The Medina Community Band
Marcus Neiman, conductor
John Connors, associate conductor & Matthew Hastings, assistant conductor
In Memory of Edwin Howard Robnett
Ice Cream Social Host – Medina Lions Club
Friday Evening, July 19th, 2019
Medina Uptown Park Square Gazebo 8:30 p.m.
Anthem, Star Spangled Banner (1889/1917) ...... Francis Scott Key John Philip Sousa
Overture, La Belle Hélène (1864/1958) ...... Jacques Offenbach Lawrence Odom
March, Emblem of Unity (1941) ...... Joseph John Richards
Trombone Solo, Morceau Symphonique, Op. 88 (1902) ...... Alexandre Guilmant Wesley Shepard
George Rosin, soloist
Salute, Fly Me to the Moon (1954/2014) ...... Bart Howard Takashi Hoshide
Dance, Sabre Dance (from Gayane) (1942-1947) ...... Aram Khachaturian Erik William Gustav Leidzén
March, Billboard (1901) ...... John Klohr
Suite, Carnival of the Animals (1886/2005) ...... Camille Saint-Saëns Jay Bocook
March, Semper Fidelis (1888) ...... John Philip Sousa
National March, The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896) ...... John Philip Sousa
Patriotic Sing-A-Long, God Bless America (1917) ...... Irving Berlin Erik William Gustav Leidzén
Program subject to change
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 1
La Belle Hélène Jacques Offenbach / Lawrence Odom
Jacques Offenbach 20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr. and Arthur Sullivan. His best-known works were continually revived during the 20th century, and many of his operettas continue to be staged in the 21st. The Tales of Hoffman remains part of the standard opera repertory. Born in Cologne, the son of a synagogue cantor, Offenbach showed early musical talent. At the age of 14, he was accepted as a student at the Paris Conservatoire but found academic study unfulfilling and left after a year. From 1835 to 1855 he earned his living as a cellist, achieving international fame, and as a conductor. His ambition, however, was to compose comic pieces for the musical theatre. Finding the management of Paris' Opéra- Comique company uninterested in staging his works, in 1855 he leased a small theatre in the Champs-Élysées. There he presented a series of his own small-scale pieces, many of which became popular. In 1858, Offenbach produced his first full-length operetta, Orphée aux enfers ("Orpheus in the Underworld"), which was exceptionally well received and has remained one of his most played works. During the 1860s, he produced at least 18 full-length operettas, as well as more one-act pieces. His works from this period included La belle Hélène (1864), La vie parisienne (1866), La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (1867) and La Périchole (1868). The risqué humour (often about sexual intrigue) and mostly gentle satiric barbs in these pieces, together with Offenbach's facility for melody, made them internationally known, and translated versions were successful in Vienna, London and elsewhere in Europe. Offenbach became associated with the Second French Empire of Napoleon III; the emperor and his court were genially satirized in many of Offenbach's operettas. Napoleon III personally granted him French citizenship and the Légion d'Honneur. With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Offenbach found himself out of favor in Paris because of his imperial connections and his German birth. He remained successful in Vienna and London, however. He re-established himself in Paris during the 1870s, with revivals of some of his earlier favorites and a series of new works, and undertook a popular U.S. tour. In his last years he strove to finish The Tales of Hoffmann, but died before the premiere of the opera, which has entered the standard repertory in versions completed or edited by other musicians.1 La Belle Hélène The Beautiful Helen), is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The operetta parodies the story of Helen's elopement with Paris, which set off the Trojan War. It was first performed at Paris's Théâtre des Variétés on December 17, 1864, starring Hortense Schneider and José Dupuis. While some experts (cf Grove) are of the opinion that the creation of La belle Hélène was a "largely untroubled" affair, others (cf Jacob) paint a different picture: Although Offenbach had managed at great cost to persuade Schneider, known by then as "La Snédèr", to accept the role of Helen, the premiere remained in doubt to the very last minute. During rehearsals, La Snédèr constantly complained that the extravagant Léa Silly (in a male role as Oreste) was trying to upstage her: La Silly extemporized (a privilege reserved for the prima donna); she imitated her; she danced a cancan in her back while she was singing an important aria, etc. etc. La Snédèr not only walked off the set repeatedly,
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Offenbach
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 2 but kept threatening to leave the world, or at least Paris, altogether! It took all of Offenbach's skills at creating harmony to see the production through. La belle Hélène was an instant success with both the public and the critics and enjoyed an initial run of 700 performances. Premieres in Vienna (1865), Berlin (1865), London (1866), and Chicago (1867) followed shortly. It also had a run in New York City at the Grand Opera House beginning on April 13, 1871. It had its Czech premiere in Prague in 1875, under Adolf Čech.2
