El Capitan

By: John P. Sousa
For: String quartet
page one of El Capitan

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Composer
John P. Sousa
Year of composition
1896
Arranger
Difficulty
Moderate (Grades 4-6)
Duration
2 minutes
Genre
Classical music
License details
For anything not permitted by the above licence then you should contact the publisher first to obtain permission.

American bandmaster and composer John Philip Sousa did more than anyone to elevate the status of the military wind band through creation and performance. Sousa's boyhood coincided with the American Civil War. The sounds of military bands were constantly in the air. His first musical training was on the violin, and his father instructed him on several wind instruments. At 13 the lure of a visiting circus was a powerful incentive for the boy to join up as a musician; however, his astute father, himself a bandsman, caught wind of the lad's intention and procured an apprenticeship in the Marine Corps Band for his son. It proved to be a happy move for all involved. The young musician sharpened his skills in that musical organization called the "President's own." He composed his first march, ?Salutation?, at 16.

At 18, Sousa began to play violin in various theater orchestras. In 1880, Sousa was appointed leader of the Marine Corps Band, which he would serve for 12 years, under five presidents. He now began to hit his stride with his own marches, turning out such classics as ?Semper Fidelis?, ?The Washington Post?, ?The Thunderer?, and ?The High School Cadets?. In 1892 Sousa, resigning his position with the Marine Corps, organized his own band, known simply as ?Sousa's Band?. Through national, European, and world tours, the band's success was nothing short of a phenomenon, Sousa receiving many honors and decorations from the royal families of Great Britain and Europe.

He continued turning out his series of comic operas, including the highly successful ?El Capitan? (1895). From his pen flowed songs, symphonic poems, and more marches, this period seeing ?The Liberty Bell? (1893), ?King Cotton? (1895), ?Hands Across the Sea? (1899) and, most notably, ?The Stars and Stripes Forever? (1897).

Among his many achievements was his being a founder of ASCAP. He also helped develop the Sousaphone, a large tuba which features in parade bands. Ultimately, his compositions are his monument. But particularly it is the marches which endure. Sousa was not afraid to invest his marches with beautiful melody and unusual harmonies, placing them above being merely parade music. Sousa continued to explore within his chosen field until the end and many from his final decade such as The Gridiron Club and Sesquicentennial Exposition are remarkable for their inventiveness and vitality. The composer himself mused upon what constitutes the perfect march, stating that "it should make a man with a wooden leg step out." In virtually all of his creations in this field, Sousa passed this standard with flying colors.

This arrangement comes with a supplemental third violin part, and an optional bass part for use with string orchestra.

