John Philip Sousa

Music is the world’s great uniter. A song can do more than words ever could. John Philip Sousa showed this clearly throughout his life. When one is gifted with such talent as he was, they cannot ignore it. Music changed Sousa’s life forever. Music brought many opportunities and experiences into Sousa’s life, and his legacy continues to inspire musicians everywhere. John’s life as a young boy was filled with promise and was desirable. He was born on November 6, 1854, in Washington, D.C., close to the army base where his father worked. He was the third of ten children born to John Anthony Sousa and his wife Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus. Later in life Sousa said, “From childhood I was passionately fond of music and wanted to be a musician.
His first period of service spanned from June 9, 1868 until 1875. He first enlisted as an apprentice musician at the age of 13. According to the official Marine records, he entered as a “boy”. He renewed his enlistment on July 8, 1872. He was then promoted to the musician rank. He ended his enlistment is 1875 when he was 20 years old. His second period of service lasted from 1880 until 1892. He lead the United States Marine band during this extensive time of commitment. He lead the band in Washington, D.C.. His rank continues to be disputed. Most popularly, he is thought to have entered with the rank of Sergeant Major and was later promoted to Warrant Officer. However, these ideas are undoubtedly erroneous because the leader of the band had a rank that went by a different name, and the position of Warrant Officer was not created until almost 25 years after he had already left the Marines. As the “leader of the band” Sousa made $83 per month, which is considerably more than the $30 per month that a Sergeant Major with twenty years of experience made. John Philip Sousa made the band the premier military band in the United States. They had over 60 cylinders made of their performances during their tours in 1891 and 1892. This led to Sousa becoming famous around the nation. His time with the Marine Band led him to compose several famous marches. Namely, The Washington Post, and The Thunderer. These have remained staples of marching bands ever since. In July of 1892, Sousa requested a discharge from the Marines due to a financially promising career as a band leader. He was granted the discharge, and left the day after his farewell concert at the White House on July 30, 1892. On May 31, 1917, Sousa joined the Naval Reserve as a lieutenant. This occurred a short time after the United States declared war on Germany. Sousa was 62 years old at this