John Philip Sausa: The March King

“This boy ought to do something useful, I’ll teach him some music.” (10) John Esputa suggested to Antonio Sousa as his young son, John Philip Sousa, yearned for the opportunity to learn the ways of a musician. From a stubborn boy attempting to play the violin and trombone to the old man conducting his own talented band, deciding to learn music made John Philip Sousa the man who earned the grand title of The March King. The songs he wrote traveled word-wide, many pieces spreading across continents during the late 1800s till present day. He inspired thousands with his pieces and endless determination. The March King’s life consisted of bombastic marches and endless symphonies till his final breath.

John Philip Sousa’s life started on November sixth, 1854 in Washington. “Philip was a rugged individualist at the age of four.”(9). His early stubborn nature prevented him from attending school due to catching pneumonia from sleeping outdoors when his mother denied him sweets. Sousa’s home-schooling left him craving for an activity and John Esputa started to teach young Philip music. A variety of music lessons took place, leaving Sousa frustrated with critical teachers and challenging new instruments. Eventually he enrolled in school, mainly for safety from the upcoming war, but the young musician excelled in his studies. Meanwhile, trouble with his music lessons occurred, leading him to quit music and attempt baking instead. His heart already belonged to music though, and he returned to music as the child prodigy who fearlessly performed at age ten for large audiences. He already conducted a band of grown men, accepted offers to play in a circus band, and ended up joining the Marine Band before his late teens. The Marine Band a...

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... I did when I was just starting.”(222). Sousa remained passionate, determined, creative, considerate, and ambitious all his life. At age seventy-seven, he retired early at a banquet in Pennsylvania before he conducted an anniversary concert. John Philip Sousa died from a heart attack, losing his last breath on March sixth, 1932. His funeral proceeded, solemn and respectful as The Marine Band played proudly as Sousa descended into the cold Earth. The March King lived through a life full of music, his own words summing life up as well as any others, “No one has had a richer, happier life than I have had. I believe that God intended me for a musician, and I was lucky that I could make my living by doing what I wanted to do . . . American is a restless country. We do not sadness. We want rhythm, and brightness . . . I have tried to put sunshine into music . . .” (241).