File:"Cosmopolitan America" - Helen May Butler - U.S. Coast Guard Band.webm

English: Under the direction of Chief Warrant Officer Jeffrey A. Spenner, here is your United States Coast Guard Band performing Cosmopolitan America, by Helen May Butler, arr. James Lamb.

Cosmopolitan America

Helen May Butler (1867-1957)

Helen May Butler was an American bandleader who lead an all-women’s band from 1898 to 1912 to widespread acclaim, which in combination with her Sousa-like forceful personality garnered her the moniker of “The female Sousa.” The group came about after Butler’s formation in 1891 of her own orchestra, the Talma Ladies Orchestra; Butler wanted to lead a band that could perform in public venues (instead of only performing privately at the houses of the well-to-do), but at the time such activities were not considered appropriate for young women. The popular military bands of the time in particular had developed from a strongly male tradition and generally excluded women well into the 20th century, so in 1898, Butler formed her new group called the U.S. Talma Ladies Military Band. During its heyday, the band (which eventually was renamed to Helen May Butler and Her Ladies’ Military Band) toured America from coast to coast, playing music “by American composers, played by American girls.” They were every bit as busy as Sousa’s band, playing a concert every day for thirteen months during one stretch in 1903-1904. Her march Cosmopolitan America was written for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and was selected as the official march for Theodore Roosevelt’s presidential campaign.

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