Emblem of Unity March Joseph John Richards
Joseph John Richards DOB: August 27th, 1878, (Cwmvon, Wales) DOD: March 16th, 1956 (Long Beach, California)
Joseph John Richards was born August 27, 1878 in Cwmavon, Wales. His family immigrated to the United States four years later, settling in Peterson, Kansas. He began learning various brass instruments at the age of ten, progressing rapidly, playing in various amateur bands. At the age of nineteen he was appointed leader of the Norton-Jones Circus Band, beginning a long career as bandmaster with numerous ensembles. Richards’ first composition appeared in print in 1899; during this period he began writing marches and other works, and certainly many of his early works were first performed by the bands that he led. His career as a circus bandleader culminated with his directorship of the Ringling Bros. Circus Band from 1911 through 1918. During the circus off-seasons, Richards attended Kansas State Teachers College and the American Conservatory of Music. Beginning in the early 1920’s, he taught school music and directed bands in various Illinois towns through 1944. In 1945, upon the death of Herbert L. Clarke, he was appointed director of the famed Long Beach, California Municipal Band, a post he held until 1950. Subsequently, Richards returned to Illinois in the spring and summer to lead the Mt. Morris Band while wintering in Long Beach. He died on March 16, 1956 in Long Beach. Richards was highly regarded by his peers. He was elected to the American Bandmasters Association in 1939 and served as its president in 1948. He composed well over one hundred works that were published. Undoubtedly his most famous composition - one which enjoys great popularity today - is the marvelous “Emblem of Unity” march. Historical Comments: Emblem of Unity was written in a traditional march form with slight deviations. Of particular interest is Richards’ use of augmented sixth chords in the introduction, as well as solo measures for the snare drum. Possibly the most recognizable feature of the march is the prominent use of the horn section, combined with the baritones on solo measures in the first strain. The horns are featured again in the second strain with exposed octaves accompanied only by chromatic passages in the woodwinds and trumpet parts.
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_belle_H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne
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The march was written while he was directing both the public school and municipal bands in Sterling, Illinois. Barnhouse published the march in 1941. This brilliant march, Richard’s most popular, was written while he was living in Sterling, Illinois, conducting both the high school and community bands. A classic and exciting composition, this work is played by hundreds of school and professional bands each year. Some of the composition’s unique features include: the chord changes which precede the snare drum forzando in the introduction, the short lower brass breaks, and the final strain which sounds correct at either a constant, slower, or accelerating tempo.3
Morceau Symphonique, Op 88 Alexandre Guilmant / Wesley Shepard
Félix-Alexandre Guilmant DOB: March 12th, 1837 (Boulogne-sur-Mer, France) DOD: March 29th, 1911 (Meudon, France)
Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantorum de Paris. He was appointed as Professor of Organ at the Paris Conservatoire in 1896.[1] Biography Guilmant was born in Meudon. A student of his father, then of the Belgian master Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens, he became an organist and teacher in his place of birth. In 1871 he was appointed to play the organ regularly at la Trinité church in Paris, and this position he held for 30 years.[2] Guilmant was known for his improvisations, both in the concert and church setting. His inspiration came from gregorian chants, and he was greatly noted amongst his colleagues for his mastery of the melodies.[1] From then on, Guilmant followed a career as a virtuoso; he gave concerts in the United States (the first major French organist to tour that country), and in Canada, as well as in Europe, making especially frequent visits to England. His American achievements included a 1904 series of no fewer than 40 recitals on the largest organ in the world, the St. Louis Exposition Organ, now preserved as the nucleus of Philadelphia's Wanamaker Organ. With his younger colleague, André Pirro, Guilmant published a collection of scores, Archives des Maîtres de l'Orgue (Archives of the Masters of the Organ), a compilation of the compositions of numerous pre- 1750 French composers. The collection was printed in ten volumes, the first in 1898 and the last (which Guilmant did not live to finalize) in 1914. Guilmant provided a rather similar survey of organ pieces by foreign composers, publishing l'École classique de l'Orgue (Classical School of the Organ). These anthologies, despite all the musicological developments which have taken place since Guilmant's own time, remain very valuable sources of early music.
