First performance of Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever

Background. Sousa composed the march in 1896, reportedly on Christmas Day, committing the notes to paper upon his return to the United States. The work follows the standard U.S. military march form, featuring repeated phrasing of different melodies in sections called strains, a style characteristic of Sousa's legacy.

Premiere. The march was first performed at the Philadelphia Academy of Music on May 14, 1897. Sousa had conducted a rehearsal of the piece the day before with the Ringgold Band as its guest conductor. The performance was immediately greeted with enthusiasm by the audience.

Reception. The initial performance was met with immediate enthusiasm. The march's structure includes dominant woodwinds in the first run of the Trio strain, which repeats, and later repeats again as the piccolos obligato, followed by the breakstrain, the final strain, and the breakstrain repeated.