Imperial Edward

"Imperial Edward" is an American military march written in 1902 by John Philip Sousa, and dedicated to Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom. Sousa received permission to dedicate the march to Edward VII during a conversation with the royal family after his command performance concert at Sandringham on December 1, 1901. The march was premiered by Sousa's band in a performance in Montreal on May 21, 1902.
History.
In 1901, the Sousa Band took a tour of England. On December 1, 1901, Sousa and his band played a command performance at Sandringham; after the performance, in a conversation with the royal family, Sousa "requested and received permission" to dedicate a march to King Edward VII. The first draft of "Imperial Edward" was finished in April 1902, while Sousa was on vacation at Hot Springs, Virginia, and the march was premiered by the Sousa band on May 21, 1902 in a concert in Montreal. "Imperial Edward" was published by John Church Co., Cincinnati, in 1902. The cover of the 1902 John Church Co. sheet music states that the march is "Respectfully dedicated by special permission to His Most Gracious Majesty Edward VII."
John Church Company also created what has been described as a "beautiful" illuminated manuscript of the march. This illuminated manuscript was brought to England by George Frederick Hinton, manager of the Sousa Band, and is currently held at the British Museum.
Sousa's opinion of the march.
Sousa himself, "for some reason," voiced his unhappiness with "Imperial Edward" nearly twenty-two years after the march was written, in the Sousa Band programs at Willow Grove in 1923. The 1923 Willow Grove program bore the following passage:
Musical structure.
The trio of the march quotes "God Save the King" in a trombone solo. When the Sousa Band performed "Imperial Edward," it was "customary" for the trombone section "to rise...play the brief solo fortissimo, and then be seated."
The U.S. Marine Band has published notes on Sousa's own performance practices for a number of his marches; for "Imperial Edward," the Marine Band performance recommendations are:
For the Introduction (m. 1-8):
For the First Strain (m. 8-25):
For the Second Strain (m. 25-42):
For the Trio (m. 42-74):
For the Break Strain (m. 74-86):
And for the Final Strain (m. 86-103):