John Philip Sousa
is generally regarded as "the March King"
and the bandmaster who defined a standard of excellence
for concert bands in America. But Sousa himself regarded
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore as the "Father
of The American Band."
Gilmore, a gifted cornetist in
his own right, emigrated to Boston from Ballygar, County
Galway, Ireland in 1849, carrying ideas about instrumentation
and interpretation from European bands. With his "new"
ideas and a penchant for showmanship, he soon redefined
the course of American band music forever -- even Sousa's
success hinged on the work that Gilmore did before him.
By the time Gilmore died in 1892 in St. Louis during
a concert tour, he was widely regarded as one of the
most popular musicians in the United States.
Through this web-page,
we will try to help visitors learn about the great showman
who lived in Galway, Boston and New York and whose memory
lives on in his music. Click here
for an excerpt on Gilmore from the new book, Irish Boston:
A Lively Look at Boston’s Colorful Irish
Past by Michael P. Quinlin.
Copyright:
Boston Irish Tourism Association
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