When was stars and stripes forever written

Then I experienced a wonderful sense of relief and relaxation. I was satisfied, delighted, with my work after it was done. The feeling of impatience passed away, and I was content to rest peacefully until the ship had docked and I was once more under the folds of the grand old flag of our country.

And as I looked at John Philip Sousa there were tears in his eyes. The broad melody, or main theme, represents the North. The South is represented by the famous piccolo obbligato, and the West by the bold countermelody of the trombones. But by virtue of that patriotic significance it is by far the most popular march ever written, and its popularity is by no means limited to the United States. Abroad, it has always symbolized America.

It has been recorded more often than practically any other composition ever written. After the copyright expired in , over fifty new arrangements appeared in the United States alone. Sousa did not claim that his march title was original.

He could have come by it in one of two ways. First, the favorite toast of bandmaster Patrick S. Sousa wrote words for the march, evidently for use in The Trooping of the Colors, his pageant of These are printed below. The emblem of the brave and true. In the last half of the s, Austria had its waltz king - Johann Strauss Jr. Sousa was known the world over as a band leader and the composer of dozens of marches, as well as operettas, orchestral suites, and songs.

Interestingly, Sousa started his musical studies on the violin, but soon he became proficient on wind instruments, so that by age 13 he was playing in the Marine Band. Before he was 18, he was leading an orchestra in a vaudeville theater in his native Washington, D. Sousa's band activities began in earnest in , when he was appointed leader of the Marine Band; twelve years later he resigned to organize a band of his own, with which he gave concerts around the world.

In addition to his musical activities, Sousa was a novelist with five books to his credit, and he also published an autobiography titled, appropriately enough, Marching Together. The three marches on tonight's program are American classics. Other nations may deem their flags the best And cheer them with fervid elation But the flag of the North and South and West Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom's nation.

Hurrah for the flag of the free! May it wave as our standard forever, The gem of the land and the sea, The banner of the right. Let despots remember the day When our fathers with mighty endeavor Proclaimed as they marched to the fray That by their might and by their right It waves forever.

Let eagle shriek from lofty peak The never-ending watchword of our land; Let summer breeze waft through the trees The echo of the chorus grand. Sing out for liberty and light, Sing out for freedom and the right. Sing out for Union and its might, O patriotic sons. Other nations may deem their flags the best And cheer them with fervid elation, But the flag of the North and South and West Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom's nation. Hurrah for the flag of the free.

May it wave as our standard forever The gem of the land and the sea, The banner of the right. Let despots remember the day When our fathers with mighty endeavor Proclaimed as they marched to the fray, That by their might and by their right It waves forever. Where on high the Almighty falters never. Our banner for two hundred years! Oh pioneers! Here's to the stars and stripes forever! Altissimo Recordings is proud to report that the march continues to thrill our clients as never before and is featured on 61 of our albums.

Here are a couple of featured albums that include the famous march:. Music for your 4th of July Fireworks! Posted on July 03, Jazz Appreciation Month!