Francesco Maria Scala | |
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 Scala in the uniform of a U.S. Marine | |
| Birth name | Francesco Maria Scala |
| Nickname(s) | "Francis" |
| Born | c. 1819 Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
| Died | April 18, 1903 (aged 84) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Allegiance | |
| Service/ |  United States Marine Corps |
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Francesco Maria Scala (c. 1819 – 18 April 1903) also known as Francis M. Scala, was an Italian-born naturalized American military band director and musician.[1] He was the first and one of the most important and influential directors of the United States Marine Band. He defined the instrumental organization that the band maintains, he was an extremely prolific musician and composer, and improved and enlarged the repertoire of the ensemble.[2] It is thought that under his direction the USMC Band executed for the first time "The Gendarmes' Duet" from Act II of the revision in 1867 of the Jacques Offenbach opera Geneviève de Brabant, which debuted in Paris in 1859. This melody is now known as the Marines' Hymn.[3]
- ^ "Francis M. Scala". www.marineband.marines.mil. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ The Directors of USMC Band - The White House Historical Association Archived November 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Francis M. Scala, biography on the USMC Band website Archived October 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine