High School Cadets, The (1890)

From Wind Repertory Project
John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa


General Info

Year: 1890 / 1918
Duration: c. 2:35
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts – Out of print.

For availability information, see Discussion tab, above.


Instrumentation

Condensed Score
C Piccolo/Flute I
Flute II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet Solo-I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet Solo-I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Orchestra Bells
  • Snare Drum


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The mutual admiration society that existed between John Philip Sousa and the school bands of America has caused many musicians and writers to conclude that this march was composed as a salute to the school band movement. However, it was written 20 years before that movement had begun. It was composed at the solicitation of the marching cadet corps of the one and only Washington, D.C., high school in 1890 (later called Central High School) and was dedicated to the teachers and pupils.

The High School Cadets was another of the drill teams which were an exciting part of the capital city scene for many years after the Civil War. The member requested the march of Sousa, asking that he make an effort to make it superior to his National Fencibles march, which he had written for a rival cadet corps. In Sousa's estimation, it was indeed a better march. The music world has concurred, because The High School Cadets has always been one of Sousa's most popular marches.

The Cadets were invited to a Marine Band rehearsal to hear the march played. They liked what they heard and produced $24 to cover the cost of having the march published and copyrighted.

-Program Note from John Philip Sousa: A Descriptive Catalog of His Works


Following the U.S. Civil War, drill teams became an exciting part of the scene in Washington, D.C. In 1890 the High School Cadets, a drill team sponsored by the city's only secondary school (later named Central High School), requested a march of Sousa that would be better than the one he had written for the National Fencibles, a rival corps. Sousa complied with their request and produced a march which not only pleased the High School Cadets in 1890 but has rated high in march popularity polls ever since.

-Program Note from Program Notes for Band


Media

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State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) Concert Band (Travis Higa, conductor) - 7 March 2022
  • Hancock College (Santa Maria, Calif.) Concert Band (Garson Olivieri, conductor) – 11 May 2019
  • Arkansas (Fayetteville) Winds Community Concert Band (Michael Ferguson, conductor) – 10 July 2017


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources