Talk:John Philip Sousa

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Dead media links

It looks like the media links went dead. Anyone know what happened? Were they always dead? Mirror Vax 22:02, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

Specifically, I'm referring to these:

Mirror Vax 00:09, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Answering my own question: they were erroneously deleted in a mass purge of suspected copyrighted files. Mirror Vax 02:31, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Urban Legend

I deleted the line that JPS added the "usa" to his surname as a patriotic act because it is false. JPS's father's surname "de Sousa" is a very common and very old Portuguese surname. Nothing was added to it and was not originally just "So". Portuguese surname prepositions like "de" and "da" (literally, of and from) was dropped by many Portuguese-Americans. --Miguellabrego 21:12, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

Deleted again. C'mon, folks! this kind of bubblehead fluff doesn't credit Wikipedia. --Wetman 09:06, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

I believe the PhilipsoUSA "bubblehead fluff" can be put in this article since it is an actual urban legend about Sousa. As long as it specifically states the urban legend is false, it's fine. (anon. post from User:SousaFan88)

Even fluff needs a source, saying where this urban legend is noted. Unsourced fluff could be added interminably. I won't revert this again, but I'll notify SousaFan88 that it does require a source. --Wetman 19:43, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

Here's the only place I could find it. http://www.dws.org/sousa/content/blogcategory/7/26/ It should be noted that the site itself doesn't have a source about the myth.

You know, I've heard this for decades. Whenever anyone tells the story they say something like, "You know, this probably isn't true but..." I first heard the USA thing in the 70s from Lenny Bernstein but I've heard it from a lot of others. Really, almost anytime someone's conducting a Sousa march they'll pop off with the story. I should point out that there are many things in the ancient profession of music that one hears but never sees written down. Many things! Gingermint (talk) 03:15, 23 October 2010 (UTC)

Paul Johnson, shockingly, states this as a fact in his superb book A History of the American People. Aviad2001 (talk) 20:47, 14 May 2011 (UTC)

List of marches

Before the extending list of red-linked marches gets out of hand, can we get a reference to an on-line complete list of Sousa marches, and then list here just those famous enough to have individual articles? A weighted list is useful; an incomplete list of "Sousa marches that come to mind" doesn't aid the reader. --Wetman 19:43, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

The most renowned online site about Sousa today is the Dallas Wind Symphonys sub-page http://www.dws.org/sousa/index.php I was actually losing faith in the site until they just recently updated it. Here you will find an adapted list of Sousa works from "John Philip Sousa, An American Phenomenon". I will add it to the article. (anon.)

An anonymous contributor has added a redlinked ""Processional (Wedding March)". Is this an alternative title? At any rate, with a link to a complete list, shouldn't all marches that don't have their own articles be deleted from this partial list? --Wetman 05:33, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Just a question: What would such a deletion of article-less compositions accomplish? I would dare to hope that WP would be at least one of several places at which one could find reference to material everybody else ignored by reason of lack of popularity. I could be wrong, in which case feel free to disabuse me of my silly thought. NorthCoastReader (talk) 02:26, 5 July 2012 (UTC)

I once saw a piece of piano sheet music titles something like "American wedding march: dedicated to the brides of America" by Sousa. I don't have a copy, but I recall it was from around WWI and might reflect the anti-German feelings of the era, in that it would replace works by Mendelssohn and Wagner.Saxophobia 18:39, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

The official link to my list of Sousa compositions is http://www.dws.org/sousa/works.htm - the listing is an authorized reproduction of the Appendix to "John Philip Sousa - American Phenomenon" (Paul Bierley, ISBN 0757906125) with edits due to new information over the past 10 years. Dlovrien 18:37, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

In accordance with the opinions above, I removed most of the unlinked marches and "and notable" to the intro. This list should only contain those marches recorded and performed most often and possibly those with special historical significance (eg., The Gladiator, his first commercial success). Some of these are still debatable. Dlovrien (talk) 22:02, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to pile on here, noting the remarkable inconsistency of the coverage of the man's work. A considerable expanse of space is devoted to the Transit of Venus march (how many of us have ever heard it, other than on the Web?), while The Stars and Stripes Forever (which most eight-year-olds can recognize) seems like an afterthought.--Piledhigheranddeeper (talk) 15:43, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

King Cotton 1895

The date has been "corrected" to 1892. This needs vetting. --Wetman 08:27, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Why John Philip Sousa?

Was he called "John Philip" by his friends and family, or just "John"? When he met someone, did he say "Hi, I'm John Philip Sousa", or just "Hi, I'm John Sousa"? Was there any other composer named John Sousa from whom it is necessary to distinguish? -- JackofOz (talk) 01:29, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

As the last name "Sousa" and other variants was a common name, it was traditional to include the middle name along with the first, even amongst family and friends. Yes, Sousa did in fact address himself as "John Philip Sousa", as heard in original radio broadcasts. SousaFan88 (talk) 02:57, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Thank you. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:09, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

born 5th or 6th?

more often his birthday is given as 6th of November... (like Adolphe Sax ;-) Can anyone clear this up? Y23 (talk) 11:52, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Great Job

Looks like this article's been cleaned up and expanded. And that part about him running away to join the circus is gone. Kudos to all the contributors --76.86.234.41 (talk) 09:23, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

But he did try to run away and join the circus... SousaFan88 (talk) 02:18, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

This article...

...reads like it was lifted from someplace. The tone of it is more like a review than an encyclopedia entry. There were a number of changes made on July 8, 2006, or so, that are like that. I'm tempted to scrap it and start over. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 18:16, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Much of the stuff that was flagged for citations today was posted on May 15, 2004, by a user who is still in the system as recently as this month. Maybe someone could ask him about that. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 18:21, 17 January 2008 (UTC) he was very fat —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.141.57.3 (talk) 12:46, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Refugees

It is mentioned several times in the article that his parents were refugees, yet the provided source does not mention so even once. any reason for this, or just an assumption? Galf (talk) 15:05, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

It is only mentioned once (not several times), but you are correct that the source does not corroborate the statement. I have never read any mention of the immigration status of his paternal grandparents. I support removing the claim. Dlovrien (talk) 15:54, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

I didn't check the history to see if the edit was made, but I'll remove it now. It was clearly not in the source, and his grandparents weren't even mentioned. Ufwuct (talk) 20:03, 5 March 2010 (UTC)

let's not be silly

I am continually amazed at the attributions to Freemasons. Yes, John Philip Sousa was a Freemason, but it had nothing to do with copper, as the reference implies. Gee, everyone, just how silly can we be! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.69.137.10 (talk) 21:56, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

"Being Independently Wealthy"

Where does this come from? His grandparents were refugees. There's no mention of any family wealth from his parents or his wife, but there is one mention of him "being independently wealthy" with no mention of HOW he became independently wealthy. Was it just from his marches?

There's a huge gap between his grandparents being refugees and Sousa being independently wealthy that is never explained.--Elmyr (talk) 03:29, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it was primarily from his marches. Sousa sold his first marches for only $35 a piece. After Sousa hired David Blakley as his business manager, Blakely arranged a change of publishers. His next few marches made him rich. More info here. -- Dlovrien (talk) 20:20, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

If this is true and referencable, why isn't it in the article that he had a manager who was responsible for his financial success? (See my review for more comments in this vein.) Magic♪piano 20:07, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

Composer project review

I've reviewed this article as part of the Composers project review of its B-class articles. This article is B-class, but I find the biographic and musicological treatment to be somewhat superficial. My detailed review is on the comments page; questions and comments should be left here or on my talk page. Magic♪piano 20:07, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for this. Upgrading this article would be a great project for a music grad student! Dlovrien (talk) 19:30, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Indeed. Especially if s/he has regular access to the right kinds of musicological resources... Magic♪piano 23:06, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Copyright status of Sousa's compositions

Does the "life of the composer plus 75 years" rule mean that all of Sousa's compositions are now in the public domain in the US? Or, more broadly: are there any copyright restrictions on his compositions anywhere in the world now? If it were all public domain, it would be nice to mention that. Musanim (talk) 20:31, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

As I understand it, in the United States of America, compositions and arrangements of them published prior to 1923 are now in the public domain. Those published after 1922 are not. This was a key issue for me when I began creating MIDI sequences of Sousa compositions for my website. It is for me a moral issue as well as a legal one, for if I owned a company that still owned copyright on Sousa compositions and arrangements, I would not want someone making public MIDI sequences of them without my permission.

