John Philip Sousa (November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition and resultant prominence, he is known as "The March King." In public, he was typically referenced by his full name.
John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C. on November 6, 1854 to John António de Sousa and Maria Elisab...
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John Philip Sousa (November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition and resultant prominence, he is known as "The March King." In public, he was typically referenced by his full name.
John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C. on November 6, 1854 to John António de Sousa and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus. His parents were of Portuguese, Spanish, and Bavarian (German) descent; his grandparents were Portuguese refugees. Sousa started his music education by playing the violin as a pupil of John Esputa and G. F. Benkert for harmony and musical composition at the age of six. He was found to have absolute pitch. 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. Sousa served his apprenticeship for...
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