JOHN PHILIP SOUSA THE LIBERTY BELL
A pivotal figure in the American military march, John Philip Sousa was also responsible for the invention of the sousaphone. Bridget Mermikides explores the (in)famous Monty Python theme.
You’ll know it as the theme from Monty Python, so if you fancy playing ‘something completely different’, Bridget’s done the tab!
As Johann Strauss II was to the Viennese Waltz, John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), an American Romantic composer, conductor and US serviceman, was to the military march. Serving the US military for extended periods through his lifetime, Sousa made a huge contribution to the repertoire and idiom of military march music composing not only staple pieces such as The Stars And Stripes Forever (The US National March) and Semper Fidelis (the US Marine official march), but also helped develop the design and invention of the Sousaphone, a tuba type instrument that could project sound upwards and over the band, a standard member of the marching band instrumental family to this day.
Although Sousa’s contribution to military music is firmly entrenched in American culture, it is his piece, The Liberty Bell, which is instantly recognisable to a worldwide audience. It has been used in the last seven presidential inaugurations, and countless American state events, but its use by the British TV comedy group Monty Python in Monty Python’s Flying Circus is how most people recognise it. Terry Gilliam selected the piece as its unrestrained straight-faced jubilance and arresting impact was a perfect counterpoint to the programme’s disarming absurdity. A brilliant choice!
After a four-bar intro, the piece follows an invigorating and energetic structure of A-A (bars 5-20 repeated) B-B (bars 22-37 repeated), C (39-69), D (70-94) C (95-end).
The original structure repeats the C-D pair, so feel free to repeat bars 39-94 if you wish, although I feel playing it once is plenty of effort on a solo instrument. Actually the main challenge here is to maintain the rhythm while balancing the melody and accompaniment, as almost the entirety of the piece is in chords so preparing the frettinghand movement patiently is advised.
The musical captions are there to help you through the trickier sections of this excellent party piece. However, a word of caution: be careful to avoid the enormous falling foot on the last beat, as nobody wants that.
The LiBerTy BeLL haS Been uSed in The LaST Seven PreSedenTiaL eLecTionS, counTLeSS aMerican STaTe evenTS, and MonTy PyThon!