WEBVTT

01:52.769 --> 01:55.047
Good morning , sir . The ban is formed .

01:55.047 --> 01:56.658
Take your post . Bye , sir .

02:46.619 --> 02:47.619
Mhm .

03:00.839 --> 03:01.839
Ok .

03:55.899 --> 03:56.899
Like

04:14.660 --> 04:15.660
ok ,

04:52.190 --> 04:54.134
would you all please rise with the

04:54.134 --> 04:57.839
presentation of the colors ? Work

04:57.959 --> 04:59.570
on the colors .

05:03.589 --> 05:04.589
Ok .

05:27.029 --> 05:30.690
Covers ta A Z

05:32.269 --> 05:32.730
hurt .

05:37.880 --> 05:38.369
No ,

06:24.279 --> 06:25.279
so

06:53.029 --> 06:55.769
oh , her

06:58.950 --> 07:00.279
coast coaster .

07:23.290 --> 07:25.346
Good morning , everybody . Please be

07:25.346 --> 07:27.989
seated . It is lovely to see so many

07:28.000 --> 07:30.429
people here to celebrate one of our own

07:30.440 --> 07:32.496
here this morning . So thank you for

07:32.496 --> 07:35.890
joining us . We gather here today on

07:35.899 --> 07:38.269
hollowed ground . The final resting

07:38.279 --> 07:40.290
place of one of our own , the most

07:40.299 --> 07:43.010
famous musician in the Marine Corps and

07:43.019 --> 07:44.852
certainly one of the most iconic

07:44.852 --> 07:47.440
musicians in American history . John

07:47.450 --> 07:50.299
Phillip Sousa . He was laid to rest

07:50.309 --> 07:52.600
here in historic Congressional cemetery

07:52.619 --> 07:54.989
on March 10th . Bringing to close an

07:55.000 --> 07:56.944
illustrious career that began as a

07:56.944 --> 07:59.111
Marine Corps , apprentice musician and

07:59.111 --> 08:01.000
that ended as the internationally

08:01.000 --> 08:04.320
renowned March king . The men and women

08:04.329 --> 08:06.385
of the United States marine Band are

08:06.385 --> 08:08.551
here today to commemorate his life and

08:08.551 --> 08:10.559
legacy . I would like to begin by

08:10.570 --> 08:12.626
sincerely thanking the congressional

08:12.626 --> 08:14.570
cemetery staff for their steadfast

08:14.570 --> 08:16.737
support of this event as well as their

08:16.737 --> 08:18.848
careful tending to this historic site

08:18.848 --> 08:20.790
year round . I would also like to

08:20.799 --> 08:23.021
gratefully acknowledge any relatives of

08:23.021 --> 08:24.910
John Phillips who's here today or

08:24.910 --> 08:27.021
watching via the live stream . We are

08:27.021 --> 08:29.243
honored that you would join us . Please

08:29.243 --> 08:30.966
stand . If you are able and be

08:30.966 --> 08:31.966
recognized ,

08:40.940 --> 08:43.162
you honor us with your presence . Thank

08:43.162 --> 08:46.020
you finally to all former members of

08:46.030 --> 08:47.919
the Marine Band in attendance and

08:47.919 --> 08:50.190
watching at home . Thank you for being

08:50.200 --> 08:53.669
with us here today . John Phillip Souza

08:53.679 --> 08:56.979
was born 100 69 years ago today on

08:56.989 --> 09:00.669
November 6th , 1854 at 6 36 G

09:00.679 --> 09:02.679
Street Southeast , right around the

09:02.679 --> 09:04.457
corner from the historic Marine

09:04.457 --> 09:07.530
barracks . His father , Antonio was a

09:07.539 --> 09:09.539
trombonist in the Marine band . The

09:09.539 --> 09:11.261
young Sousa received his first

09:11.261 --> 09:13.428
instruction in music at just six years

09:13.428 --> 09:15.650
old . His studies eventually included

09:15.659 --> 09:18.440
lessons on piano violin , flute ,

09:18.450 --> 09:21.080
cornet , alto horn , baritone ,

09:21.090 --> 09:23.359
trombone , and last but not least in

09:23.369 --> 09:26.090
