Edwin Eugene Bagley (1857-1922) was born in Craftsbury, Vermont.^[1] He began his music career at the age of nine as a vocalist and comedian with Leavitt?s Bellringers, a company of entertainers that toured many of the larger cities of the United States. He began playing the cornet, traveling for six years with the Swiss Bellringers. After his touring days, he joined Blaisdell?s Orchestra of Concord, New Hampshire. In 1880, he came to Boston as a solo cornet player at The Park Theater. For nine years, he traveled with the Bostonians, an opera company. While with this company, he changed from cornet to trombone. He performed with the Germania Band of Boston and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Edwin Eugene Bagley is best known for composing marches. His most famous march, National Emblem, is played as a patriotic tune at Independence Day celebrations in the United States and features an excerpt of The Star-Spangled Banner. A theme from this march is popularly sung with the words "and the monkey wrapped his tail around the flagpole".

Bagley's Famous Marches:

• National Emblem
• Front Section
• The Imperial
• The Ambassador
• America Victorious

Footnotes

See also

• March music composers