The pre-1923 rule must still be valid, because the Library of Congress presentations of free online sheet music of Sousa compositions and arrangements, the chief source for my MIDI sequences, are all dated before 1923.

Prismsplay (talk) 12:46, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

Copyright date of "El Capitan" march

El Capitan is the title of both an operetta and a march by Sousa. For the operetta, putting a date on it is troublesome. Who knows the sequence of dates of composition, copyright, first performance, and publication? I have seen dates of 1895 and 1896 for the operetta, with a first performance date in 1897. For the march, I have seen dates of 1894, 1895, and 1896. The 1894 date could be a typo. In its Sousa Album for the Pianoforte, Theodore Presser Co. showed a copyright date of "MDCCCXCIV" [1894]. Should this have been "MDCCCXCVI" [1896]? If the 1894 date is correct, then the march was copyrighted prior to the composition of the operetta.

Prismsplay (talk) 13:26, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

It is entirely possible that the march was composed (and copyrighted) before the rest of the operetta; I have not done any research into this matter, nor do I plan to do so. — Robert Greer (talk) 13:32, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

El Capitan

Poster from the original run

If you'd rather, I've just done a restoration of a poster from the original run, that could replace the sheet music (if desired). Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 19:29, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Transit Of Venus March

The article referenced as the source for the story about this march being lost for a hundred years seems like a very poorly researched piece - I personally have at least two recordings of the march both made in the 1970's including one by the US Marine Band. Including the comment above about Freemasonry, I humbly suggest the removal of this particular paragraph. Mhf1953 (talk) 22:30, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

I would support removing nearly all of the Freemason section - it is trivial to an article of this scope. A single sentence mentioning that he was a Freemason would be sufficient. Dlovrien (talk) 19:19, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Sousa's religion

I was asked which religion Sousa was, and had trouble finding that fact online, so I thought I'd add the information here after I located it in a book. It seemed most related to the existing section on his involvement with Freemasonry, especially since I thought Freemasons were much more religious than Sousa seemed to be. I added it as the lead paragraph in that section only because that's how it seemed to fit best with the existing text. (Herzogbr (talk) 02:30, 27 August 2010 (UTC))

how old —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.179.202.59 (talk) 01:26, 11 February 2011 (UTC)

looking for help getting a sound recorded

Would like to get a Midi (or have someone play on piano manually and record) the composition Myrrha Gavotte (piano arrangement). Sheet music available on the web and song is public domain. Does NOT need to be a perfect recording. Just want something (for a different article on Myrrha herself, not Sousa). Help? TCO (talk) 03:07, 31 May 2011 (UTC)

Sousa's opinion of National Emblem

I removed a paragraph talking about Sousa's opinion of the National Emblem march because it didn't seem appropriate to me to include in this article. It would be perfectly legitimate in Bagley's article or the one on the march itself, but I really don't think it goes here. I was reverted by the editor who originally added the text, though, so I'm bringing it here for further discussion. --SarekOfVulcan (talk) 20:37, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Portuguese Pronounciation

Shouldn't "Sousa" be pronounced s-ô-z-a rather than s-oo-s-a (ô as in french 'eau')? It is, after all a Portuguese name, no matter the nationality of the person. 4ndrepd (talk) 21:58, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

There's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znUKyIv4Yrk Bryard (talk) 23:37, 22 April 2020 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:John Philip Sousa/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Yash! (talk · contribs) 14:41, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

• I'll be done in 20 mins. — Yash ^[talk] 14:41, 1 January 2013 (UTC)
  • I'll get cracking on these in a few minutes. Go Phightins! 15:59, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Lead

• /ˈsuːsə/;[1] - the note is presented in the form of a reference. It'd be better to keep it like a note (see List of prime ministers of India)
• From 1880 until his death, Sousa began focusing exclusively on conducting and wrote marches during this time. - From 1880 until his death, he focused exclusively on conducting and wrote marches.
• Upon leaving the Marine Band, Sousa organized his own band. - On leaving the Marine Band, Sousa organized his own band.
• He toured Europe and Australia and also developed the sousaphone, a large brass instrument similar to the tuba. - He toured Europe and Australia and developed the sousaphone, a large brass instrument similar to the tuba.
• Following his tenure there, Sousa returned to conduct the Sousa Band until his death in 1932. - Following his tenure, he returned to conduct the Sousa Band until his death in 1932.

