Composer
Life
1854:
Born Washington, DC, Nov. 6. John Philip was 3rd of 10 children of John Antonio Sousa (born in Spain of Portuguese parents) and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus (born in Bavaria); John Philip's father, Antonio, played trombone in the U.S. Marine band; he grew up around military band music.
1860:
Began musical study around age six, studying voice, violin, piano, flute, cornet, baritone, trombone and alto horn.
1867:
His father enlisted him in the Marines at age 13 as an apprentice after he attempted to run away to join a circus band.
1872:
Published first composition, "Moonlight on the Potomac Waltzes".
Discharged from Marines. Began performing (on violin), touring and eventually conducting theater orchestras; conducted Gilbert &Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore on Broadway.
1879:
In February, met Jane van Middlesworth Bellis during Pinafore rehearsals; they were married December 30, 1879.
1880:
Returned to Washington in September to assume leadership of the US Marine Band.
1880-1892: Conducted "The President's Own", serving under presidents Hayes, Garfield, Cleveland, Arthur and Harrison; after two successful but limited tours with the Marine Band in 1891 and 1892, promoter David Blakely convinced Sousa to resign and organize a civilian concert band.
1892:
The first Sousa Band concert was performed September 26 at Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, New Jersey; two days earlier, bandleader Patrick Gilmore had died in St. Louis; nineteen of Gilmore's former musicians eventually joined Sousa's band, including Herbert L. Clarke (cornet) and E. A. Lefebre (saxophone); the original name of the band was "Sousa's New Marine Band", but criticism from Washington forced the withdrawal of the name.
1895:
Sousa's first successful operetta, El Capitan, debuts.
1896:
Sousa's promoter David Blakely dies while Sousa and his wife are on vacation in Europe; on the return voyage, Sousa receives the inspiration for The Stars and Stripes Forever.
1900:
The Sousa Band tours Europe.
1901:
Second European tour.
1905:
Third European tour.
1910:
World Tour: New York, Great Britain, Canary Islands, South-Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Hawaii, Canada.
1917:
During World War I, Sousa joins the US Naval Reserve at age 62; he is assigned the rank of lieutenant and paid a salary of $1 per month.
1919-1932:
After the war, Sousa continued to tour with his band; he championed the cause of music education, received several honorary degrees and fought for composers' rights, testifying before Congress in 1927 and 1928.
1932:
Sousa dies at age 77, after conducting a rehearsal of the Ringgold Band in Reading, Pennsylvania; the last piece he conducted was "The Stars and Stripes Forever".