Meet a Composer: John Philip Sousa

Meet a Composer: John Philip Sousa

Years Lived: 1854-1932

Period of Composing: Romantic

Country: United States

John Philip Sousa was an American composer best known for writing marches; in fact, he was known as "The March King" because he composed over 130 marches! 

John Philip Sousa was the son of a Trombonist in "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, the band for which Sousa would later become director! Sousa started playing violin at a young age. When Sousa was 13 he wanted to run away to play in a circus band so his father enlisted him as an apprentice musician in the Marine Band. 

Sousa remained in the band until he was 20 years old when he left the Marines to perform in the Washington DC and Philadelphia areas. He returned to lead "The President's Own" in 1880 as its 17th director and brought the band to the fame it has today.  He directed the band until 1892 through five presidents, from Rutherford B. Hayes to Benjamin Harrison.

After leaving "The President's Own," he led his own civilian band, "The Sousa Band," and toured all over the world. It was while he was returning from vacationing in Europe that he wrote his most famous march, The Stars and Stripes Forever because he was homesick for the United States. 

Did You Know?

John Philip Sousa was so famous in his time that his face was on a postage stamp! See below:

Sousa's famous The Stars and Stripes Forever march was adopted as the official national march of the United States of America following a 1987 Act of Congress.

The Sousaphone was created about 1893 under the direction or John Philip Sousa.  He wanted an instrument that was easier to play when standing or marching than the concert tuba.

Read and hear more about John Philip Sousa on this Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids webpage.

Hear about John Philip Sousa's life on this Classics For Kids episode and then listen to this episode to learn more about his The Stars and Stripes Forever March. 

Visit the official website of the United States Marine Corps for a more detailed history of Sousa. 

Need a great playlist for the 4th of July? Download recordings and music scores of 114 of Sousa's marches on the official United States Marine Corps website.