Sousa composed this march at the request of his nephew, who was sponsoring his uncle's entrance into the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in 1922. The following year, the march received its premiere in Washington D.C., under the largest band ever led by Sousa, comprised of no fewer than 6,200 Shriners. This medium-level arrangement by Charles L. Booker, Jr. makes this classic march more accessible to bands, with scoring for modern instrumental forces and transposition to an easier key.