Philip Phile (German: ''Pfeil'') ( 1734–1793) was a German-American composer and

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/compose ...

. His year of birth is uncertain, but believed to be approximately 1734.http://www.voxnovus.com/resources/American_Composer_Timeline.htm American Composer Timeline His works include a lost

Violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

Concerto (1787), but he is best known for " The President's March", written and performed at the inauguration of President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

. Joseph Hopkinson arranged the piece with lyrics and titled it "

Hail Columbia "Hail, Columbia" is an American patriotic song and ceremonial entrance march of the vice president of the United States. It was originally considered to be one of the unofficial national anthems of the United States until 1931, when "The St ...

". It was first performed by at the Chestnut Street Theatre on April 25, 1798. It is best known under this title and was once a strong candidate for U.S.

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

, though today it has, unlike other candidates, such as "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two neve ...

", been largely forgotten, although it continues to appear in films set in the United States during the nineteenth century.

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* * 1734 births 1793 deaths 18th-century American composers 18th-century male musicians American composers American male composers American people of German descent National anthem writers {{US-composer-stub