| John Philip Sousa |
Article Index for John Philip |
Articles about John Philip Sousa |
Website Links For John Philip |
Information AboutJohn Philip Sousa |
|
John Philip Sousa ( November 6 , 1854 – March 6 , 1932 ), popularly known as "The March King", was an American Composer and Conductor of the late Romantic Era known particularly for American Military Marches . There is an enduring, but false, Urban Legend that he was born '''John Phillip''' '''So''' and added the 'usa' due to Patriotism . EARLY LIFE Sousa was born in Washington D.C. to John António de Sousa and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus, parents of Portuguese and Bavarian ( German ) descent. When the young Sousa reached the age of 13, his father enlisted his son in the United States Marine Corps as an apprentice, shortly after he attempted to run away and join a Circus . Several years later, John left his apprenticeship to join a theatrical band. He learned to Conduct and returned to the U.S. Marine Band as its head in 1880 . Sousa also led the Marching Band of Gonzaga College High School . Sousa organized his own band in 1892. It toured widely, and in 1900, represented the United States at the Paris Exposition before touring Europe . Sousa repeatedly refused to conduct on the Radio , fearing a lack of personal contact with the audience. He was finally persuaded to do so in 1929 and became a smash hit. MUSIC Marches He wrote well over 100 marches; some of his most popular are:
The marching brass bass, or Sousaphone , is named after him. Operetta s
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''. The operetta ''El Capitan'' is the best known of the operettas. It has been in production somewhere in the world ever since it was written. ''Desiree'' and ''The Glass Blowers'' have had revivals. The music of the operettas is light and cheerful. Many of the marches are derived from themes of the operettas. Other music In addition to hundreds of marches, Sousa wrote ten Opera s and a number of musical suites. 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. Henry, who had developed the first electric motor, was also the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. A and Mars , invisible to the participants, were setting in the west. At the same time, the Moon , Uranus , and Virgo were rising in the east, Saturn had crossed the meridian, and Jupiter was directly overhead. 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. 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."[http://transitofvenus.org/sousa.htm] 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 Novel s and a full length Autobiography as well as a great number of articles and letters-to-the-editor on a variety of subjects. As a Trapshooter , he ranks as one of the all-time greats, and his skill as a Horseman met championship criteria. In 1920 he wrote another work called ''The Transit of Venus'', a 40,000-word Prose story. It is about a group of Misogynist s 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. The captain's niece, however, has stowed away on board and soon wins over the men. {Link without Title} He was among the Reactionary camp of Sheet Music authors railing against the upstart Recording Industry . 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. 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 cord will be eliminated by a process of evolution, as was the tail of man when he came from the ape. MEDIA
|
|
|