 Done Go Phightins! 16:04, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Biography

• The can be split into "Early life", "Career" and "Personal life" sections chronologically.
• There is no mention of His father was Portuguese, and his mother of Bavarian ancestry in the article body clearly. It is stated only in the lead that his father was Portugese and mother of Bavarian ancestry.
• George Felix Benkert (born 1831) - Any specific reason for inclusion of the birth year while there is no mention of John Esputa's? Either keep both or none
• When Sousa reached the age of 13, his father, a trombonist in the Marine Band, enlisted his son in the United States Marine Corps as an apprentice to keep him from joining a circus band. - At the age of 13, his father, a trombonist in the Marine Band, enlisted Sousa in the United States Marine Corps as an apprentice to keep him from joining a circus band. - this is also needs a reference
• On December 30, 1879, Sousa married Jane van Middlesworth Bellis (1862–1944). They had three children together: John Philip, Jr. (April 1, 1881 – May 18, 1937), Jane Priscilla (August 7, 1882 – October 28, 1958), and Helen (January 21, 1887 – October 14, 1975). All are buried in the John Philip Sousa plot in the Congressional Cemetery. Wife Jane joined the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in 1907. Daughters Jane Priscilla and Helen Abert also joined DAR in 1907. Their Patriot was Adam Bellis. - On December 30, 1879, Sousa married Jane van Middlesworth Bellis (1862–1944). They had three children: John Philip, Jr. (April 1, 1881 – May 18, 1937), Jane Priscilla (August 7, 1882 – October 28, 1958), and Helen (January 21, 1887 – October 14, 1975). All were buried in the John Philip Sousa plot in the Congressional Cemetery. Wife Jane, daughters Jane Priscilla and Helen Abert joined the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in 1907. Their Patriot was Adam Bellis. - this also needs a ref
• Several years after - how many?
  • The U.S. Marine Band website says "a time"...not sure where else to go if the U.S. Government doesn't have the information.
    • Alright. What about Several years after - Later - ? — Yash ^[talk] 04:32, 9 January 2013 (UTC)
• Sousa organized his own band the year he left the Marine Band - He organized The Sousa Band the year he left the Marine Band
• In 1900, his band represented the United States at the Paris Exposition before touring Europe. - ref?
• In 1911 they went to Australia and performed in Sydney and Melbourne (then the national capital). - ref?
• The marching brass bass, or sousaphone, a modified helicon, was created by J. W. Pepper – a Philadelphia instrument maker who created the instrument in 1893 at Sousa’s request using several of his suggestions in its design. He wanted a tuba that could sound upward and over the band whether its player was seated or marching. The sousaphone was re-created in 1898 by C.G. Conn and this was the model that Sousa preferred to use. - ref?
• Sousa lived in Sands Point, New York. - from when? till when?
• A school (John Philip Sousa Elementary) and a band shell are named after him and there is also a memorial tree planted in nearby Port Washington - A school (John Philip Sousa Elementary) and a band shell were named after him and there was a memorial tree planted in nearby Port Washington - ref?

Military service

• Sousa served in the U.S. Marine Corps, first from 1868 to 1875 as an apprentice musician, and then as the head of the Marine Band from 1880 to 1892; he was a Sergeant Major for most of his second period of Marine service and was a Warrant Officer at the time he resigned. - ref?
• During World War I, he was commissioned a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve and led the Navy Band at the Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago, Illinois. Being independently wealthy, he donated his entire naval salary minus one dollar a year to the Sailors' and Marines' Relief Fund. After returning to his own band at the end of the war, he continued to wear his naval uniform for most of his concerts and other public appearances. - ref?

