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An early recording (perhaps the earliest) of Sousa's great Stars and Stripes Forever March.

Stars and Stripes Forever March

Company	Edison's National Phonograph Company
Cylinder #	93
Category	Band
Title	Stars and Stripes Forever March
Performed by	71st Regiment Band
Circa	Late 1897 - early 1898
Announcement	"Stars and Stripes Forever March, played by the 71st Regiment Band at Edison's Laboratory."

Enjoy this very early recording of John Philip Sousa's most famous march. This celebrated Sousa inspiration (he said the tune came to him while he was returning to the USA in late 1896) became an instant hit in 1897 – and is still running strong after more than 110 years.

Although pinning down exactly when this recording was made is difficult, the presence of both the early-style Edison National Phonograph Company announcement (" . . . at Edison's Laboratory") and original handwritten record slip (see below) date it from late 1897 to early 1898, which places it among the earliest known recordings of this the official march of the United States.

Original handwritten record slip on stamped paper.

To hear Stars and Stripes Forever March —

For help playing these sounds, click here.

To learn more, see:

An article about Sousa courtesy of the "The President's Own" - The United States Marine Band.
The history behind Sousa's writing of the Stars and Stripes Forever, and
A list of Sousa's (over 200) compositions (along with many music excerpts), presented by The Dallas Wind Symphony.
Sousa's philosophy regarding writing marches courtesy of American Treasures of the Library of Congress.

To hear other examples of wax cylinders, see the

Cylinders of the Month Archive

Cylinder Music Shop (Supports the preservation work of Tinfoil.com)

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