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United States Marine Band (John Philip Sousa)
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
United States Marine Band (John Philip Sousa) · The United States Marine Band is the military band of the United States Marine Corps, known as The President's Own. It achieved its greatest fame under John Philip Sousa, born in 1854 in Washington. His father, a trombonist in the band, enrolled him as an apprentice at the age of thirteen, to prevent him from joining a circus band. Sousa left the band in 1875, played violin in a theatre orchestra and learned to conduct. In 1880 he returned as its leader and stayed for twelve years.
Music and breakthrough
Under Sousa the Marine Band became the best military band in the country. He shifted the repertoire towards symphonic music and insisted on stricter rehearsals. He led the band under five presidents. In 1892 he started his own civilian Sousa Band, which until 1931 gave more than fifteen thousand concerts in the United States and abroad, including at the world exhibition in Paris and at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Sousa also helped develop the sousaphone, a marching tuba.
Influence
His marches made him known as the March King. The Stars and Stripes Forever is the national march of the United States. Other well-known pieces are Semper Fidelis, The Liberty Bell and The Washington Post. His marches are still the sound of parades, football stadiums and holidays.
Listening
The Stars and Stripes Forever · United States Marine Band (John Philip Sousa)Apple Music ↗