3 Texas A&M University, Legend of the March Volume III, jacket notes (Dr. Timothy Rhea, conductor)
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 4
In 1894 Guilmant founded the Schola Cantorum with Charles Bordes and Vincent d'Indy. He taught there up until his death at his home in Meudon, near Paris, in 1911. In addition, he taught at the Conservatoire de Paris where he succeeded Charles-Marie Widor as organ teacher in 1896.[2] As a teacher, Guilmant was noted for his kindness and attention to detail. His students' recollections feature accounts of a particular focus on all facets of a note: attack, release, character.[3] Marcel Dupré was the most celebrated of his many students. Guilmant's interest in Marcel Dupré began when he was a child. Albert Dupré, father of the celebrated Marcel, studied organ with Guilmant for seven years prior to his son's birth. In Dupré's memoirs, he includes an anecdote where Guilmant visits his mother upon his birth and declares that the child will grow up to be an organist. After frequent visits throughout his childhood, Marcel Dupré began studying with Guilmant formally at age 11. From this time until his death, Guilmant championed the young virtuoso and did much to advance his career. [4] At the Paris conservatory around 1900 a favorable environment was created for students of the trombone, and every year a new work was commissioned as an examination piece for the students. One of these pieces was the "Morceau Symphonique" op 88 by the renowned organist and composer Alexendre Guilmant. Guilmant was born in Boulogne summer in 1837 and studied for the famous Lemmens in Brussels. At the age of 16 he was employed as the organist and choir conductor at St.Nicholas´s Church in his home town, but he subsequently moved to Paris to assume the post of organist at the Holy Tronity Church. By means of the inauguration of great organs such as that of Notre Dame in Paris he became well- known, and later toured with great success in England, Russia, Italy and the United States. Guilmant is regarded as one of the finest organists of his time. He wrote many pieces for his own instrument, and also works such as "Belshazzar" for soloists, choir and orchestra, and quantity of chamber music. He was one of the founder members of the Schola Cantorum and he made a major contribution to organ music by means of his historic Trocadero concerts. The Morceau Symphonique is listed in the catalogue of his works as a piece for trombone and piano, but, judging from the title and the way the piano part is written, there is every reason to assume that the work was originally conceived for trombone and orchestra.4
George Rosin, trombone, is a self-employed attorney in Akron Ohio, with emphasis on employer representation in Workers Compensation matters. Married to Diane and proud father of two future health care professionals, Rosin has a wide range of musical experience. He was a member of a Dixieland Band in high school; at Wittenberg University, he played with Wind Ensemble, Chet Bausch Big Band and Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he had a short stint with Blues/Rock Band (Grand Theft Auto), but mostly big band work - Night Coach, Jimmy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, and Jazz Revival Orchestra. Rosin is currently director of The Brass Choir at The Bath Church, lead trombone for the Hudson Community Chapel’s Holiday Musical Extravaganza, and a James Brown Tribute Band (The Real- Soul Pleaser, Robert T). He joined Medina Community Band in October of 2016. He is a member and past president of Akron Symphony Board. Music has been very, very good to me, he stated.
