra in Philadelphia
(until 1879)
1875: Conducts road company in The Phoenix throughout the U.S.
1876: Plays in Chestnut Street Theater Orchestra in Philadelphia
1879: Becomes music director of Gormans Philadelphia Church Choir
Company inH.M.S. Pinafore
Tours withH.M.S. Pinafore
1879: Marries Jane van Middlesworth (Bellis) on December 30, 1879
1880: ComposesOur Flirtations(a play with music) and tours as
conductor of the group
Enlists in the Marines for a third time as leader, or principal musician
1880-92: Serves as conductor of The Presidents Own, the U.S.
Marine Band under presidents Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, and
Harrison
1884: Composes first successful operettaDesiree
1889: Composes The Washington Post March, which brings him world
fame--and $35 in royalties
1891: Takes the U.S. Marine Band on its first tour of the U.S.
1892: Honorably discharged from the Marines on July 30
First concert by Sousas New Marine Band in Plainfield, NJ, on
September 26
Sousa Band tours annually, performing more than 15,000 concerts
(until 1931)
Sousa Band performs at the dedication of buildings at the Worlds
Columbian Exposition (Worlds Fair) in Chicago in October

1893: Engaged by Theodore Thomas to play in concerts at

Worlds Columbian Exposition, May-June
1895: Completes full score for operettaEl Capitan
1896: David Blakely (Sousas manager) dies in New York
while Sousa is on vacation in Europe
First performance of operettaEl Capitanin Boston on April 13
Completes piano score for The Stars and Stripes Forever on
Christmas Day
1897: Completes band score for The Stars and Stripes
Forever in Boston on April 26
First performance of operettaThe Bride Electin New Haven,
CT, on December 28
1898: First performance of operettaThe Charlatanin
Montreal, Canada, on August 29
1900: Begins engagement as the official American band at
the Universal Exposition (Worlds Fair) in Paris, France (also
tours Europe), May-September
1901: Sousa Band tours Great Britain; first command
performance at Sandringham on December 1
1903: Sousa Band again tours Great Britain
1910: Sousa Band begins world tour on December 24
1911: World tour completed at the New York Hippodrome on
December 10
1913: First performance of operettaThe American Maidin
Rochester, NY, on January 27
1915: Sousa Band performs at Panama Pacific Exposition in
San Francisco, CA, May-July
1917: Sousa enlists in the U.S. Navy at the age of 62 and
forms the 300-piece Jackie Band at the Great Lakes Naval
Training Center near Chicago. Discharged as a lieutenant
commander
1921: Receives injury upon fall from his horse at Willow
Grove, PA, on September 6
1922: Sousa Band tours Cuba
1928: Celebrates golden jubilee as conductor; begins Golden
Jubilee Tour
1929: Sousa Band begins broadcasting on NBC on May 6
1930: Sousa travels to England to give performances of The
Royal Welch Fusiliers March, June-July
1931: Completes last published march, The

Bibliography
A Capitol Fourth. Biography of the March King: John Philip Sousa.
PBS. http://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/history/john-philip-sousa/
(accessed October 1, 2014).
Bierley, Paul E. The Works of John Philip Sousa. (Columbus, Ohio:
Integrity Press, 1984).
John Philip Sousa. Naxos.
http://www.naxos.com/person/John_Philip_Sousa_24864/24864.htm
(accessed October 8, 2014)
John Philip Sousa. United States Marines.
http://www.marineband.marines.mil/About/OurHistory/JohnPhilipS
ousa.aspx (accessed October 1, 2014)
John Philip Sousa Marches. Chattanooga Symphony.
http://chattanoogasymphony.org/ypc/john-philip-sousas-marches/
Performing Arts Encyclopedia. John Philip Sousa Biography. The
Library of Congress.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200152755/default
.html (accessed September 29, 2014).
Performing Arts Encyclopedia. The March King: John Philip Sousa.
The Library of Congress.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/sousa/sousa-timeline.html
(accessed October 2, 2014).
Rhodes, Dr. Stephen L. Rhodes. A History of the Wind Band. David
Lipscomb University. http://www.lipscomb.edu/windbandhistory/