SOUSA U.S. Field Artillery (1917) - "The President's Own" United States Marine Band

"The President's Own" United States Marine Band presents The Complete Marches of John Philip Sousa, a multi-year project to record and publish scores for all of Sousa's Marches. Sousa, known as "The March King," was director of the Marine Band from 1880 to 1892. Recording directed by Col. Jason K. Fettig. http://www.marineband.marines.mil/

During Sousa’s brief wartime service in the Navy, he was invited to a luncheon meeting in New York with Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and Army Lieutenant George Friedlander. Friedlander, of the 306th Field Artillery, asked Sousa to compose a march for that regiment, suggesting that the march be built around an artillery song then known by such names as “The Caisson Song,” “The Caissons Go Rolling Along,” and “The Field Artillery Song.” The song was believed to be quite old, perhaps of Civil War origin, and had not been published; the composer was believed dead.

Sousa liked the song and agreed to use it. He set it in a different key, changed the harmonic structure, refined the melody, gave it a more snappy rhythm, and added this to his own original material. The complete composition was then published as the “U.S. Field Artillery” march.

Sousa’s touch added the spark necessary to transform the little-known artillery song into the army’s most popular melody. The new march was eagerly adopted by the army’s artillery units and later by the army as a whole. The Victor Talking Machine Company promptly issued a recording of the march with Sousa personally conducting former members of his own band, and the piece became the best known of all Sousa’s World War I compositions. On the record it was paired with another Sousa composition also dedicated to the U.S. Army: the “Liberty Loan” march. In a year’s time, the recording sold over 400,000 copies. Read the full note: https://www.marineband.marines.mil/Au...

Paul E. Bierley, The Works of John Philip Sousa (Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1984), 93. Used by permission.

More info: http://www.marineband.marines.mil/Aud...
Volume 5 playlist:    • The Complete Marches of John Philip Sousa ...