Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-11

frey has never gone to the wars, he is
starred and medaled like a veteran with
the trophies of peace.
Next to him stood the late Thomas John
Harper, who died a little while back, aged
so. He had been sergeant trumpeter to the
queen throughout her reign, and for fifty
odd years trumpeter to the lord mayor of
London. He sounded the trumpet when
William " was crowned, also at the coro-
nation of Queen Victoria, at the birth of all
her children, at the weddings of the princess
royal Empress Fredericl) and the prince
of Wales; indeed at all the royal weddings.
or course, he had many decorations, among
them the jubilee medal, bestowed by the
queen herself.
Where many are superlatively excellent
it is hard to choose, yet among German mil
itary bands the first place must be awarded
to the band of the First Grenadier guards,
whose conductor is the negro, Sabac-El-
Cher. He Is German born, complexion to
the contrary Notwithstanding. His father,
a native of lower Egypt, came from Cairo
in the suite Of Prince Albrecht, brother to
old Emperor William. The son, born in
1867. was a musical prodigy. At Q he played
In public on the violin. Before he was 20
he was in the regimental bands playing on
the oboe and trombone. In 1895 he became
bandmaster, and in the pest has won ever
increasing fame.
Vienna's favorite band is that of the
Fourth infantry, known otherwise as the
Imperial Austrian band, which Americans
heard at the Worlds fair. 1t is not gener-
ally known that its leader. Ziehrer, was
court-martialed when he got home for over
staying his leave, seduced thereunto by the
clink of good American dollars. He has,
however, been reinstated. He has many
friends and patrons at court, though none
now living is so much the friend and so
little the patron as was the luckless Crown
Prince Rudolf.
When the Dutch crowned their fine young
queen, of course Hollands premier band,
that of the Grenadier Yagers, was very
much in evidence. It's leader is n. A. Bouw-
man, a musician of the younger school, who
had control not only Of his band, but of all
the coronation music. No light task you
will admit, when you hear that he had in
charge over 1000 military musicians, some
2 900 trained singers, male and female, and
a grand chorus OF II, 900 children. All these
he kept well in hand, rendering serenades
and choruses both at Amsterdam and The
Hague, and accompanying the voices with
his own band, as though it was but a single
wonderfully varied instrument. Not salts
fed with that, he composed two marches,
one military and one triumphant, both of
which 1t Is needless TO add are dedicated to
the young queen of O~range-Nassau.
1t may surprise many to learn that John
Philip Sousa is an American, born, of all
places, in the city OF Washington, something
more than forty years ago. Almost by the
time he could talk he began making music.
At 10 he conducted an orchestra; before he
was 20 he played as first violin in the famous
orchestra which Jacques Ofenbach took all
over the country. In 1880, unsolicited, there
came TO him an offer Of leadership in the
United States Marine band. He accepted the
offer and soon made it rank among the finest
military bands in the world. After ten years
ne left the government service to organize
a band after ideas OF his own, Everybody
knows the result-how he has invaded every
province OF harmony and brought strings,
brass and wood to sound in the finest ac-
cord. He has composed tuneful operas, but
the title OF March King" fits him best. His
marches are now played by above $4,000