Product Description
- Grade Level IV
- Year: 2020
- Composer: John Philip Sousa, arr. Nick Simmons-Smith
- Approximate duration: 2:35
Program Notes:
Program Note
John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Sousa grew up surrounded by the sounds of military bands, especially during the American Civil War, when there were hundreds of regimental bands in the city playing constantly. At the age of 13 he joined the Marine Corps Band as a virtuosi violinist. Eventually Sousa became the director of the Marine band and began to write the marches for which he is most famous, including "The Washington Post," which was written for the new proprietors of the Washington Post newspaper in 1889. The march was not only a musical hit, but also kicked off a nationwide dance craze, the "two-step."
John Philip Sousa became known as the "March King" and his numerous compositions were instrumental in making bands popular throughout the United States and beyond.
Note to the Conductor
This arrangement of Sousa's famous march remains entirely faithful to the form, rhythm, and melody of the original, but with reduced scoring and just a few, subtle harmonic differences. Maintaining a bright march tempo throughout will be vital. Note that some of the accents appear on the 2nd beat of the bar (measures 1, 3, 9 and 10, for example).
In general, suggest to the ensemble that dotted quarter notes or longer should remain full-length, whereas quarter notes and eighth notes (there are plenty) remain on the "shorter side." An example of this would be m.26 in Part 4. Those quarter notes need "space" but should not be "pecked at" or sound light eighth notes. Finally, because this march is so familiar, encourage the ensemble not to get complacent about articulations and style, and read exactly what is on the page.
