George Washington Bicentennial March

Vintage March Series — 3 min. 23 seconds

John Philip Sousa

Edited by: Charles Booker

In the final years of his remarkable career, John Philip Sousa showed no signs of slowing down. Still traveling the country as a conductor and continuing to compose with extraordinary inspiration, he produced several outstanding marches in 1930 and 1931. Among his last great works was George Washington Bicentennial, written to honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of America’s first president.
When a national commission was established in Washington, D.C., to plan the bicentennial celebration, Sousa was the natural choice to compose its official march. He completed the score in June 1930, and later that year, while touring with the Sousa Band,
he returned to the nation’s capital to conduct a special preview performance with the United States Marine Band before President Herbert Hoover and distinguished guests gathered at the White House. Long before the official celebration in 1932, audiences across the country were already enjoying this stirring new march as the Sousa Band featured it throughout its 1930 and 1931 tours. Then, on February 22, 1932, Sousa stood before the combined bands of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps at the Capitol Plaza for the climactic bicentennial ceremony. It was a moment rich with symbolism, for it would also become his final public appearance conducting the Marine Band—the ensemble he had transformed into one of the world’s finest musical organizations.
Just two weeks later, after leading a rehearsal with the celebrated Ringgold Band in Reading, Pennsylvania, Sousa died unexpectedly on March 6, 1932. He was 77 years old. George Washington Bicentennial remains a fitting final chapter in his extraordinary career—a work that celebrates the ideals of America’s first president while reflecting the enduring patriotism, optimism, and musical brilliance of the man forever remembered as “The March King.”

Printed Complete Score and Parts (B27004)           $97.50
Printed Large Full Score (B27004LGPFS)              $38.00
Complete Score and Parts Download (B27004DL)        $70.00
Large Full Score Download (B27004LGFS)              $30.00