John Philip Sousa for Monty Python's Flying Circus), "The Thunderer" and "The Washington Post". Sousa began his career playing violin and studying music theory and composition under John Esputa and George Felix Benkert. His father enlisted him in the United States Marine Band as an apprentice in 1868. After departing the band in 1875, Sousa learned to conduct. From 1880 until his death, he focused exclusively on conducting and the writing of music. He eventually rejoined the Marine Band and served there for 12 years as director. On leaving the Marine Band, Sousa organized his own band. Sousa aided in the development of
Heritage of the March "Elfriede" by George Swift, and an arrangement of "Figaro" by Paul Yoder. Hoe also allowed bands to record their own personal favorites, and were sometimes used as "fillers" for the LPs. Many marches that were originally recorded for use in the Heritage of the March series but not included in the LPs were later released as part of the three-volume "Navy Band Leftovers" and four-volume "Miscellaneous Marches". A spinoff series was also created called the "Heritage of John Philip Sousa", consisting of 18 LPs featuring Sousa's marches and operettas performed by the U.S. Marine Band. The Heritage of the March