A violinist sells his soul for the perfect instrument, and the fifth string — which he is warned never to touch — is strung with death. Sousa was the March King: leader of the Marine Band under five presidents, composer of The Stars and Stripes Forever, and the man who lobbied Congress about the threat of recorded music. This 1902 novella is his one work of fiction, and the concert scenes are written by someone who knew what a hall feels like.