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"The Stars and Stripes Forever" is considered Sousa's most famous composition. [3] A British journalist named Sousa "The March King", in comparison to "The Waltz King" — Johann Strauss II. [4] However, not all of Sousa's marches had the same level of public appeal. [2] Some of his early marches are lesser known and rarely performed. [2]
"Liberty Loan March" is a World War I era song composed by John Philip Sousa. [1] The song had been written for the Liberty Loan Drive, the first of which was held in April 1917. In these drives, Sousa's march was played and participants walked in time to the music. [2] A recording of this song was released in 1917 by Victor Records.
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor. He served as the director of the United States Marine Band from 1880 to 1892. During his tenure, he was popularly referred to as the "March King". [2] In 1892, after leaving the marine band, Sousa started his own band, which he later called "Sousa's Band".
Sousa retired from touring in 1931 and died a year later, on March 6, 1932. By that time, popular musical tastes had passed him by. Americans were into swing music now.
In his 1928 autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote that he composed the march on Christmas Day, 1896. Sousa was on board an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife in Europe and had just learned of the recent death of David Blakely, the manager of the Sousa Band. He composed the march in his head and committed the notes to ...
The following summer, Sousa traveled to Tidworth, England, where on June 25 a "beautifully bound score of the march" was presented to the fusiliers during the regiment's anniversary observance of the battle. [7] [8] Sousa also directed the band of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in the performance of his march. [6]
It follows normal march style, IAABBCCDCDC, and is played at the normal pace of most marches: 120-128 beats per minute. Although marches such as Semper Fidelis, The Washington Post, Stars and Stripes Forever and Hands Across the Sea have achieved greater popularity, the Gladiator is still regarded as John Philip Sousa's first success.
Hinton suggested "The Liberty Bell" for the title of Sousa's unnamed march. Coincidentally, Sousa received a letter from his wife saying their son had marched in a parade in honor of the Liberty Bell. Sousa agreed, and he sold "The Liberty Bell" sheet music to the John Church Company for publication; the new march was an immediate success. [2]