Circus music

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Circus music is any sort of music that is played to accompany a circus, as well as music written that emulates its general style. The most common type of circus music is the circus march, or screamer, which are marches played at very fast tempos. ^[1] Popular music would also often get arranged for the circus band, as well as waltzes, foxtrots and other dances. Such bands would accompany the acts, as well as giving a B-flat chord as a stinger to signify a successful trick.^{[citation needed]}

The two most well known circus marches are Entrance of the Gladiators by Julius Fucik (known to some as Thunder and Blazes), and Barnum and Bailey's Favorite by Karl King. Many other composers were well known for writing screamers, among them Fred Jewell and Henry Fillmore. One piece, however, that was never normally played was John Philip Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. Instead, it was used in emergencies, such as animals getting lose, to help signify workers that something was wrong. ^[1]

Music that imitates or evokes the sound of the circus has also been written, often showing up in film scores, some dedicated to the subject and some not. Jerry Goldsmith famously wrote a theme for the movie Gremlins in such a style, which influenced the film makers to an extent. ^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://home.sunlitsurf.com/~woodman/circus.htm
2. ^ DVD commentary; Steven Spielberg presents Gremlins. Special edition. Warner Home Video, 2002.