United States Marine Band, also known as “The President’s Own,” was created on July 11, 1798 through an act of the United States Congress. The band is made up of active military officers and is part of the United States Marine Corps. It is the oldest military musical ensemble in the United States and the country’s oldest musical organization of professional musicians. The band performs at various government-related events, including the presidential inauguration. In addition, the United States Marine Band has its own concert tour, giving annual performances in various cities across the nation, a tradition since 1891.
Interesting facts:
John Philip Sousa, noted composer and musician, served as leader of the United States Marine Band from 1880 until 1892.
The United States Marine Band played its first inauguration in 1801, when Thomas Jefferson became the third President of the United States.
Famous songs of the United States Marine Band included “Hail to the Chief,” “Semper Fidelis,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and “The Washington Post.”
The Indiana State Library is fortunate to have in its federal documents collection two of the United States Marines Band’s albums in CD format, “Arioso” and “Picture Studies.”
The following slideshow shows other United States Marines Band items in the Indiana State Library’s federal documents collection.
You can learn more about the United States Marine Band here and on Facebook. In addition, you can listen to performances on the band’s YouTube channel and view the United States Marine Band’s full discography here.
This blog post was written by Michele Fenton, monographs and federal documents catalog librarian.