Francesco Maria Scala
| Francesco Maria Scala | |
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Scala in the uniform of a U.S. Marine
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| Birth name | Francesco Maria Scala |
| Nickname(s) | "Francis" |
| Born | 1819 Naples, Italy |
| Died | April 18, 1903 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
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Francesco Maria Scala (1819 – 18 April 1903) also known as Francis M. Scala, was an Italian-born naturalized American military band director and musician. He was the first and one of the most important and influential directors of United States Marine Corps (USMC) 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. It is thought that under his direction the USMC Band executed for the first time the melody "Potpourri-Fantasie" from the opera Geneviève de Brabant by Jacques Offenbach. This melody is now known as the Marines' Hymn.
Born in Naples around 1819, despite his family had no musical traditions, he precociously developed a strong passion for music. He was admitted as a student at the San Pietro a Maiella Conservatory in Naples, where he graduated as a clarinet soloist.
In 1841, according to his own words "at the age of about twenty", he embarked as a "third-class musician" on the US fregate USS Brandywine, of the Mediterranean Squadron.
He soon discovered he suffered from sea sickness, therefore he resigned from the US Navy and on August 11, 1842 he joined the USMC Band in Washington. His capabilities were soon appreciated, and he was promoted "Fife Major" on May 22, 1843.
On September 9, 1855 he succeeded Rafael Triay as 14th band director, or Drum Major. Before him, other twelve musicians alternated as band leaders from its foundation in 1799, among which other two Italians: Venerando Pulizzi (1816–17; 1818–27) and Joseph Lucchesi (1844–46). Scala was however the very first musician officially bestowed with the title of Band Director by a decree issued on July 25, 1861. After him, there was only one other Italian Band Director, Francesco Fanciulli (between 1892-1897).
During his 16 years of tenure, Scala decined the instrumental configuration that the band maintains. He increased the dimension of the band from the ten elements he found when taking leadership, to the about 35 when he retired. He also took the far-sighted decision to maintain an equilibrated relationship between woodwind and brass, in a period when brass were prevalent in the bands.
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