marchdb.net

John Philip Sousa

webmaster@marchdb.net — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:31:02 GMT

John Philip Sousa (November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known particularly for American military marches. Because of his prominence, he is known as “The March King”.

John was born in Washington, D.C., to John António de Sousa and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus. His parents were of Portuguese, Spanish and Bavarian (German) descent; his grandparents were Portuguese refugees. Sousa started his music education, playing the violin, as a pupil of John Esputa and G. F. Benkert for harmony and musical composition at the age of six. He was found to have absolute pitch. When John reached the age of 13, his father, a trombonist in the Marine Band, enlisted his son in the United States Marine Corps as an apprentice. John served his apprenticeship for seven years, until 1875, and apparently learned to play all the wind instruments while honing his mettle with the violin. On December 30, 1879, he married Jane van Middlesworth Bellis. They had three children. First child was John Philip Sousa, Jr (1 April 1881 – 18 May 1937). Second was Jane Priscilla (7 Aug 1882 – 28 Oct 1958). Third was Helen (21 Jan 1887 – 14 Oct 1975). All three are buried in the John Philip Sousa plot in the Congressional cemetery. Jane joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1907. Several years later, John left his apprenticeship to join a theatrical (pit) orchestra where he learned to conduct. He returned to the U.S. Marine Band as its head in 1880, and remained as its conductor until 1892. Sousa also led the marching band of Gonzaga College High School. Sousa organized his own band in 1892. It toured widely, and in 1900, represented the United States at the Paris Exposition before touring Europe. Sousa repeatedly refused to conduct on the radio, fearing a lack of personal contact with the audience. He was finally persuaded to do so in 1929 and became a smash hit. Sousa died on March 6, 1932, in his room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania.

From wikipedia

Paul Lincke

webmaster@marchdb.net — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:06:28 GMT

The German composer Paul Lincke was born in Berlin on November 7, 1866.

He is often referred to as the father of German musical comedy.

Lincke’s publishing company Apollo Verlag, was one of the biggest in Germany.

Paul Lincke died in Clausthal-Zellerfeld on September 3, 1946.

Alfred Young

webmaster@marchdb.net — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 06:27:38 GMT

Alfred Young was born in Greenwich in 1900.

Alfred Young enlisted in the army in 1913, as an under age member of the Durham Light Infantry.

In 1924 he was accepted for bandmaster training at Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall. He graduated in 1927, as appointed bandmaster of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Band.

From 1949-1958 he was Director of Music of the Royal Engineers (Chatham). After leaving the Royal Engineers he became Professor of instrumentation at Kneller Hall from 1959-1966.

He also composed using the pseudonym Earl Brigham.

Julius Ernst Wilhelm Fucik

webmaster@marchdb.net — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:13:52 GMT

Julius Fucik was born in Prague on the 18th of July 1872.

He wanted to study at the Prague Musical Conservaory, but his father, Jaroslav Fucik, were in financial difficulties. He was instead to begin learning to become a shoemaker.

After talking with his old schoolteacher Bosacek and with financial support from his grand mother, he was able to afford the conservatory.

In 1885 he began his studies at the Prag Conservatory. His main instrument was the violin, but he later switched to the Basoon. In 1890 he started studying composition and instrumentation with Antonin Dvorak.

1891-1894 military service in Krems

In September 1891 Fucik joined the 49th Austro-Hungarian Regiment as a military musician.

Sam Rydberg

webmaster@marchdb.net — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 17:23:09 GMT

Sam Rydberg were born in Nyköping in 1885.

In 1898 he joined he joined the sswedish army as drummer in the “Kungl. Södermanlands Regemente” located in Strängnäs. Later he also learned to play the trumpet and chello.

In 1906 he transferred to the band of the Kungliga Svea Ingeniörkår (The Royal Engineers) in Stockholm, where he played trumpet. In 1928 he became their director of music, a position he held until 1935, when he retired from the army.

After his retirement from the army he worked as a musician in Stockholm and later as music-librarian at The Swedish Radio.

Sam Rydberg died in Stockholm in 1956.

Rydberg composed over 70 marches

Edwin Franko Goldman

webmaster@marchdb.net — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:01:23 GMT

Edwin Franko Goldman was born in Louisville, Kentucky.

In 1892 he won a scholarship and attended the National Conservatory of Music in New York.

He organized the New York Military Band in 1911. In 1918 the band became The Goldman Band. The first concert under the new name was held a Columbia University. The band held free public concerts for 93 years until it was shut down in 2005.

Goldman founded the American Bandmasters Association in 1929, he became the associations Second Honorary Life President after John Philip Sousa.

Edwin Franko Goldman died at the Montefiore Hospital in New York.

Scott Joplin

webmaster@marchdb.net — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:47:07 GMT

Scott Joplin was born in Linden, Texas sometime between June 1867 and January 1868, his exact birthdate is unknown.

Scott Joplin died at the Manhattan State Hospital in New York City, on April 1, 1917.

John Nicholas Klohr

webmaster@marchdb.net — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 21:48:07 GMT

John Nicholas Klohr was born in Cincinatti, Ohio, on July 27, 1869.

Klohr was a professional trombone player, he also worked as an editor for the John Church Company, a music publishing company.

John died in his home in Cincinatti on Febuary 17, 1956.

Johannes Hanssen

webmaster@marchdb.net — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:38:31 GMT

Johannes Hansen was in Ullensaker not far from Oslo on 2 December 1874.

In 1900 he became a bandsman, playing bariton horn, in the Oslo Military Band. In 1926 he became conductor of the band, a position he held until 1934.

Following his retirement from the military he played double bass at National Theatre in Oslo and with other norwegian orchestras.

After the second world war he returned as conductor of the Oslo Military Band from 1945 to 1946. He then played double bass in the Norwegian Radio Orchestra from 1946-49.

Johannes Hanssen died on 25 November 1967, 92 years old.

Robert Browne Hall

webmaster@marchdb.net — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 08:40:12 GMT

Robert Browne Hall was born in Bowdoinham, Maine, on 30 June 1858.

His father worked as a blacksmith but also played cornet in a local band and was R. B. Hall’s first cornet instructor. His mother was accomplished piano, harp an violin player and contributed to her son’s musical foundation.

When he was 19 R. B. Hall was director of the Richmond Cornet Band.

From 1878 to 1882 Hall shared solo cornet position in J. T. Baldwin’s First Corps of Cadets Band.

R.B. Hall died on June 8, 1907 in Portland, Maine.