composition . During Sousa's busy

09:26.099 --> 09:28.340
childhood , the civil war was raging

09:28.530 --> 09:31.280
and Washington was an armed camp . The

09:31.289 --> 09:33.289
sounds of military music filled the

09:33.289 --> 09:35.799
city and had a profound effect on a

09:35.809 --> 09:38.840
young souza . His father would often

09:38.849 --> 09:40.849
bring young John Phillips to marine

09:40.849 --> 09:42.793
band rehearsals with him . And the

09:42.793 --> 09:44.960
budding musician was even permitted to

09:44.960 --> 09:47.016
play crash Cymbals or alto horn with

09:47.016 --> 09:49.520
the band . On occasion . The account of

09:49.530 --> 09:51.641
the beginning of Sousa's Marine Corps

09:51.641 --> 09:53.752
career sounds almost too fantastic to

09:53.752 --> 09:56.200
believe . When only 13 years old Sousa

09:56.380 --> 09:58.789
was scouted , he was approached by the

09:58.799 --> 10:00.910
leader of a circus band who heard him

10:00.910 --> 10:03.289
practicing the violin impressed with

10:03.299 --> 10:05.521
his ability . The band leader persuaded

10:05.521 --> 10:07.780
a young Sousa to secretly run away from

10:07.789 --> 10:10.289
home and join the circus troop for a

10:10.299 --> 10:12.410
tour starting the very next morning .

10:12.580 --> 10:14.840
Unfortunately , his father found out

10:15.049 --> 10:18.059
and , uh , put to , to bed that plan .

10:18.229 --> 10:21.239
And the next morning on June 9th , 1868

10:21.250 --> 10:23.361
he escorted Suza to Marine Barracks ,

10:23.361 --> 10:25.700
Washington and had him enlisted as an

10:25.710 --> 10:27.599
apprentice musician in the United

10:27.599 --> 10:29.840
States Marine Band foiled

10:32.710 --> 10:34.821
after serving almost seven years with

10:34.821 --> 10:36.919
the Marine Band , Sousa decided to

10:36.929 --> 10:39.040
leave the Marine Corps and strike out

10:39.040 --> 10:41.262
on his own . He began a very successful

10:41.262 --> 10:43.373
career performing and conducting with

10:43.373 --> 10:45.596
theater orchestras of Washington DC and

10:45.596 --> 10:47.651
Philadelphia while also beginning to

10:47.651 --> 10:49.596
write and publish his own original

10:49.596 --> 10:52.840
compositions . Five years after leaving

10:52.849 --> 10:55.071
the Marine Band , the Commandant of the

10:55.071 --> 10:56.960
Marine Corps tracked him down and

10:56.960 --> 10:59.182
offered him the position of director of

10:59.182 --> 11:01.293
the President's own . And despite the

11:01.293 --> 11:03.460
fact that things were going quite well

11:03.460 --> 11:05.738
in his civilian career . At that point ,

11:05.738 --> 11:07.738
Sousa jumped at the opportunity and

11:07.738 --> 11:10.539
October 1st 1880 at the age of 25 he

11:10.549 --> 11:12.840
enlisted once more in the Marine Corps

11:13.119 --> 11:15.286
with service with the Marine Band this

11:15.286 --> 11:18.630
time as its 17th director for the next

11:18.640 --> 11:20.770
12 years . Souza led the Marine Band

11:20.780 --> 11:22.613
and established it as one of the

11:22.613 --> 11:24.447
premier musical ensembles in the

11:24.447 --> 11:26.502
country . And the reputation quickly

11:26.502 --> 11:28.280
began to spread well beyond the

11:28.280 --> 11:30.224
nation's capital . And it was also

11:30.224 --> 11:32.280
during this time that Sousa began to

11:32.280 --> 11:34.502
put those composition lessons to use uh

11:34.502 --> 11:36.613
and began to write marches that would

11:36.613 --> 11:38.780
earn him the title of the March king .

