Born to poor immigrant parents, Sousa succeeded through hard work, talent, and self-motivated drive. This is the story of the man, his music, and his era.

Most famous for his military marches, John Philip Sousa led a group of devoted musicians around the world and shaped a new cultural landscape. This book documents almost every aspect of the "March King's" band: its history, its star performers, its appearances on recordings, and the problems the group faced on their 1911 trip around the world.

John Philip Sousa's mature career as the indomitable leader of his own touring band is well known, but the years leading up to his emergence as a celebrity have escaped serious attention. In this revealing biography, Patrick Warfield explains how the March King came to be by documenting Sousa's early life and career. Covering the period 1854 to 1893, this study focuses on the community and training that created Sousa, exploring the musical life of late nineteenth-century Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia as a context for Sousa's development. Warfield examines Sousa's wide-ranging experience composing, conducting, and performing in the theater, opera house, concert hall, and salons, as well as his leadership of the United States Marine Band and the later Sousa Band, early twentieth-century America's most famous and successful ensemble. Sousa composed not only marches during this period but also parlor, minstrel, and art songs; parade, concert, and medley marches; schottisches, waltzes, and polkas; and incidental music, operettas, and descriptive pieces. Warfield's examination of Sousa's output reveals a versatile composer much broader in stylistic range than the bandmaster extraordinaire remembered as the March King. In particular, Making the March King demonstrates how Sousa used his theatrical training to create the character of the March King. The exuberant bandmaster who pleased audiences was both a skilled and charismatic conductor and a theatrical character whose past and very identity suggested drama, spectacle, and excitement. Sousa's success was also the result of perseverance and lessons learned from older colleagues on how to court, win, and keep an audience. Warfield presents the story of Sousa as a self-made business success, a gifted performer and composer who deftly capitalized on his talents to create one of the most entertaining, enduring figures in American music.

(Meredith Music Resource). The performing style that created the "Sousa Sound" and made his music pre-eminent in the golden age of bands is revealed in this thought-provoking exploration by Keith Brion, founder and conductor of his own New Sousa Band. The band was formed in 1986 for a nationally televised PBS special, The New Sousa Band on Stage at Wolf Trap . It has since toured in every section of the United States and performed overseas tours in Japan and China. Since 1980, Mr. Brion has conducted his popular "Sousa at the Symphony" concerts with nearly every American major and regional symphony orchestra, often in repeat performances. Brion's insight into the musical depth of Sousa marches will enlighten any serious reader. Includes: * Sousa'a Marches As He Conducted Them * Parts of a Sousa March * Articulations, Dynamics, Phrasing, Harmony and Counterpoint * Blend, Color, Balance and Tempo * The Importance of After-Beats and Bass Lines * Instruments and Instrumentations * Percussion in Sousa's Marches * Patterns for Conducting Marches * Background and Analysis of The Stars and Stripes Forever 2/2 * Background and Analysis of The Invincible Eagle 6/8 * A Summary of Sousa Performance Techniques * Performance Suggestions * New Sousa Band Style Sheet and Guidelines * A List of References: Books and Recordings * Facts and Misconceptions About Sousa and His Concerts

This autobiography records the life deeds and experiences of musician John Philip Sousa, who 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 and resultant prominence, he is known as "The March King."

The most well-respected biography of John Philip Sousa, John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon explores his life and work and traces his effects on the role of cultural arts in the United States. Sousa was a true musical genius who dedicated his life to raising the level of his country's music appreciation and improving its image abroad. This new edition retains all the wonderful images and information about the composer and conductor who had so much influence on musical tastes in our country. This text makes a great addition to any library, especially for Sousa fans and music educators, and is a must for every band director preparing Sousa scores for rehearsal.

The marches of John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) remain staples of the band repertoire, but our knowledge of Sousa¿s music rests largely on modern editions designed for school (rather than professional) bands, or on reprintings of the original editions, which because of their small size and rushed publication contain countless inconsistencies and omissions. This volume contains full band scores for six Sousa marches, each prepared from the first printing of the band parts and informed by Sousa¿s holograph and the original performance materials. The six marches¿The Washington Post (1889), The Liberty Bell (1893), El Capitan (1896), The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896), Sabre and Spurs (1918), and George Washington Bicentennial (1930)¿span Sousa¿s career, from his tenure as leader of the United States Marine Band (1880-92) to his years conducting his own, commercial ensemble (1892-1932). Also included in the volume is an essay reexamining Sousa¿s biography, source materials, performance practice, and place in American culture.