I secretly love Sousa marches (well, I guess it’s out there now), and here’s my favorite. Yes, a lesser-known piece. But it’s perfect.
Try grabbing on to one part and listening to it the whole way through. Sousa was so good at layering his music and this song shows some beautiful examples. You’ll find his usual intricate flow of undercurrents throughout, but also places where entirely different groups of musicians are quite boldly punching up or finishing phrases started by others.
The song starts as a fairly typical Sousa offering (if there could ever be one deemed “fairly typical”), but once it hits the 2-minute mark, it enters an entirely different realm. Crank it up, close your eyes, and take it in.
Sousa is so complex, and he’s so good at it that it works. And you’re welcome…