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.
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