4 http://www.tarrodi.se/cl/ruta.asp?show=38
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 5
Fly Me to the Moon Bart Howard / Takashi Hoshide Born Howard Joseph Gustafson. Best-known for the perennial "Fly Me to the Moon," composer Bart Howard was born Howard Joseph Gustafson in Burlington, Iowa in 1916. After leaving home at 16 to serve as the pianist in a dance band that toured in support of Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, in 1934 he settled in Los Angeles in the hopes of mounting a career as a Hollywood tunesmith. Instead, Howard ended up as the accompanist behind female impersonator Rae Bourbon -- from there he backed comedienne Elizabeth Talbot-Martin, following her to New York City when she was booked at the Rainbow Room in 1937. From 1951 to 1959, Howard served as the emcee and intermission pianist at New York's Blue Angel; by day, he continued honing his own material, and in 1954, he completed "In Other Words." One publisher suggested he retitle the song "Take Me to the Moon," but he finally settled on "Fly Me to the Moon"; first performed by cabaret singer Felicia Sanders. In 1960, the song was made a huge hit by Peggy Lee, and was later recorded by Judy Garland, Doris Day, and -- perhaps most notably -- Frank Sinatra. Its success made Howard so wealthy that he curtailed his songwriting efforts and entered semi- retirement, although his "Let Me Love You" and "Don't Dream of Anybody but Me" also earned some measure of significant success. Frank Sinatra's 1964 recording of "Fly Me to the Moon" became closely associated with NASA's Apollo space program. A copy of the song was played on the Apollo 10 mission which orbited the Moon. It became the first music heard on the Moon when played on a portable cassette player by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin after he stepped onto the Moon. The song’s association with Apollo 11 was reprised many years later when Diana Krall sang it at the mission's 40th anniversary commemoration ceremony. She also sang a “slow and solemn version” in 2012 at the national memorial service for Apollo 11 mission commander Neil Armstrong.5
Sabre Dance Aram Khachaturian / Erik Leidzen Aram Il'yich Khachaturian [O.S. 24 May] 1903 – 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered to have been one of the leading Soviet composers.[5][6][7] Born and raised in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, Khachaturian moved to Moscow in 1921 following the Sovietization of the Caucasus. Without prior music training, he enrolled in the Gnessin Musical Institute, subsequently studying at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Nikolai Myaskovsky, among others. His first major work, the Piano Concerto (1936), popularized his name within and outside the Soviet Union. It was followed by the Violin Concerto (1940) and the Cello Concerto (1946). His other significant compositions include the Masquerade Suite (1941), the Anthem of the Armenian SSR (1944), three symphonies (1935, 1943, 1947), and around 25 film scores.
5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Me_to_the_Moon
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 6
Khachaturian is best known for his ballet music—Gayane (1942) and Spartacus (1954). His most popular piece, the "Sabre Dance" from Gayane, has been used extensively in popular culture and has been covered by a number of musicians worldwide.[8] His style is "characterized by colorful harmonies, captivating rhythms, virtuosity, improvisations, and sensuous melodies".[9] During most of his career, Khachaturian was approved by the Soviet government and held several high posts in the Union of Soviet Composers from the late 1930s, although he joined the Communist Party only in 1943. Along with Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich, he was officially denounced as a "formalist", and his music dubbed "anti-people" in 1948, but was restored later that year. After 1950 he taught at the Gnessin Institute and the Moscow Conservatory, and turned to conducting. He traveled to Europe, Latin America and the United States with concerts of his own works. In 1957 Khachaturian became the Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers, a position he held until his death. Khachaturian, who created the first Armenian ballet music, symphony, concerto, and film score,[B] is considered the most renowned Armenian composer of the 20th century. While following the established musical traditions of Russia, he broadly used Armenian and, to lesser extent, Caucasian, Eastern and Central European, and Middle Eastern peoples' folk music in his works. He is highly regarded in Armenia, where he is considered a "national treasure".[12]
"Sabre Dance" (Armenian: Սուսերով պար, Suserov par; Russian: Танец с саблями, Tanets s sablyami) is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian's ballet Gayane (1942), where the dancers display their skill with sabres.[2] It is Khachaturian's best known and most recognizable work.[3][4] Its middle section is based on an unnamed Armenian folk song.[2][5] According to Tigran Mansurian, it is a synthesis of an Armenian wedding dance tune from Gyumri tied in a saxophone counterpoint "that seems to come straight from America."[6] "Sabre Dance" is considered one of the signature pieces of 20th century popular music.[7] It was popularized by covers by pop artists,[8] first in the US and later in other countries, such as the UK and Germany. Its use in a wide range of films and TV series over the decades have significantly contributed to its renown.[9] Sabre Dance has also been used by a number of figure skaters from at least five countries in their performances. Tom Huizenga of NPR describes it as "one of the catchiest, most familiar—perhaps most maddening—tunes to come out of the 20th century."[10] Billboard magazine calls it "a piece that's known to every pops orchestra in existence."[11] Khachaturian apparently felt that its popularity "deflected attention from his other works."[12] 6
