STANLEY tells it all – Studying Sousa: influences
Books and online publications bring forward an impression plus surrounding historic content about John Philip Sousa, the musician and the man himself. It’s obvious he shared a strong bond with his musicians. Reading about exemplary loyalty towards each other, even after Sousa’s passing, shows the inner strength of the Sousa Band.
The understanding of internationalism is part of that. During Sousa’s lifetime (1854-1932) the USA was in a period of growth and expansion. New citizens primarily came from European countries, which is shown in the line-up of the Sousa Band. On the one hand this brings influences, on the other opportunities.
Like Sousa put it so eliquently in his autobiography: during his tours in Europe, he noticed all European countries have military wind bands with their own distinctive sounds. Meaning, the Sousa Band should have been an amalgamation of all these influences. Looking at his stance regarding, it’s obvious Sousa had a different sound in his mind and ears. We can enjoy a glimpse of that, since some of his recordings are published on YouTube.com.
European musicians travelling to the USA in order to audition for Sousa, was new to me. Many have taken similar routes in order to enhance their respective careers, myself included, but let’s be honest. We are talking about an era where crossing the Atlantic was only possible by steamship. This was not a three day trip in an airplane: one day fly over, one day audition and one day fly back.
Reading about Mr. Dunkler, born in The Hague as a fourth or fifth generation musician, who, after working in Sousa’s Band as a French Horn player and Arranger for 9 years, returned to The Netherlands to further his work in Wind Bands, makes it all come a bit close for me personally. At the same time, it’s all together possible Dunkler brought Sousa’s vision back home. This must have happened with musicians from other European countries alike. So, who influenced whom?
Stanley E. van Wel MM – Music Director
Posted on LinkedIn.com dated 23 November 2023