Marshall's Civic Band

Composed in 1906. "'The Free Lance' march, taken from Sousa's operetta of the 
same name, has a lengthy and unorthodox construction when compared with most 
other Sousa marches. There were so many spirited march tunes in the operetta 
that perhaps Sousa felt obligated to include most of them when piecing together 
the march. Actually, there were enough for two separate marches. 
    "The 'free lance' of the operetta was Sigmund Lump, a clever goathered who 
hired himself out as a mercenary leader to two opposing armies, maneuvered his 
forces so that neither side could win, and then declared himself emperor of both 
nations. 
    "The trio of the march corresponds to the song 'On to Victory' in the 
operetta, and some editions of the march were published under that title." See 
also pgs. 27-28 for synopsis of the operetta. 
 
The Works of John Philip Sousa 
pg. 54 
Paul E. Bierley 
Integrity Press 
1984