This vintage real photo postcard features John Philip Sousa (1854-1932). He was a renowned American bandmaster and composer of military marches. He grew up in Washington D.C. where he learned to play various band instruments. He also studied harmony and musical theory. In 1868, he enlisted in the Marines and apprenticed in the Marine band. He built a excellent reputation as a bandmaster of this group. In 1892, he formed hisown band and he toured the United States and the World. Sousa composed 136 military marches, His talent produced “Semper Fidelis” (1888), “The Washington Post” (1889), and “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (1897). He also wrote 11 operettas and more than 70 songs. Sousa redeveloped the bass tuba which became known as the Sousaphone. During World War l, he joined the U.S. Navy and headed it’s band training center. He later wrote three novels, musical instruction books, and an autobiography, “Marching Along” (1928). This postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (no.2537B). SOLD
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