Stars and Stripes Forever was composed by John Philip Sousa on Christmas day 1896. John
Philip Sousa (November 6, 1854 - March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of
the late Romantic era, known primarily for American military and patriotic marches. Because of
his mastery of march composition, he is known as “The March King” or the “American March
King” due his British counterpart Kenneth J .A Alford also being known as “The March King”.
The Stars and Stripes Forever is the official March of the United States of America (US Code,
Title 36 Chapter 10).
Surprisingly the patriotic march was written not in the aftermath of a great battle, but on an
ocean liner as Sousa and his wife were returning from a European vacation. In late 1896, they
were at sea when word came that the manager of the Sousa Band, David Blakely, had died
suddenly.
Sousa tells this story in his autobiography:
Here came one of the most vivid incidents of my career. As the vessel (the Teutonic) steamed
out of the harbor, I was pacing on the deck, absorbed in thoughts of my manager’s death, and
the many duties and decisions which awaited me in New York. Suddenly, I began to sense a
rhythmic beat of a band playing within my brain. Throughout the whole tense voyage, that
imaginary band continued to unfold the same themes, echoing and re-echoing the most distinct
melody. I did not transfer a note of that music to paper while I was on the steamer, but when we
reached shore, I set down the measures that my brain-band had been playing for me, and not a
note of it has ever changed.
Philip Sousa (November 6, 1854 - March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of
the late Romantic era, known primarily for American military and patriotic marches. Because of
his mastery of march composition, he is known as “The March King” or the “American March
King” due his British counterpart Kenneth J .A Alford also being known as “The March King”.
The Stars and Stripes Forever is the official March of the United States of America (US Code,
Title 36 Chapter 10).
Surprisingly the patriotic march was written not in the aftermath of a great battle, but on an
ocean liner as Sousa and his wife were returning from a European vacation. In late 1896, they
were at sea when word came that the manager of the Sousa Band, David Blakely, had died
suddenly.
Sousa tells this story in his autobiography:
Here came one of the most vivid incidents of my career. As the vessel (the Teutonic) steamed
out of the harbor, I was pacing on the deck, absorbed in thoughts of my manager’s death, and
the many duties and decisions which awaited me in New York. Suddenly, I began to sense a
rhythmic beat of a band playing within my brain. Throughout the whole tense voyage, that
imaginary band continued to unfold the same themes, echoing and re-echoing the most distinct
melody. I did not transfer a note of that music to paper while I was on the steamer, but when we
reached shore, I set down the measures that my brain-band had been playing for me, and not a
note of it has ever changed.