Music

• Remove the peacock term most popular
  •  Done

Operettas

• It is the worst area in the article to be frank
• Please keep something as lead in the section. Right now, it just starts away with a list and it isn't really a thing we see in GAs.
• These operettas which Gervase Hughes calls "notable" (1) also show a variety of French, Viennese and British influences. - These operettas which Gervase Hughes calls "notable" show variety of French, Viennese and British influences. - who was Gervase Hughes? ref?
• (In his younger days, Sousa made an orchestration of H.M.S. Pinafore and played the first violin on the American tour of Jacques Offenbach.) - In his younger days, Sousa made an orchestration of H.M.S. Pinafore and played the first violin on the American tour of Jacques Offenbach. - younger days? please specify the age. ref?
• The music of these operettas is light and cheerful - according to whom? it is merely a POV. And if this is according to any notable person, use "was" in place of "is". Ref?
• The Glass Blowers and Desirée have had revivals, the latter having been released on CD like El Capitan, the best known of them. - please rewrite. ref?
• El Capitan has been in production somewhere in the world ever since it was written and makes fun of false heroes. - El Capitan had been in production since it was written and made fun of false heroes. - ref?
• Still more outspoken against militarism is The Free Lance, the story of two kingdoms becoming united, which found its way to Germany (as "Der Feldhauptmann") by the time the Berlin Wall came down. - ref? this line confuses me a bit, perhaps little copyediting is needed
• Marches and waltzes have been derived from many of these stage-works. Sousa also composed the music for six operettas that were either unfinished or not produced: The Devils' Deputy, Florine, The Irish Dragoon, Katherine, The Victory, and The Wolf. - ref?
• He also frequently added Sullivan opera overtures or other Sullivan pieces to his concerts. - He frequently added Sullivan opera overtures or other Sullivan pieces to his concerts.
• He is also widely quoted saying, "My religion lies in my composition." - widely quoted? POV? - He was quoted saying, "My religion lies in my composition." - or maybe you can suggest anything better than the existing one.

Other writing, skills, and interests

• In the title Other writing, skills, and interests - Other writing skills and interests
• Sousa exhibited many talents aside from music. - "exhibited many talents" sounds odd. please rewrite
• and a great number of articles - how many? in dozens? 100s? 1000s? - ref?
• He was also active in the sport of trapshooting, taking an active role on the national stage in competitions. - He participated in trapshooting, taking an active role on the national stage in competitions. - ref?
  • This is referenced in the subsection. Go Phightins! 16:59, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Trapshooting

• He even organized the first national trapshooting organization, a forerunner to today's Amateur Trapshooting Association. - He organized the first national trapshooting organization, a forerunner to today's Amateur Trapshooting Association. - ref?
• a forerunner to today's Amateur Trapshooting Association. - a forerunner to today's Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA).
• Some credit Sousa as the father of organized trapshooting in America. Sousa also wrote numerous articles about trapshooting. - Some credit Sousa as the father of organized trapshooting in United States. He also wrote numerous articles about trapshooting. - ref?

Writing

• In his 1902 novel The Fifth String a young violinist makes a deal with the Devil for a magic violin with five strings. The strings can excite the emotions of Pity, Hope, Love and Joy – the fifth string is Death and can be played only once before causing the player's own death. He has a brilliant career, but cannot win the love of the woman he desires. At a final concert, he plays upon the death string. - In his 1902 novel The Fifth String, a young violinist made a deal with the Devil for a magic violin with five strings. The strings can excite the emotions of Pity, Hope, Love and Joy – the fifth string was of Death and can be played only once before causing the player's own death. He was unable to win the love of the woman he desired. At a final concert, he played upon the death string. - ref?
• In 1905, Sousa published the book Pipetown Sandy, which included a satirical poem titled "The Feast of the Monkeys". The poem describes a lavish party attended by a variety of animals, but overshadowed by the King of Beasts, the lion...who allows the muttering guests the privilege of watching him eat the entire feast. At the end of his gluttony, the lion explains, "Come all rejoice, You’ve seen your monarch dine." - In 1905, Sousa published a book Pipetown Sandy, which included a satirical poem titled "The Feast of the Monkeys". The poem described "a lavish party attended by variety of animals, however, overshadowed by the King of Beasts, the lion...who allows the muttering guests the privilege of watching him eat the entire feast". At the end of his gluttony, the lion explained, "Come all rejoice, You’ve seen your monarch dine." - ref?
• In 1920, he wrote another work called The Transit of Venus, a 40,000-word story. - In 1920, he wrote a a 40,000-word story, The Transit of Venus.
• It is about a group of misogynists called the Alimony Club who, as a way of temporarily escaping the society of women, embark on a sea voyage to observe the transit of Venus. The captain's niece, however, has stowed away on board and soon wins over the men. - It was about a group of misogynists called the Alimony Club who, as a way of temporarily escaping the society of women, embark on a sea voyage to observe the transit of Venus. The captain's niece, however, had stowed away on board and soon won over the men.

