Transit of Venus March
March · in G major
John Philip Sousa 1854–1932
G major
Key
March
Form
Tempo di marcia
Tempo
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Difficulty
Our estimate Intermediate
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Themes & character
Astronomical occasion·Written for a statue unveiling·Composed 1883·Early Marine Band years
At a glance
- Key
- G major
- Tempo / character
- Tempo di marcia
- Form
- March
About the piece
Composed in 1883 for the unveiling of a statue of Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington. The title refers to the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun, a rare astronomical event observed in 1874 and 1882 that occasioned major scientific expeditions.
It is an early work from Sousa's tenure as director of the Marine Band, written a few years before the first of the marches that would make him famous.
The composer
John Philip Sousa
1854–1932
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for US military marches. He is known as "The March King". Among Sousa's best-known marches are "The Stars and Stripes Forever", "Semper Fidelis", "The Liberty Bell", "The Thunderer", and "The Washington Post".
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