6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_Dance
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 7
Billboard March John Nicholas Klohr DOB: July 27, 1869 (Cincinnati, Ohio) DOD: February 17, 1956 (Cincinnati, Ohio) John Nicholas Klohr was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 27, 1869, the son of Jacob and Barbara[?] Klohr. He received his education in the Cincinnati public schools. During an extremely long and active career, he won considerable fame for his accomplishments. He was a vaudeville trombonist by profession and also played in various other types of music organizations, including the Syrian Temple Shrine Band of Cincinnati, conducted by Henry Fillmore. However, it is as a composer of marches that he is best known. His Billboard March has been one of the most popular marches ever written. Klohr was a member of the Syrian Temple Shrine Band for 50 years and also was a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. His compositions were written mostly for less advanced players. Although he was a close friend of Henry Fillmore, whose publishing firm was located in Cincinnati, he worked for several years with the John Church Company, also of Cincinnati. Klohr died of a heart attack at the age of 85 at his home in Cincinnati on February 17, 1956, and is buried in the St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati.7 The Billboard March was dedicated to the general amusement paper of the same name and published in 1901. Until its outdoor entertainment section was succeeded by Amusement Business in 1961, Billboard remained pre-eminent in its field. Klohr didn’t think much of this march at first, but conceded it was a success after the royalties paid for his home in Cincinnati, The trio is still known as a show business emblem, accompanying everything from circus parades to stand-up comedians’ entrances.
One of the most charming and recognizable circus tunes, “The Billboard March” is a major jewel of the gold era of the big top. Written by the otherwise obscure John H. Klohr in 1901, it was dedicated “to the General Amusement Paper The Billboard,” known today as Billboard Magazine, which remains very active in the entertainment industry. Often used in clown walk-arounds, which feature clowns working the crowds closeup while the next act is being readied, “Billboard” is a circus staple. It is also used for “playoffs,” relatively short passages of music to end acts, including those featuring elephants. It is used outside the circus including the opening theme of a 19060s classical music station program in Washington, D.C., and a performance by Desi Arnaz and his artistic associates on the 1950s I Love Lucy television series.8
7 Rehig, William H., Bierley, Paul (editor). The encyclopedia of band music, Integrity Press, Westerville, OH. (2005), CD, used with permission. 8 Studwell, William, Conrad, Charles, and Schueneman. Circus songs. Haworth Press (New York), p 3.
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 8
Carnival of the Animals Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns BOB: October 9th, 1935 (Paris, France) DOD: December 16th, 1921 (Algiers)
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Second Piano Concerto (1868), the First Cello Concerto (1872), Danse macabre (1874), the opera Samson and Delilah (1877), the Third Violin Concerto (1880), the Third ("Organ") Symphony (1886) and The Carnival of the Animals (1886). Saint-Saëns was a musical prodigy, making his concert debut at the age of ten. After studying at the Paris Conservatoire he followed a conventional career as a church organist, first at Saint-Merri, Paris and, from 1858, La Madeleine, the official church of the French Empire. After leaving the post twenty years later, he was a successful freelance pianist and composer, in demand in Europe and the Americas. As a young man, Saint-Saëns was enthusiastic for the most modern music of the day, particularly that of Schumann, Liszt and Wagner, although his own compositions were generally within a conventional classical tradition. He was a scholar of musical history, and remained committed to the structures worked out by earlier French composers. This brought him into conflict in his later years with composers of the impressionist and dodecaphonic schools of music; although there were neoclassical elements in his music, foreshadowing works by Stravinsky and Les Six, he was often regarded as a reactionary in the decades around the time of his death. Saint-Saëns held only one teaching post, at the École de Musique Classique et Religieuse in Paris, and remained there for less than five years. It was nevertheless important in the development of French music: his students included Gabriel Fauré, among whose own later pupils was Maurice Ravel. Both of them were strongly influenced by Saint-Saëns, whom they revered as a genius.9
When Saint-Saëns composed this "Grand Zoological Fantasy," early in 1886, he had no intention of offering the work to the public; he simply thought to provide an entertainment for his friends at Carnival time. The public premiere took place on February 26, 1922, a little more than two months after the composer's death, and The Carnival of the Animals quickly became one of Saint-Saëns's most popular works.