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The High School Cadets, The Blue Danube Waltzes, The Holly And The Ivy, Marche Militaire, Op.51 No.1, Sonata "Pathetique" Op.13 - 2. Adagio cantabile, Slavonic Dance, Op.72 No.2, Pavane, Op.50, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, The Nutcracker - Overture, Suite Bergamasque - No.3 Clair de Lune, 16 Songs for Children, Op.54 No.6 Legend ("When Jesus Christ Was Yet A Child"), Maple Leaf Rag, O Christmas Tree, Tales From The Vienna Woods, Serenade No.10 "Gran Partita" - 3. Adagio, Orchestral Suite No.2 - 7. Badinerie, The Barber of Seville - Overture, Marche Militaire, Op.51 No.1, Bethena - A Concert Waltz, Who Let The Cows Out?, Le Coucou, Piano Sonata in A "Alla Turca" - 3. Rondo, The Washington Post March, Kinderszenen, Op.15 No.13 Der Dichter Spricht (The Poet Speaks), Berceuse, Op.16, Rosamunde - Ballet Music No.2, We Three Kings, Trio No.1, Serenade No.10 "Gran Partita" - 6. Theme and variations, La Damnation de Faust - Rakoczy March, The Liberty Bell March, Orchestral Suite No.2 - 3. Sarabande, Swan Lake - Dance of the Cygnets, Trombone Johnsen, Of The Father's Love Begotten, Humoresque, Op.101 No.7, Emperor Waltz, L'Estate ("Summer") - 1. Allegro non molto, Holberg Suite - 2. Sarabande, Chanson de Matin, Brook Green Suite - 3. Dance, Policy King, Joy To The World, Lohengrin - The Bridal Chorus, Symphony No.29 - 3. Menuetto, Orchestral Suite No.2 - 6. Menuet, Chanson Triste, Op.40 No.2, Little Jesus, Sweetly Sleep, Orchestral Suite No.2 - 4. Bourree I and II, Symphony No.25 - 1. Allegro con brio, The Entertainer, Brandenburg Concerto No.5 - 1. Allegro, Kinderszenen, Op.15 No.11 Furchtenmachen (Frightening), Christians, Awake!, Children's Corner, No.6 The Golliwog's Cake-Walk, The Magic Flute - March, Birthday Minuet, Artist's Life Waltz, The First Noel, Ode To Joy, The Ragtime Dance, Water Music Suite No.2 in D, Hands Across The Sea, Solomon - Act III, Sinfonia "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba", Song Without Words No.45 - Scherzo Op.102 No.3, Habanera from "Carmen", Lullay My Liking, Piano Sonata No.14 "Moonlight" - 2. Allegretto, Orchestral Suite No.3 - 3. Gavotte I and II, Children's Corner, No.6 The Golliwog's Cake-Walk, God Save The Queen, Brandenburg Concerto No.5 - 3. Allegro, Espana - 2. Tango, Brandenburg Concerto No.2 - 3. Allegro assai, The Cannon Ball Rag, O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis), King Cotton, Symphony No.40 - 1. Allegro molto, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Water Music Suite No.1 in F, Song Without Words No.27 "Funeral March" Op.62 No.3, Key-Stone Rag, Minute Waltz, Op.64 No.1, Song Without Words No.30 - Spring Song Op.62 No.6, Semper Fidelis, Brandenburg Concerto No.3 - 1. Allegro, Orchestral Suite No.3 - 1. Overture, A Midsummer Night's Dream Op.61 "The Wedding March", Brandenburg Concerto No.6 - 3. Allegro, A Midsummer Night's Dream Op.61 "The Wedding March", La Marseillaise, The Sleeping Beauty - Waltz, Brandenburg Concerto No.5 - 2. Affettuoso, In The Bleak Mid-Winter, Gymnopedie No.1, Kinderszenen, Op.15 No.7 Traumerei (Dreaming), Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Symphony No.29 - 2. Andante, Symphony No.25 - 3. Menuetto, Symphony No.40 - 4. Allegro assai, The Marriage of Figaro - Overture, The Amazon Rag, The Blue Danube Waltzes, Lullaby, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, A Midsummer Night's Dream Op.61 - Scherzo, In Dulci Jubilo, The Flight of the Bumble Bee, Roses From The South, Once in Royal David's City, Serenade No.10 , Symphony No.29 - 4. Allegro con spirito, Symphony No.29 - 1. Allegro moderato, Babes in Toyland - March of the Toys, Unto Us A Child Is Born, Wine, Women and Song, Rosamunde - Ballet Music No.2, Silent Night, Orchestral Suite No.3 - 4. Bourree, Orchestral Suite No.2 - 2. Rondeau, Serenade No.10 "Gran Partita" - 2. Menuetto; Trio 1; Trio 2, Pictures at an Exhibition - Promenade, Symphony No.25 - 2. Andante, Angels We Have Heard On High, William Tell - Overture, I Saw Three Ships, Symphony No.40 - 1. Allegro molto, A Midsummer Night's Dream Op.61 - Nocturne, Brandenburg Concerto No.6 - 2. Adagio ma non tanto, Slavonic Dance, Op.46 No.7, Deck The Halls, O come, O come, Emmanuel, Brandenburg Concerto No.3 - 2. Adagio - Allegro, Symphonie Fantastique - 2. Un Bal, Orchestral Suite No.2 - 1. Overture, Away In A Manger, Orchestral Suite No.2 - 5. Polonaise and Double, Solomon - Act III, Sinfonia "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba", Symphony No.40 - 2. Andante, Auld Lang Syne, The Coventry Carol, The Merry Wives of Windsor - Overture, Symphony No.25 - 4. Allegro, Water Music Suite No.3 in G, Ave Maria, Op.52 No.6, Carmen - Act 1: Prelude, Symphony No.40 - 3. Menuetto, Slavonic Dance, Op.46 No.8, O Little Town Of Bethlehem (1), Brandenburg Concerto No.2 - 1. Allegro and O Holy Night

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