Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Wind Orchestra
John Philip Sousa
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Cultural Impact
John Philip Sousa earned the title of 'The March King' due to his compositions, which include universally acknowledged marches like The Stars and Stripes Forever and El Capitan.
Compositional Technique
John Philip Sousa modified the brass band by decreasing brass and percussion instruments, increasing woodwinds, and adding a harp, allowing his ensemble to execute programs almost as varied as a symphony orchestra.
Composer's Artistic Vision
John Philip Sousa believed a march 'should make a man with a wooden leg step out and dance,' and he standardized the march form as it is known today.
Composer Biography
John Philip Sousa, born in 1854, became conductor of the United States Marine Band at the age of 26 in 1880.
Performer Biography
Keith Brion, the conductor on this album, leads his own New Sousa Band and is a specialist in Sousa's period style, having published numerous performing editions of his music.
Composer Biography
Beyond marches, John Philip Sousa was an exceptionally inventive composer of over 200 works, including symphonic poems, suites, operas, and operettas.
Historical Context
The unprecedented popularity of the Sousa Band came at a time when few American orchestras existed, making band concerts the most important aspect of US musical life from the Civil War to about 1920.
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