Screamer (march)

Circus march

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Troopers Tribunal (1905)

Henry Fillmore's Troopers Tribunal, a circus march for which Fillmore used a punning name – troupers, as in a circus troupe – in order to conceal whom he wrote the march for from his conservative father.[1]

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A screamer is a circus march intended to stir up the audience during the show.

## History

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Screamers were mostly composed in a 60-year period (1895–1955). Circuses were in need of music that would stir the audience into a frenzy, as four-footed animals galloped across the ring. Because march music was a prominent part of American music at that time, and because it carried such a quick tempo, it was this that ringmasters demanded.

## Musicality

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The Circus Bee

Fillmore's "The Circus Bee" performed by the United States Marine Corps Band

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Rolling Thunder

Fillmore's "Rolling Thunder" performed by The Ceremonial Brass of the United States Air Force

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Circus marches are faster than a normal military march, often 130 to 150 beats/minute. Although screamers tend to follow the march form, they are often abbreviated, and additions, such as a quick cornet call introduction to a new melody, are included. A typical screamer lasts a minute to three and a half minutes.

Screamers are a very demanding type of music, due to their extremely fast and advanced rhythms, especially the low-brass parts. Double and even triple tonguing is often required in order to play these rhythms. The trio in "The Melody Shop" is a good example of this.[2] Many screamers have two prominent melodies playing at once. Although this is not unusual in a march, screamers tend to go further with this. The low-brass section can be playing a long, stately melody, while the woodwinds can be moving along with a phrase of 16th notes, or vice versa. Due to the circumstances in which screamers are played, dynamics tend to stay at a level forte. Unlike some military marches, piano is rarely used.

## Composers

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Composers of screamers included Karl L. King, whose work included "Barnum & Bailey's Favorite", Fred Jewell and Henry Fillmore. John Philip Sousa wrote "On Parade" and a few others, but his writing in the circus march style is not highly regarded.[3]

## Examples

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* The ABA March by Edwin Franko Goldman
* Americans We by Henry Fillmore
* Barnum and Bailey's Favorite by Karl L. King
* Bennett's Triumphal by Melvin H. Ribble
* The Big Cage by Karl L. King
* The Billboard March by John N. Klohr
* Bombasto by Orion R. Farrar
* Bones Trombone by Henry Fillmore
* Bravura by Charles E. Duble
* Bugles and Drums by Edwin Franko Goldman
* The Circus Bee by Henry Fillmore
* Circus Days by Karl L. King
* Circus Echoes by Arthur W. Hughes
* Circus King by Charles E. Duble
* Coat of Arms by George Kenny
* Floto's Triumph by Fred Jewell
* His Honor by Henry Fillmore
* Invictus by Karl L. King
* In Storm and Sunshine by John Clifford Heed
* Klaxon by Henry Fillmore
* The Melody Shop by Karl L. King
* Onward and Upward by Edwin Franko Goldman
* Robinson's Grand Entree by Karl L. King
* Rolling Thunder by Henry Fillmore
* Sells-Floto Triumphal by Karl L. King
* The Squealer by Will Huff
* The Screamer by Frederick Jewell
* Smilin' Jack by Robert S. Keller
* Them Basses by Getty H. Huffine

## Marches composed for standard march tempo but frequently performed as screamers

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* Entrance of the Gladiators (also known as Thunder and Blazes when played as a screamer) by Julius Fučík

## See also

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* Circus music
* American march music

## Notes

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1. ^ Liner notes to Front & Center, a Collection of American Marches, U.S. Air Force Band
2. ^ The Melody Shop- United States Naval Academy Band, retrieved 2023-09-07
3. ^ "John Philip Sousa and the Culture of Reassurance". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2023-09-07.

## References

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* Fennell, Dr. Frederick: Screamers (Circus Marches), Eastman Wind Ensemble.
* Whitmarsch, Richard: Sounds of the Circus (28 volumes of circus music)