WASHINGTON POST (March) Clarinet Quartet

WASHINGTON POST (March) Clarinet Quartet - Arrangement by Everardo García

In 1889, the owners of The Washington Post newspaper commissioned John Philip Sousa, then director of the United States Marine Corps Band, to compose a march for the awards ceremony of their essay contest. Sousa’s creation, “The Washington Post March,” was presented at the ceremony on June 15, 1889, and became a very popular piece. The phenomenon led a British journalist to dub Sousa the “King of Marches.” The Washington Post building honors Sousa for his contributions to the newspaper and to the United States. John Philip Sousa, born in Washington, United States, on November 6, 1854, and died on March 6, 1932, popularly known as the King of Marches, was an American composer, marine, and music director, particularly known for his compositions of military marches.

In 1892, Sousa formed his own band, the Sousa Band, with which he toured extensively throughout his country. In 1900, he represented the United States at the World’s Fair in Paris, marching down the Champs-Élysées and touring Europe. During World War I, he served as an officer in the Navy and as director of the Naval Reserve Band in Illinois. After the war, he returned to his own band, where he died in 1932. Sousa always avoided leading his band on radio broadcasts, as he disliked losing direct contact with his audience. In 1929, he was persuaded to do so, and his radio programs quickly became successful. He is buried in the U.S. Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.