The original score called for only a dozen instruments: two pianos, a flute, a clarinet, a glockenspiel, a glass harmonica, xylophone, string quartet, and double bass. Nowadays the glass harmonica is replaced by a celesta (an instrument not yet available in 1886), the strings are usually beefed up to orchestral proportions, and some performances include recitation of verses written for the work by one of several poets or humorists. The first such text was provided by Ogden Nash, about sixty years ago. The bandstration of this orchestra piece has been done by Jay Bocook. Of the original work’s 14 sections, the following are included in Bocook’s arrangement:
9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Saint-Sa%C3%ABns
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INTRODUCTION AND ROYAL MARCH OF THE LION. Prefatory rumblings in the pianos and strings lead to a fanfare from the former and a majestic march from the latter. The band gives a roar as the march proceeds, and then take it up themselves.
THE ELEPHANT. Yet another famous French piece is parodied here: the exquisite Dance of the Sylphs from Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, not only slowed down but assigned to the tuba section for a truly elephantine character. FOSSILS. A tune from Saint-Saëns's own Danse macabre, in somewhat altered rhythm, is played on the xylophone; the clarinet burlesques a French folk song and the aria "Una voce poco fa," from Rossini's Barber of Seville. FINALE. A grand vaudeville conclusion à la Offenbach, with some of the earlier tunes recalled and the long-eared personages ascendant at the end, and the whole polished off with a brisk Rossinian cadence.
Marches by John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa
DOB: November 6th, 1854 (Washington, DC) DOD: March 6th, 1932 (Reading, PA) John Philip Sousa wrote the most famous American military marches of all time, including "Stars and Stripes Forever," earning him the nickname "the March King"; he was also known as a great bandleader, and organized the famed concert and military group, Sousa's Band. Born in Washington, D.C., on November 6, 1854, Sousa followed in the footsteps of his father, a musician in the U.S. Marine Corps, and enlisted by the age of 14. Before this, Sousa had studied violin with John Esputa. While active in the Marines, he composed his first march, "Salutation." Around the age of 16, Sousa began studying harmony with G.F. Benkert, then worked as a pit orchestra conductor at a local theater, followed by jobs as first chair violinist at the Ford Opera House, the Philadelphia Chestnut Street Theater, and later led the U.S. Marine Corps Band (1880-1992). Although most famous for his marches, Sousa composed in other styles as well, including a waltz, "Moonlight on the Potomac"; a gallop, "The Cuckoo" (both in 1869); the oratorio "Messiah of the Nations" (1914); and scores for Broadway musicals The Smugglers (1879), Desiree (1884), The Glass Blowers (1893), El Capitan (1896; which was his first real scoring success), American Maid (1913), and more. Sousa formed his sternly organized marching band in 1892, leading them through numerous U.S. and European tours, a world tour, and an appearance in the 1915 Broadway show Hip-Hip-Hooray. Sousa's Band also recorded many sides for the Victor label up through the early '30s. His most famous marches include "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (1897), "U.S. Field Artillery March," "Semper Fidelis" (written in 1888, it became the Marine Corps anthem), "Washington Post March" (1889), "King Cotton" (1895), "El Capitan" (1896), and many more. In addition to writing music, Sousa also wrote books, including the best-seller Fifth String and his autobiography, Marching Along. Actor Clifton Webb portrayed Sousa in the movie about his life entitled Stars and Stripes Forever. The instrument the sousaphone was named after this famous composer and bandleader. ~ Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide
Semper Fidelis. In his autobiography, Sousa explained that dignitaries visiting the White House were required to assemble in the East Room, where “they were informed of the approach of the executive by the pompous strains of an old Scottish boating song, “Hail to the Chief.” President Arthur asked his
