Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-01-04
JOHN PHILIP SOUSA
is COMMENTED At Sc.
From tho Boston Globe,

NAAS ASSSASAi AASDSs
NO man in the world l envy; l am
satisfied with my calling-I would
rather be a composer h anything
else"
John Philip Sousa, the march king"
smiled as he spoke these words. 1t was
Withal an ingenious, youthful smile
for q man OF 81, who has been half q
century before the public.
Only the white that has crept into
his pointed beard betrays the advance
OF his years. His person is as 1.-THE as
eye as bright and sure.
Il beat them all at Philadelphia Oc-
tober II in a trapshooting match" he
said, laughingly, when the matter of
age came up. II broke IS. which isn't
Sc bad for IL years past the half CEN
fury mark"
Trapshooting and horseback riding
are MIR. Sousa's r~ecreations. When he
Is ON the road"-as he is at present,
with h bis Hippodrome show-he gets
little time for either.
Three Months for Play.
Il get my exercise while here by
walking in h Rack bay and the Fens."
he said. My shooting average will fall
back to so OF so this winter, 1 suppose
by the time | get back to IS next sum-
mer I h have to drop the gun and
take up the baton again. I get three
months In the year for play"
MT. Sousa talked of his play. IN Of
his work, with the enthusiasm Of youth.
10 talk with the man two minutes 10
10 get a hint OF his great power for
creative work. The thousands who
think of him only as h leader of q
band are dealing with but one side Of q
many sided character.
He ranks among the first composers
OF his day. Besides his scores Of
. marches that have won hin a place
shared by no rival. he has. producedSnot
less tina 10 operas, besides n variety of
lesser works. and has also written a
history of the worlds national music.
many less ambitious works on music.
and a novel.
Il had a pleasant surprise the other
day." said Mr.. Sousa, when q friend
sent me this book as a birthday pres
ent."
The work is a recent history Of music.
The surprise was In the way l found
myself mentioned in It," the composer
explained. 1.-THE author gives the no.
table names in musical history for 600
years.. There are but 700. / find my
name among them, and also this state
ment: He has o one particular
thing better thar any other man"
Composed March at Sea.
Asked what he considered his best
march, the composer answered quickly,
The Stars and Stripes Forever" He
then illustrated his statement regarding
the power of inspiration by telling how
his most successful march was COM
posed.
1T was conceived on board the At
lantic liner Teutonic," he said. II had
been in England. and had been home
sick. Like all returning Americans, I
found the fire of patriotism burning
strong within me as the ship headed
homeWard.
Il conceived the title and form of the
composition while pacing the steamers
deck, and in the course Of the voyage
the march played itself In my brain
FULLY 500 times. Before I landed in New
York it was perfected. No change was
ever made in it,"
One interesting fact about Mr.. Sousa
was developed in the course Of the in
terview. 1t is that though he has COM
posed music that has set millions of
feet into joyous motion, he does not
dance. In this he Is like the great COM
poser of waltz music, Strauss.
But he believes dancing one of the
greatest forms Of exercise n mental
tonic.
Two Of the greatest things for the
world in this generation" he says, ARE
The growth and development of dancing
and Of golf"