Sousa: The Black Horse Troop March

This 2 CD set presents 34 of John Philip Sousa’s best-loved marches, including The Washington Post which, in the early 1890s, sparked a huge world-wide dance-craze, The Liberty Bell, used as the signature tune for the BBC comedy Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and The Stars and Stripes Forever, the official national march of the United States.

Known affectionately as ‘The March King’, Sousa personified turn-of-the-century America, the comparative innocence and brash energy of a still new nation.

Universally acknowleged as the best of the genre, his marches are notable for their vigorous melodic line and unrelenting driving effect, combined with innovative use of instrumentation and tonal color.

John Philip Sousa, known affectionately as “The March King”, personified turn-of-the-century America, the comparative innocence and brash energy of a still new nation. His ever-touring band represented America across the globe and brought music to hundreds of American towns.

This Naxos series of recordings aims to record Sousa’s complete works for wind band, including the 136 marches and numerous other scores.

This seventh disc in the series features the grand Presidential Polonaise, the Intaglio Waltzes (modelled on Johann Strauss’s famous examples), and the triumphant Golden Jubilee March in which Sousa imagined “the world passing in review”.

Delos has chosen just a few of LAGQ's "best" for this release. The CD exhibits the fantastic breadth and versatility of the foursome: from classical to jazz, world music to original compositions, the LAGQ has mastered them all.