The Washington Post
Solo and piano · medium (grade 3, intermediate) · 1 min · 2-staff piano (or melody instrument + bass instrument): treble melody plus a plain root-motion march bass
'The Washington Post' (Sousa, 1889) -- the main strain of Sousa's celebrated march, engraved as a two-staff classroom edition in G major, 6/8. Instrumental, no lyrics.
The rights, in plain language
The underlying composition is in the public domain. Our engraving is our own edition — free to read, print, and perform, with no royalty and no per-performance fee. We host the composition, never a recording.
The composition is in the public domain. This is our own engraved edition of the public-domain score — not a copy of anyone else’s edition, and never a recording (a recording is a separate copyright we do not touch).
Print as many copies as you need for your ensemble, and perform it at school events — performing is free, no royalty, no per-performance fee. When a show is ticketed, tickets are sold through the School Box Office network and we keep a small share; that is what keeps the scores free (a free concert costs nothing). Keep the composer and Free School Music credit on your program. For the full terms, see Licensing & rights.
The score
Read the full conductor score and print every part straight from your browser — no account, no download gate, no copy limit.
Every version is our own engraved edition — free to read, print, and perform, with no royalty and no per-performance fee. We host the composition, never a recording.
Classroom study guide
The Washington Post -- Classroom Study Guide
"The Washington Post" (Sousa, 1889) -- the main strain of Sousa's celebrated march, arranged by FreeSchoolMusic.com from the public-domain score. Engraved as a two-staff classroom edition in G major, 6/8. Instrumental, no lyrics. Recommended: Grades 4-9, medium (grade 3, intermediate).
Standards targeted
- National Core Arts (Music) anchor standards: MU:Pr4.1, MU:Re7.1, MU:Re8.1, MU:Cn11.1, MU:Pr6.1
Codes are listed only where an activity in this guide actually targets them; each is tied to a specific task below, not stamped on for decoration.
The piece, in brief
This edition engraves the main strain (opening theme) of John Philip Sousa's "The Washington Post," dated 1889. This classroom edition is set in G major, 6/8, marked Tempo di marcia at dotted-quarter = 116, with a plain root-motion march bass under the melody.
Form and structure
A march, like a rag, is built from several distinct strains played in a set order; this edition covers only the first, the main theme. This edition is engraved in G major, even though the source material's concert key is F major, a whole step lower -- the melody's shape and character carry over unchanged even though its written key has shifted.
Listening and performance notes
- Tap the dotted-quarter = 116 tempo marked "Tempo di marcia" (Italian for "in march time") and keep it locked in throughout. - The bass line moves mostly by simple root motion; keep it steady and unfussy so the melody above it stays the clear focus. - Playable at the piano as written, or as a melody-plus-bass pairing for any two instruments.
Vocabulary
1. strain -- a self-contained melodic section within a march, played in a set order; this edition presents only the main strain (the opening theme). 2. concert key -- the key a piece is considered to be "in" for reference purposes, which can differ from the key a specific written edition uses; this edition is set a whole step above the source's stated concert key. 3. Tempo di marcia -- an Italian tempo marking meaning "in march time," here specified precisely as dotted-quarter = 116.
Discussion and listening questions
1. This edition is written in G major, though the source material's concert key is F major, a whole step lower. Why might different editions of the same piece present it in different written keys? 2. Tap the dotted-quarter = 116 tempo marked "Tempo di marcia." How does that steady tempo compare to the pulse you would expect from a march? 3. This edition presents only the main strain of Sousa's march. Like a rag (which is also built from multiple strains), what do you predict happens musically when the piece moves on to its next section?
Classroom use
The composition is in the public domain; this is our own engraved edition, free to read, print, and perform at your school with no royalty and no per-performance fee. Because the tempo and meter are both precisely marked, this is a practical piece for practicing steady ensemble tempo in 6/8 march time.
Cross-curricular extension
Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (1896), also in this library, engraves that march's later Trio strain, while this edition engraves "The Washington Post's" (1889) opening main strain. If both are available, compare a march's opening strain to a later Trio strain from a different Sousa march: what changes in character between an opening theme and a later, contrasting section?