11:38.859 --> 11:42.109
In 1888 was Semper Fidelis . The 1st

11:42.119 --> 11:44.119
march that you heard this morning ,

11:44.119 --> 11:46.008
which was dedicated to the offers

11:46.008 --> 11:48.008
officers and enlisted of the United

11:48.008 --> 11:50.230
States Marine Corps . The Thunderer and

11:50.230 --> 11:52.286
the Washington Post followed shortly

11:52.286 --> 11:55.690
thereafter written in 1889 . Toward the

11:55.700 --> 11:58.289
end of his tenure as director , Souza

11:58.299 --> 12:00.410
was determined to regularly share the

12:00.410 --> 12:02.466
talents of the band's musicians with

12:02.466 --> 12:04.577
those beyond the border of Washington

12:04.577 --> 12:07.770
DC . So in 1891 after receiving

12:07.780 --> 12:09.724
permission directly from President

12:09.724 --> 12:11.836
Benjamin Harrison Sousa took the band

12:11.836 --> 12:14.058
on its first ever national concert tour

12:14.058 --> 12:16.239
traveling through 13 states in New

12:16.250 --> 12:19.039
England and the Midwest , the trip was

12:19.049 --> 12:21.049
a tremendous success and the second

12:21.049 --> 12:23.160
tour was scheduled the following year

12:23.160 --> 12:25.327
which took the band all the way to the

12:25.327 --> 12:27.599
West coast . These tours soon became an

12:27.609 --> 12:29.831
incredibly important part of the band's

12:29.831 --> 12:31.831
identity and its ability to connect

12:31.831 --> 12:34.053
directly with the American people . And

12:34.053 --> 12:35.887
it is a practice that we proudly

12:35.887 --> 12:38.869
continue to this day after more than a

12:38.880 --> 12:41.429
decade as Director Sousa's growing

12:41.440 --> 12:43.607
popularity and success prompted him to

12:43.607 --> 12:45.718
leave the Marine Band to form his own

12:45.718 --> 12:47.496
civilian band . He received his

12:47.496 --> 12:49.662
discharge following a special farewell

12:49.662 --> 12:51.884
concert at the White House on July 30th

12:51.884 --> 12:54.330
1892 . And he immediately formed the

12:54.340 --> 12:57.010
Sousa band for the next nearly four

12:57.020 --> 12:59.130
decades . He led the most civilian

12:59.140 --> 13:01.140
successful civilian concert band in

13:01.140 --> 13:03.429
history , making annual tours of North

13:03.440 --> 13:06.280
America , four European tours . And in

13:06.289 --> 13:09.570
1910 and 1911 , a monumental tour of

13:09.580 --> 13:12.650
the world during his lifetime and

13:12.659 --> 13:14.809
beyond Sousa had an immense impact on

13:14.820 --> 13:17.369
America's artistic culture and music ,

13:17.789 --> 13:19.678
but perhaps the greatest and most

13:19.678 --> 13:22.309
enduring influence Sousa has had uh was

13:22.320 --> 13:24.570
as an unabashed cheerleader of the

13:24.580 --> 13:26.619
American spirit . And his music

13:26.630 --> 13:28.919
continues to inspire and stir American

13:28.929 --> 13:31.609
patriotism all across this nation and

13:31.619 --> 13:35.270
beyond . On a personal note ,

13:35.570 --> 13:37.869
I find great resonance in the fact that

13:37.880 --> 13:40.190
John Phillip Souza and I are both

13:40.200 --> 13:43.270
second generation Americans born to

13:43.280 --> 13:45.224
immigrant parents who came to this

13:45.224 --> 13:47.058
great nation for opportunity and

13:47.058 --> 13:48.947
freedom . As a Taiwanese American

13:48.947 --> 13:50.891
citizen , I am honored to have the

13:50.891 --> 13:52.613
chance to be a steward of this

13:52.613 --> 13:54.780
venerable institution . And along with

13:54.780 --> 13:56.891
Sousa reinforced the ideals that this

13:56.891 --> 13:59.058
nation was founded upon that all of us

13:59.058 --> 14:00.891
are created equal and capable of

14:00.891 --> 14:02.836
contributing to the fabric of this

14:02.836 --> 14:05.330
place we call home . So today on John

14:05.340 --> 14:07.630
Philip Sousa's birthday , the men and

14:07.640 --> 14:09.751
the women of the United States Marine

14:09.751 --> 14:11.862
Band are once again honored to gather

14:11.862 --> 14:13.862
at his final resting place to lay a

14:13.862 --> 14:15.973
wreath in grateful recognition of all

14:15.973 --> 14:18.029
that he gave to the Marine Band , to

14:18.029 --> 14:19.973
the Marine Corps and to the nation

14:20.429 --> 14:22.429
following the wreath lang , we will

14:22.429 --> 14:24.596
celebrate his legacy by performing his

14:24.596 --> 14:26.979
most famous march , our national march ,

14:27.099 --> 14:29.880
the stars and stripes forever . Thank

14:29.890 --> 14:32.530
you here And

19:41.869 --> 19:42.869
yeah ,

20:39.900 --> 20:42.329
today's ceremony , march off the

20:42.339 --> 20:43.339
formation

20:50.469 --> 20:50.790
hurt , hurt .