Opposition to recording

• These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country. When I was a boy...in front of every house in the summer evenings, you would find young people together singing the songs of the day or old songs. Today you hear these infernal machines going night and day. We will not have a vocal cord left. The vocal cord will be eliminated by a process of evolution, as was the tail of man when he came from the ape. - ref?
• Sousa also was credited with referring to records as "canned music," referring to the fact that cylinder records were sold in cans. - Sousa was credited while dealing with records as "canned music," referring to the fact that cylinder records were sold in cans. - ref?
• Sousa's antipathy to recording was such that he often refused to conduct his band if it was being recorded. Nevertheless, Sousa's band made numerous recordings, the earliest being issued on cylinders by several companies, followed by many recordings on discs by the Berliner Gramophone Company and its successor, the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor - Sousa's antipathy to recording was such that he often refused to conduct his band if it was being recorded. However, Sousa's band made numerous recordings, the earliest being issued on cylinders by several companies, followed by many recordings on discs by the Berliner Gramophone Company and its successor, the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor - ref?
• saying,[27] "I have never been in the gramophone company's office in my life." - saying, "I have never been in the gramophone company's office in my life".[27]
• A handful of the Victor recordings were actually conducted by Sousa, but most - A handful of the Victor recordings were actually conducted by Sousa, and most
• Details of the Victor recordings are available in the external link below to the EDVR. - ref?

Other interests

• Sousa also appeared with his band in newsreels and on radio broadcasts (beginning with a 1929 nationwide broadcast on NBC). - ref?
• Later, in 1925, he was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music, by the fraternity's Alpha Xi chapter at the University of Illinois. - In 1925, he was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music, by the fraternity's Alpha Xi chapter at the University of Illinois. - ref?
• In 1922, he accepted the invitation of the national chapter to become an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band fraternity. - ref?
• In 1952, 20th Century Fox honored Sousa in their Technicolor feature film Stars and Stripes Forever with Clifton Webb portraying the composer. Fox music director Alfred Newman arranged the music and conducted the studio orchestra for the soundtrack. It was loosely based on Sousa's memoirs, Marching Along. - ref?
• Sousa also wrote "A manual for trumpet and drum" an excellent booklet, published by the Ludwig drum company, with fine advice for the playing of the drum and trumpet. An early version of the trumpet solo to "Semper Fidelis" is included in this volume. - Sousa also wrote a booklet, "A manual for trumpet and drum", published by the Ludwig drum company, with advice for playing drums and trumpet. An early version of the trumpet solo to "Semper Fidelis" was included in this volume. - ref?
• n 1952, 20th Century Fox honored Sousa in their Technicolor feature film Stars and Stripes Forever with Clifton Webb portraying the composer. Fox music director Alfred Newman arranged the music and conducted the studio orchestra for the soundtrack. It was loosely based on Sousa's memoirs, Marching Along. - source for this? - IMBD was used but it is not a reliable source and is used only for external links
  •  Added NY Times review. Go Phightins! 20:38, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

References

• Linkrot. Please be sure that you use templates as references. Ref 22 needs formatting

— Yash ^[talk] 15:53, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Done up to the references point. Since I've added new refs, I no longer have a clue which one 22 is. Go Phightins! 17:17, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

