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Pathfinder of Panama, The (ed Borodach)

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John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa (ed. Jon Borodach)


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General Info

Year: 1915 / 2021
Duration: c. 3:20
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Unknown
Cost: Score and Parts - Unknown


Instrumentation

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Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The completion of the Panama Canal in 1915 was celebrated by the Panama-Pacific Exposition World’s Fair held in San Francisco. (This expo also served as the host city’s “coming-out party” following the frenetic re-construction which commenced soon after the devastating 1906 earthquake.) As he was so many times before, perennial American composer John Philip Sousa was approached to compose an original march in honor of the world’s fair. The resulting march, The Pathfinder of Panama, is the March King’s most charming composition cast in march form. Here is another classic example of Sousa’s knack for casting personality upon what otherwise is dismissed as a perfunctory genre of music; The Pathfinder of Panama is no ordinary march — it possesses the craft and character of a classical symphony economized into a brief three-minute foray of turn-of-the-century nostalgia.

- Program note by Lawrence Stoffel


Shortly after the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914, the Sousa Band was invited to perform at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, held in San Francisco. At the request of Walter Anthony, a reporter for the San Francisco Call, Sousa composed The Pathfinder of Panama march to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal and dedicated it to the exposition as well. The “Pathfinder” in the title of the march refers not to an individual, but to the Panama Canal itself, an engineering marvel that shortened the ocean voyage between San Francisco and New York by approximately 8,000 miles and continues to have an incalculable impact on the shipping of goods and passengers worldwide.

– Program Note from the United States Marine Band


One of twelve marches Sousa composed for various exposition or fairs, The Pathfinder of Panama was dedicated to the Panama Canal and the Panama-Pacific Exposition, held in San Francisco in 1915. Sousa's Band played a nine-week engagement at the exposition. The march was composed at the request of Walter Anthony, a reporter for the San Francisco Call. The Panama Canal was the pathfinder of Sousa's title; it shortened the ocean voyage between San Francisco and New York by 8,000 miles.

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


Media

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State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

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  • University of Northern Colorado (Greeley) Symphonic Band (Jon Borodach, conductor) - 5 October 2021


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Bierley, P. (1973). John Philip Sousa: A Descriptive Catalog of His Works. University of Illinois Press; Urbana, pp. 64.
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