John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C., in 1854, and became known as “The March King” due to his skill as a composer of march music. He was a conductor and band leader in addition to being known for his energetic marches.
At the age of six, Sousa began studying the violin, as well as music theory and composition. His father, a trombonist in the Marine Band, enlisted him as an apprentice in the United States Marine Corps when he was 13 years old. This maneuver was successful in keeping Sousa from joining a circus band.
Sousa studied every wind instrument he could during his seven-year apprenticeship. When it was over, he went to work in a theater’s pit orchestra, where he learned to conduct. He did, however, return to the Marine Band in 1880 as its conductor, a position he held until 1892. He composed some of his most well-known marches during this time, including “The Gladiator March,” “Semper Fidelis,” “The Washington Post,” and “The Thunderer.” The Marine Corps’ official march is called “Semper Fidelis.”
After leaving the Marine Band, Sousa formed his own band, the Sousa Band, which toured until 1931, performing 15,623 times. During this time, he composed more of his famous marches, such as “The Liberty Bell,” “Manhattan Beach March,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “El Capitan,” “Fairest of the Fair,” and “US Field Artillery.” The US Army’s official song is a modified version of the last march mentioned, known as “The Army Goes Rolling Along.”
During this time, Sousa had the idea for the instrument that would later be known as the Sousaphone. He desired a tuba-like instrument with a sound that would carry up and forward through the band, whether the performer was standing or sitting. C.G. Conn designed the first one in 1898.
Sousa composed marches for several universities in addition to his own band. He wrote a number of operettas, including El Capitan, and orchestrated Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta H.M.S. Pinafore, which is less well known. He died in 1932 and is buried in Washington, D.C.’s Congressional Cemetery.