I'll fix it myself. No worries. — Yash ^[talk] 04:32, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

What's the status on this review? No comments in a month so checking that it's continuing. Wizardman 17:40, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

Hey Wizardman, soon after I finished all of Yash's suggestions (at least I think I got them all), he abruptly retired. Not sure what that means as far as whether or not it passes, but that's the status. Go Phightins! 20:07, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

If everything's been fixed and Yash is gone, then no reason to keep this up; i'll close and pass it. Wizardman 05:29, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Thank you. Go Phightins! 17:32, 17 February 2013 (UTC)

The Minnesota March is also one of Sousa's well known works

Minnesota March By John Philip Sousa, Arranged by Frank Bencriscutto, Words by Michael Jalma

Listen to Minnesota March: [MP3 1,490K]

RAH! RAH! SKI-U-MAH! RAH! RAH! RAH!

March on, march on to victory! Loyal sons of the varsity. Fight on, fight on for Minnesota For the glory of the old maroon and gold.

March on, march on to win the game, DOWN THE FIELD, fighting every play. We're with you, team, fighting team, Hear our song, we cheer along To help you win a victory!

Sdbarker (talk) 18:33, 27 November 2013 (UTC)sdbarker

I'm a Gophers fan too, but what's your point about improving this page? Ckruschke (talk) 19:34, 27 November 2013 (UTC)Ckruschke

References

Sousa's Bands

How are Sousa's bands characterized? Did he use trumpets or cornets? Were his bands more in the style of British military bands or were they symphonic in nature? Virgil H. Soule (talk) 11:50, 2 April 2014 (UTC)

T. M. Turner

Supposedly Sousa and T. M. Turner were friends. Should I suspect, if they did meet, it was in Baltimore? Cake (talk) 14:13, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

The Oolah

In writing The Oolah, it appears that Sousa probably wrote the orchestration; see my text in progress there if you have any interest or think it a fact worth mentioning in this article. Sousa apparently did other work for Francis Wilson (actor), who is not currently mentioned in the article.--Milowent • ^hasspoken 14:51, 4 December 2015 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:John Philip Sousa/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

Comment(s)

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==Composers Project Assessment of John Philip Sousa: 2008-12-21== This is an assessment of article John Philip Sousa by a member of the Composers project, according to its assessment criteria. This review was done by Magicpiano. If an article is well-cited, the reviewer is assuming that the article reflects reasonably current scholarship, and deficiencies in the historical record that are documented in a particular area will be appropriately scored. If insufficient inline citations are present, the reviewer will assume that deficiencies in that area may be cured, and that area may be scored down. Adherence to overall Wikipedia standards (WP:MOS, WP:WIAGA, WP:WIAFA) are the reviewer's opinion, and are not a substitute for the Wikipedia's processes for awarding Good Article or Featured Article status. ===Origins/family background/studies=== Does the article reflect what is known about the composer's background and childhood? If s/he received musical training as a child, who from, is the experience and nature of the early teachers' influences described? ok ===Early career=== Does the article indicate when s/he started composing, discuss early style, success/failure? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed? ok, but no compositional details ===Mature career=== Does the article discuss his/her adult life and composition history? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed? ok, but no compositional details; see summary about structure ===List(s) of works=== Are lists of the composer's works in WP, linked from this article? If there are special catalogs (e.g. Köchel for Mozart, Hoboken for Haydn), are they used? If the composer has written more than 20-30 works, any exhaustive listing should be placed in a separate article. Musical listing ok; needs bibliography of his writing. ===Critical appreciation=== Does the article discuss his/her style, reception by critics and the public (both during his/her life, and over time)? No significant stylistic descriptions, or critical and public reception. ===Illustrations and sound clips=== Does the article contain images of its subject, birthplace, gravesite or other memorials, important residences, manuscript pages, museums, etc? Does it contain samples of the composer's work (as composer and/or performer, if appropriate)? (Note that since many 20th-century works are copyrighted, it may not be possible to acquire more than brief fair use samples of those works, but efforts should be made to do so.) If an article is of high enough quality, do its images and media comply with image use policy and non-free content policy? (Adherence to these is needed for Good Article or Featured Article consideration, and is apparently a common reason for nominations being quick-failed.) Images and sound ok. ===References, sources and bibliography=== Does the article contain a suitable number of references? Does it contain sufficient inline citations? (For an article to pass Good Article nomination, every paragraph possibly excepting those in the lead, and every direct quotation, should have at least one footnote.) If appropriate, does it include Further Reading or Bibliography beyond the cited references? Article has good references; a few inline citations. ===Structure and compliance with WP:MOS=== Does the article comply with Wikipedia style and layout guidelines, especially WP:MOS, WP:LEAD, WP:LAYOUT, and possibly WP:SIZE? (Article length is not generally significant, although Featured Articles Candidates may be questioned for excessive length.) ok, although I would put the works list later, and the lead is too short. ===Things that may be necessary to pass a Good Article review=== Article requires more inline citations (WP:CITE) Article lead needs work (WP:LEAD) ===Summary=== A relatively brief biography about an interesting American figure with some quirks. The basic biography is a fairly summarized view; we do not learn much about his movements, for example. It is also implied that he (or his family) lived in exactly one place during his adult life; as he was a military figure, I find this a somewhat extraordinary assertion. The biography does not integrate any information about when or why he wrote any of his works. It may be somewhat obvious why he wrote marches; it is less so why he wrote light opera -- tell us more, please. The "Other interests" information could also be integrated into the biographic section -- what stimulated his various interests (and when)? (A separate section on his aversion to recording may still be merited.) There is no significant musicological coverage, or critical and popular appreciation (especially of his non-march works -- it's not necessary to drown us with information about his marches' popularity). There is what appears to be a complete list of his musical works; what is missing is a complete bibliography of his writings (especially noting those that may still be in print or relatively widely available). The article has what appear to be solid references; it needs more inline citations.