MCB Gazebo Concert – Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Program Notes – page 10 bandmaster one evening if the tune was appropriate to the occasion, and Sousa answered in the negative: “No, sire … it was selected long ago on account of its name, and not on account of its character.” The president replied just as Sousa had hoped he would: “Then change it!” Sousa composed two pieces at Arthur’s urging, both meant to replace “Hail to the Chief.” One was designed for indoor events and the other to render honors on parade. The indoor piece, completed on November 25th, 1886, was scored for band and titled “In Echelon Polonaise.” Its earliest known performance occurred at a public concert on the White House Grounds on July 9th, 1887. Sousa rescored the work in January 1889 for orchestra and used it at the inaugural ball of Benjamin Harrison. In publishing the piece that year, Harry Coleman capitalized on its association with the executive and retitled the work “Presidential Polonaise.” For his outdoor piece, Sousa envisioned a march in which the full band would drop away and leave only the “Roll of the drums and the sounding of the trumpets” to honor the reviewing official. He wrote a fairly typical march to achieve the effect, but instead of composing a new trio, he inserted his field march “With Steady Step,” first printed in The Trumpet and Drum. The result was “Semper Fidelis” (1888). “Hail to the Chief” is, of course still the official tune used in greeting the president of the United States, but “Semper Fidelis” is today know by tradition as the official march of the Marine Corps. It is also the earliest of Sousa’s marches to have entered the permanent repertoire.10 The most famous example of Sousa’s self-borrowing occurs in “Semper Fidelis” (1888), and once again it is the trio that is most directly impacted. The trios of many of Sousa’s most famous marches make use of a layering effect, which Frederick Fennell has called a “four-layer musical cake.” In the band edition of “Semper Fidelis” the trio begins with an eight-bar regimental drum solo, followed by a sixteen-bar strain that is heard three times. In the first statement, we hear only cornets and a simple accompaniment as Sousa states his own “With Steady Ste,” borrowed from The Trumpet and Drum. In the second statement this melody is decorated by woodwind flourishes, and these two elements are finally joined by a trombone countermelody. In later marches this layering would have served as the piece’s climax, but in “Semper Fidelis” Sousa is still using the older short-trio structure, and so he ends the march with a final repeated strain. “Semper Fidelis” was regularly played by the Sousa Band on tour, and as the traditional march of the United States Marine Corps, it is one of the earliest of Sousa’s works to have secured a permanent place in the wind band repertoire.11 This march takes its title from the motto of the United States Marine Corps - “Semper Fidelis” - Always Faithful. The trio is an extension of an earlier Sousa composition, “With Steady Step,” one of eight brief trumpet and drum pieces he wrote for The Trumpet and Drum (1886). it was dedicated to those who inspired it -- the officers and men of the United States Marine Corps. It is unfortunate that President Chester A. Arthur, the man responsible for this march, did not live to hear it. In a conversation with Sousa, then leader of the U.S. Marine Band, he expressed his displeasure at the official use of the song “Hail to the Chief.” When Sousa stated that it was actually an old Scottish boating song, the President suggested that he compose more appropriate music. Sousa responded with two pieces, not one. First, he composed “Presidential Polonaise” (1886). Then, two years after Arthur’s death, he wrote “Semper Fidelis.” The march takes its title from the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps: “Semper Fidelis”– “Always Faithful.” The trio is an extension of an earlier Sousa composition, “With Steady Step,” one of eight brief trumpet and drum pieces he wrote for The Trumpet and Drum (1886). It was dedicated to those who inspired it – the officers and men of the U.S. Marine Corps. In Sousa’s own words: “I wrote ‘Semper Fidelis’ one night while in tears, after my comrades of the Marine Corps had sung their famous hymn at Quantico.” For the first performance, Sousa demonstrated his flair for theatrics:
10 Patrick Warfield, Making the March King (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2013), 151. 11 Ibid., 143-4.
