This document provides biographical information about several American composers of marches, including John Philip Sousa, W. Paris Chambers, Karl L. King, and Philip Egner. It also summarizes the histories and inspirations behind some of their most famous marches such as "The Black Horse Troop", "Chicago Tribune", "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite", and "The Official West Point".

1. Behind the Music
The History of Selected Marches

2. John Philip Sousa
Born Washington, D.C. – 1854
Died Reading, Pennsylvania – 1932

3. The Black Horse Troop (1932)
 Sousa loved Horses
 Suffered fall from horse
Patrician Charley in 1921
 Written for Troop A of
Cleveland National Guard
 Also known as 1st City Troop,
or the Black Horse Troop
 Independent unit created
after railroad strike of 1877
 At Sousa Band concert
marking the 48th anniversary,
rode horses right up on stage
 6/8 rhythm suggests canter
of horses

4. W. Paris Chambers
 Born Newport, Pennsylvania -
1854
 Died Newville, Pennsylvania –
1913
 Chicago Tribune (1892)
 Written for Chicago Tribune
 One of America’s leading
newspaper’s in 1892
 Founded in 1847
 Played a leading role in what
was the Western U.S.
 Largely nationalistic in foreign
affairs
 Conservative in outlook

5. John Philip Sousa
Boy Scouts of America (1916)
 Boy Scouts of America – founded  Dr. Charles D. Hart, President of
1901 Philadelphia scout organization
asked Sousa to complete this
 Core list of values march
 Trustworthy  Sousa responded with a march
that “…absolutely breathes the
 Loyal boy; it visualizes the supple step
 Helpful of the boy marching, and not the
 Friendly heavy tread of a man.”
 Courteous
 Kind
 Obedient
 Cheerful
 Thrifty
 Brave
 Clean
 Reverent

6. Karl L. King
Born Paintersville, Ohio – 1891
Died Fort Dodge, Iowa - 1971

7. Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite (1913)
 Barnum and Bailey’s
Greatest Show on Earth
 Joined band in 1913, director
1917-1919
 Wrote Barnum and Bailey’s
Favorite at the request of
director, Ned Brill
 P.T. Barnum founded “P.T.
Barnum’s Great Traveling
Museum, Menagerie,
Caravan, and Hippodrome”
in 1875
 Combined with J. A. Bailey in
1881
 Sold to Ringling Brothers Circus in
1907

8. John Philip Sousa
Daughters of Texas (1929)
 First known as Daughters of Denton
 Concert in Denton, TX in 1928
 Request was sent from the all-girls College
of Industrial Arts to write a march
 1700 students signed a petition
 Presently known as Texas Woman’s
University
 2 different marches
 Before march was published, Sousa
received a short notice request to play for
the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis
 Performed unpublished march for that event
 Composed second march known today as
Daughters of Texas

9. Philip Egner
The Official West Point (1928)
 Born New York, New York – 1870
 Composed in 1928, consists
of many original traditional  Died Seaside Park, New Jersey – 1956
and original military songs  United States Military Academy
 On Brave Old Army Team  Founded in 1602
 Located in West Point, NY
 Army Blue
 Alma Mater  Motto: Duty, Honor, Country
 The Corps
 Recall
 West Point Song
 Taps
 Reveille
 Dashing White Sergeant

10. John Philip Sousa
King Cotton (1895)
 Written for the Cotton States and International
Exposition in Atlanta, GA
 Sousa’s band was credited for preventing many fairs and
expositions from losing money
 Officials attempted to cancel contract because of financial
difficulty
 Sousa honored contract

11. Cotton States and International
Exhibition
 Cotton States and International
Exposition of 1895
 Designed to promote the region
 Showcase new products and
technology
 Encourage trade with Latin
America
 Open for 100 days
 Sept. 18 – Dec. 31
 Nearly 800,000 visitors
 Many states and countries had
their own buildings
 Tropical Gardens later became
Atlanta Botanical Garden
 Now Piedmont Park