Last edited at 19:57, 21 December 2008 (UTC). Substituted at 20:20, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

JPS award

I wasn't sure how to mention in an edit that this article implies the JPS Foundation began issuing awards in the 1980s. But I received the JPS Award in 1978, and I think it was around long before that. Maybe someone can research this further and make a formal edit. Thanks. ````Jason Ford, El Cajon, Calif. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:8801:8903:D100:F42B:6AFC:63AF:CFD3 (talk) 16:45, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

POTD

Picture of the day

John Philip Sousa (1854–1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known primarily for American military marches. Showing great talent as a child, he mastered several instruments alongside an apprenticeship in the Marine Corps. After a period as a violinist and theater orchestra conductor, Sousa returned to the Marines for a twelve-year stint as head of the U.S. Marine Band, including two presidential inauguration balls. Later in life, he formed the Sousa Band and saw active service in World War I. He wrote a total of 137 marches, including Stars and Stripes Forever, which was designated the United States national march in 1987.Photograph: Elmer Chickering

the liberty ship

can someone with prose abilties work in the subtle reference to SS John Philip Sousa !!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dave Rave (talk • contribs) 06:36, 29 December 2019 (UTC)

Edits to lead

I have been bold and done some re-wording in the lead. To me, it seemed to read rather like "From 1880 until his death, he focused exclusively on conducting and writing music, and after his death he eventually rejoined the Marine Band", so I moved the "From 1880 until his death" bit to later in the paragraph. Also, I could see no reason to say "eventually" when we know the exact year, so I changed it ti 1880, and also added that he performed on the violin in the years in between.

I also took out "who is also known as 'The March King'"" from the sentence, "He is known as 'The March King' or the 'American March King', to distinguish him from his British counterpart Kenneth J. Alford who is also known as 'The March King'", as I consider it redundant. 2001:BB6:4713:4858:8DBE:E82E:BB6:69C8 (talk) 14:28, 9 September 2020 (UTC)

Controversy

Why is there no mention of any of the minstrel songs his band played? Also why no mention of his “Indian” music? Maybe make this entry look less like a list of accomplishments and more like an encyclopedia article? 173.81.120.144 (talk) 03:58, 3 February 2022 (UTC)