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“We were marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, and had turned the corner at the Treasury Building. On the reviewing stand were President Harrison, many members of the diplomatic corps, a large part of the House and Senate, and an immense number of invited guests besides. I had so timed our playing of the march that the ‘trumpet’ theme would be heard for the first time, just as we got to the front of the reviewing stand. Suddenly ten extra trumpets were shot in the air, and the ‘theme’ was pealed out in unison. Nothing like it had ever been heard there before – when the great throng on the stand had recovered its surprise, it rose in a body and led by the President himself, showed its pleasure in a mighty swell of applause. It was a proud moment for us all.” “Semper Fidelis” subsequently gained recognition as the official march of the U.S. Marine Corps. Sousa regarded it as his best march, musically speaking. It became one of his most popular marches, and he once stated that it was the favorite march of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany – before World War I, of course. It was played by the Sousa Band in many foreign countries and always received acclaim as a well-known composition. Few knew that it had been sold outright to the publisher for the unbelievably low sum of $35.12 The Stars and Stripes Forever (March) is considered the finest march ever written, and at the same time one of the most patriotic ever conceived. As reported in the Philadelphia Public Ledger (May 15, 1897) “ ... It is stirring enough to rouse the American eagle from his crag, and set him to shriek exultantly while he hurls his arrows at the aurora borealis.” (referring to the concert the Sousa Band gave the previous day at the Academy of Music).13 The march was not quite so well received though and actually got an over average rating for a new Sousa march. Yet, its popularity grew as Mr. Sousa used it during the Spanish-American War as a concert closer. Coupled with his Trooping of the Colors, the march quickly gained a vigorous response from audiences and critics alike. In fact, audiences rose from their chairs when the march was played. Mr. Sousa added to the entertainment value of the march by having the piccolo(s) line up in front of the band for the final trio, and then added the trumpets and trombones join them on the final repeat of the strain. The march was performed on almost all of Mr. Sousa’s concerts and always drew tears to the eyes of the audience. The author has noted the same emotional response of audiences to the march today. The march has been named as the national march of The United States. There are two commentaries of how the march was inspired. The first came as the result of an interview on Mr. Sousa’s patriotism. According to Mr. Sousa, the march was written with the inspiration of God. “I was in Europe and I got a cablegram that my manager was dead. I was in Italy and I wished to get home as soon as possible, I rushed to Genoa, then to Paris and to England and sailed for America. On board the steamer as I walked miles up and down the deck, back and forth, a mental band was playing ‘Stars and Stripes Forever.’ Day after day as I walked it persisted in crashing into my very soul. I wrote it on Christmas Day, 1896.”14 The second, and more probable inspiration for the march, came from Mr. Sousa’s own homesickness. He had been away from his homeland for some time on tour, and told an interviewer: “In a kind of dreamy way, I used to think over old days at Washington when I was leader of the Marine Band ... when we played at all public functions, and I could see the Stars and Stripes flying from the flagstaff in the grounds of the White House just as plainly as if I were back there again.”
12 Paul E. Bierley, The Works of John Philip Sousa (Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1984), 83. 13 Research done by Elizabeth Hartman, head of the music department, Free Library of Philadelphia. Taken from John Philip Sousa, Descriptive Catalog of His Works (Paul E. Bierley, University of Illinois Press, 1973, page 71) 14 Taken from program notes for the week beginning August 19th, 1923. Bierley, John Philip Sousa, page 71.
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“Then I began to think of all the countries I had visited, of the foreign people I had met, of the vast differences between America and American people and other countries and other peoples, and that flag our ours became glorified ... and to my imagination it seemed to be the biggest, grandest, flag in the world, and I could not get back under it quick enough.” “It was in this impatient, fretful state of mind that the inspiration to compose ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ came to me.”15
15 Ibid., page 72
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