Philip Phile

Philip Phile was a violinist and composer in Revolutionary America. His most important contribution to American art song is "The President's March," a piece written and performed for Washington's inauguration.

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About

American-born, Phile’s year of birth is in question. Phile became an active musician in 1784 in Philadelphia and is also believed to have written a violin concerto. His piece “The President’s March” was rearranged and set to new lyrics in 1798 by Joseph Hopkinson, thus becoming “Hail Columbia,” an unofficial national anthem of the United States.

–Christie Finn

Related Information

Songs

Recordings

George Washington: Portrait in Song

(William Billings, Philip Phile and John Stafford Smith)

1999

Sheet Music

Hail Columbia

Composer(s): Philipp File

Free PDF via Project Gutenberg

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