Classical Music in Pictures Music in Pictures    

Lesson 24: The Gladiator

by John Philip Sousa

Performer: United States Air Force Band

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Each day, listen to the musical selection.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer and practice reciting his or her name and the composition title.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

The Gladiator was John Philip Sousa's breakout hit, selling over a million copies. He wrote it in honor of Charles B. Towle, a journalist, either due to an article Towle wrote or perhaps because Towle's pen was 'mightier than the sword.'

Vocabulary

Gladiator: In ancient Rome, a man trained to fight with weapons against other men or wild animals in an arena.
Sousaphone: A form of tuba with a wide bell pointing forward above the player's head and circular coils, used in marching bands.
Brass Instruments: Brass wind instruments (including trumpet, horn, trombone) forming a band or a section of an orchestra.
March: Walk in a military manner with a regular measured tread.

Composer

1. John Philip Sousa was born in 1854 in Washington, D.C., United States. See his picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Sousa's city of birth (labeled DC) on the map of United States below.

3. He started playing the violin at the age of six and later studied an additional seven instruments including piano, flute, and trombone.
4. He served as an apprentice, director, and composer for the United States Marine Band at various times during his career. He eventually formed his own band and toured the world.
5. He also invented a brass instrument called the sousaphone.
6. Sousa is well known for the patriotic marches he composed. A 'march' is music for marching and features a strong beat. Marches are often played by military bands.
7. As you listen to Sousa's compositions, march to the music and form your own parade.
8. Sousa died of heart failure in 1932 at the age of 77.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Describe the Music

Listen to the music, and close your eyes and let yourself imagine. What do you picture as you listen to the music?

• After listening to the music, describe and discuss what you heard.
• Is the tempo of the music fast or slow, steady or changing?

Read the list of adjectives. Select those that describe the music or think up additional adjectives.

• Cheerful
• Mournful
• Soft
• Noisy
• Vivacious
• Soothing
• Eerie
• Threatening
• Surreal
• Whimsical
• Rhythmic
• Grand

Activity 2: Study the Painting, Giovanni Francesco Romanelli's 'Roman Gladiators with Wooden Swords'

As you listen to the music, find the following in the painting:

• Helmets
• Shields
• Swords
• Statues
• Spectators
• Young Boy
• Horn Instruments

After you study the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.

Describe how the painting relates to the music.

Activity 3: Read About the Painting, Giovanni Francesco Romanelli's 'Roman Gladiators with Wooden Swords'

In the painting, Giovanni Francesco Romanelli's 'Roman Gladiators with Wooden Swords,' Romanelli shows battling gladiators wearing helmets and holding shields and wooden swords. Gladiators used wooden swords for training. Wooden swords were also given to enslaved gladiators when they were freed. Note the Roman audience members, the men blowing horns, and the statues encircling the fighting arena. There is also a child in red seeking a better view of the fighting. He holds up his arms to the three women spectators above, perhaps beseeching his mother to pick him up.

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the music?

1 / 4

Answer 1

The title is 'The Gladiator.'

1 / 4

Question 2

Who composed the music?

2 / 4

Answer 2

The composer is John Philip Sousa.

2 / 4

Question 3

Who invented the Sousaphone?

3 / 4

Answer 3

John Philip Sousa invented the Sousaphone.

3 / 4

Question 4

Name some brass instruments.

4 / 4

Answer 4

The tuba, trombone, trumpet, sousaphone, and French horn are all brass instruments.

4 / 4

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the music? The title is 'The Gladiator.'
2. Who composed the music? The composer is John Philip Sousa.
3. Who invented the Sousaphone? John Philip Sousa invented the Sousaphone.
4. Name some brass instruments. The tuba, trombone, trumpet, sousaphone, and French horn are all brass instruments.

References

'John Philip Sousa.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'The Gladiator March.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Gladiator.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.