Screamer (march)
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 descriptive name for a circus march, in particular, an upbeat march intended to stir up the audience during the show.

History

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 ringleaders demanded.

Musicality

The Circus Bee
Fillmore's "The Circus Bee" performed by the United States Marine Corps Band
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, many times they are 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.

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

The most prominent composer of circus marches is Karl L. King, most notably with his march "Barnum & Bailey's Favorite". Other screamer composers include 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 renowned.

Popular screamers

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Liner notes to Front & Center, a Collection of American Marches, U.S. Air Force Band

References

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