![]() Its trio is the most famous part of the march. The Stars and Stripes Forever follows the standard American march form. Sousa disliked recordings and radio, and most of the Sousa band recording sessions were conducted by Herbert L. Although Sousa would conduct performances of his march at virtually every concert until his death, only one recording of Sousa performing the march with his band which was, made on August 7 th 1909 by Edison (#285 and #2104) in New York is known to survive today. Later recordings by Edison and Victor were conducted by Arthur Pryor. The first known recording of the march was made by Berliner Recording Company on August 18 th 1897 (#61) in New York, followed by Columbia (#532) in Washington. Piccolo in D-flat, Two Oboes, Two Bassoons, Clarinet in E-flat, Two Clarinets in B-flat (1-2), Alto saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Three Cornets (1-3), 4 Horns in E-flat (1-4), Three Trombones (1-3), Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion The original Sousa instrumentation of the march included: This bears out the contention that the march was indeed conceived completely in his head. It is interesting to note however that not one single sketch of the "Stars and Stripes Forever" has been located. Many of the pencil sketches are still preserved. Sousa usually had the custom of sketching out the scores of his marches in pencil and then later inking out the full score and for parts to be extracted by the copyist. The march was an immediate success, and Sousa's Band played it at almost every concert until his death. I did not transfer a note of that music to paper while I was on the steamer, but when we reached shore, I set down the measures that my brain-band had been playing for me, and not a note of it has ever changed. Throughout the whole tense voyage, that imaginary band continued to unfold the same themes, echoing and re-echoing the most distinct melody. Suddenly, I began to sense a rhythmic beat of a band playing within my brain. As the vessel (the Teutonic) steamed out of the harbor I was pacing on the deck, absorbed in thoughts of my manager's death and the many duties and decisions which awaited me in New York. Here came one of the most vivid incidents of my career. Sousa tells the rest of the story in his autobiography, Marching Along. It was on May 14 th 1897 in a Philadelphia concert that the march was premiered as the Stars the Stripes Forever, and received rave reviews in the press. It was first played by the Sousa band on May 1 st 1897 in Augusta Maine. He committed the notes to paper soon after his arrival in America on Christmas Day 1896. In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote after he learned of the recent death of David Blakely, then manager of the Sousa Band, that he suddenly had an epiphany and had written the march in his head. Surprisingly, John Philip Sousa's great American patriotic march, "The Stars and Stripes Forever," was written not in the aftermath of a great battle, but on an ocean liner as Sousa and his wife were returning from a European vacation. In fact, the march received the great honor of being selected by an act of Congress as the National March of the United States of America in 1987. ![]() Composer John Philip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the finest work of composer John Philip Sousa. ![]() A memorable example of the use of ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ march as an emergency signal was during the Hartford circus fire of July 6, 1944, which saw at least 168 people killed.Ĭelebrated to honor the American march of the same name written and composed by John Philip Sousa, it became the National March of the United States in 1987.First published in 1897. It would be used as a subtle notification to emergency personnel, allowing them to effectively marshall all exits without causing a stampede. The early 20th century saw ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ march commonly used as a traditional code to signal emergencies in theaters. The march is widely regarded as the ‘Disaster March’ in entertainment and show business. In 1987, an act of the United States Congress made ‘The Stars and Stripes’ march the official national march of the United States of America. ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ march was first publicly performed at Willow Grove Park outside of Philadelphia, on May 14, 1897, and was met with ardent and zealous reception. He later penned the notes on paper after he arrived back in the United States. It was composed while Sousa was on his way home from a vacation in Europe, with his wife when he got the news of his band manager, David Blakely’s death. History of The Stars and Stripes Forever DayĪccording to a 1928 autobiography titled “Marching Along” by John Philip Sousa, ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ march was composed on Christmas Day in 1896.
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