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".
1875: 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
on
March
6th,
after
conducting
a
rehearsal
of
the
Ringgold
Band
in
Reading,
Pennsylvania.
The
last
piece
he
conducted
was "The
Stars and Stripes Forever".
