St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-12-28
q. S. MARINE BAND.
Famous Musical Organization Had
Small Beginning.
Francis Scala, an Italian Musician Of
Note, Was Its Founder, and
Sousa Added to Its Great
RenOvn.

1
II 4 now grizzled and gray, served
| as cornetist in her majesty
service, came to this country when
near his majority, and was band mas
ter of the Second infantry during the
civil war. For several years he has
been q clerk in the surgeon general
Office, but still he revels in memories
of his a.us1cal days.
"John Philip Sousa's father was q
tuba player in the Marine band" says
Mr.. Egan, land the boy heard moth
ing but music at home and music at
the barracks. His mother was also
Q musician, vocalist, and young
6ousa was a born musician. 1 have
watched his development with con-
siderable interest and degree OF
pride, for was one of his instructors
for awhile. He was always good
boy and always ambitious.
I'm those days 1 also knew Francis
Scala. 1 suppose that you never
heard of him, did you? Well, he was
the leader of the Marine band before
the civil war, and for some time aft
erwards. Sousa's father played in the
band under Scala's leadership, and
the present popular Sousa took many
@ lesson from Scala, who was in his
day celebrated as a composer as we'll
as band leader. He was born in
Italy and enlisted in our navy as
third-class musician while the old
frigate Brandywine was in the bay
of Naples, about 20 years before our
civil war. Within month after his
enlistment he was playing the clari-
onet solos, and inside of year he
was bandmaster of the frigate.
''Francis Scala used to be called the
founder of the Marine band, and I
believe that he is entitled to that
distinction. When he arrived in this
country in 1912 he enlisted in what
was then known as the Marine band,
and he soon became leader of the
little organization. No provision had
ever been made by congress for a
Marine band, SO that the ten men,
bers were enlisted as fifers and drum
ners. They played one flute, one
clarionet, one French horn, two
trombones, one bugle, one bass drum,
one kettle drum and one pair of
cymbals. That was the miserable
nucleus out of which Scala developed
the national musical organization
which has achieved so much of fame
during the past 80 years. The con-
gress never gave any encouragement
to his work, either. The appropria-
tons were always niggardly, but lit
tie by little appropriations were in
creased SO that Scala was able year
after year to increase the member
ship of his organization, but the men
were obliged to furnish their own in
struments because no appropriations
were made for that purpose.
do you know how many years it
has been customary for the Marine
band to give public concerts in the
white house grounds? The people of
this city come forth by thousands
every Saturday evening during the
summer season and promenade the
beautiful grounds while the band
plays, but they do not know to whom
they are indebted for that custom.
Francis Scala inaugurated these pub
lie recitals during President Tyler's
The first grand pub
lie recognition of the existence of
the band was in March, 1s45, when
Scala led the procession at the in
auguration of President Polk. Ever
since then the Marine band has held
the right of line on all such occa-
sions. The great feature of that
day was the playing of cornet by
Scala; an instrument which he had
purchased on credit with long time
for payment. Still, the band was q
small reed affair. The bass drummer
could not read music, and he pound
ed his drum in obedience to the mods
or winks of Scala, on whom he had
his eyes riveted all the time when the
band was playing or practicing.
During the brief time that Gen.
Taylor was president, he inaugurated