Late 19th-century American March · 1896
The Stars and Stripes Forever
J. P. Sousa
- Key
- Eb
- Time
- 2/2
- Tempo
- ♩=120
- AO focus
- AO1
Incipit
Form
Concert march — multi-strain march form (intro + AABBCDCDCD with a piccolo obligato in the trio). Officially designated the National March of the United States by Act of Congress in 1987.
Teaching points
- March form — discuss multi-strain structure (intro + first strain + second strain + trio + breakup strain + grandioso)
- Piccolo obligato — the famous 'star and stripes' trio melody in the piccolos
- AO1: brass-band repertoire centerpiece. Schools with a wind ensemble can stage this
- AO3: march as cultural-political artifact — discuss Sousa's role in American patriotic music
Full score ↓Public domain
Score: IMSLP (1896 first edition, public domain).