John Philip Sousa's swift rise to fame and greatness came at a time when band concerts were the most important aspect of musical life in the U.S. The works on this recording range from the early  Revival March  of 1876 and the stirring  Right Forward March from Sousa's time as conductor of the U.S. Marine band, to the "up-to-date" 1920s fox-trot  Peaches and Cream and the 1923  Leaves from My Notebook, dedicated to the Campfire Girls of America. Music from Sousa's operetta Chris and the Wonderful Lamp can be found alongside his medley of tunes from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, which includes many of the hit tunes from this operetta, while The Honored Dead was performed at President Ulysses S. Grant's funeral.