Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-09-29
CIRCUS MUSIC.
some Very Interesting Facts In
Reference Thereto.
An Experienced Leaders chat About Saw
Dust Ring Tunes-in Endless Repe-
Ell Ion OF tho Sanfe Old Thing
Playing for the AnIInals-
lsnn Frnncisco Altn.l


rus an J." sail the leader, "and accus-
tome 10 its hard work, he likes IL, and
very few care TO leave it again for the
casual anil chance engagements OF unat-
iached music ans. Even IL they were so
fortunate as 10 get places in regular thea
err orches,ras they would have their dull
season each year, and, when at work un-
der union rates. they would only get
- ~ n performance, out OF which they
would have 20 pay their personal ex-
penscs. so that they would be no better OF
than in n circus Then, there is no small
attraction i'm the travel, excitement, open
air life aud variety q "A circus. Some Of
our circus Lanl-mcn so on llaying until
thew nre quite old.
1T is the duty of tho leader 10 select
md arrange the music for his band in a
circus just the same es any other tanl,
Tut the ciIc leader has much the hard
est work 20 do. In tie first Place he must
have such an immense quantity Of music,
as you will readily conceive. But, still
mo. . difficult for him, IL he does not thor
oughly understand the circus business, is
the selection OF the pai ticular airs tina.
will ft 10 the various performances in the
ring. That would not be so hard to do II
there wcs only one ring and one perform
nnce in 10 at a time, ut when you have
from three to five various performances
going on simultaneously you don't find it
so easy TO pick out music that will trump
in or follow suit with them all.
"If there arc two or three riding nets
simulta neously, II will lie comparatively
easy 10 1T them, hut when you have tn .ngs
going on upon the ground and in the air
at once, you must be very careful or you
will throw your horses or your people out.
Then YOU have t. know which one Of the
lot is most important, to which you will
have TO play, making the others secondary.
hu' serving them as wei as possible At the
same tine. For ms ance, when the stars
are doing their really wonderful triple
trnpeZe act though there are three other
acts going on at the same time have TO
play for the stars and must control the
time and force Of tho music to suit them.
When he sounds his bell the ban has to
play pianissimo. for that is the signal tina:
be is about to speak n word OF direction
ind warning to the girls, and his vol
must no heard. Aud when one Of their
astounding 70 is has boon performe !,
tho hand m u.s. break out with fortissimo
crash, blending with the roar of applause
from the audience. No matter whore the
writer OF the music may have put his
Giminu ndos or Gre, condos, have to play
il that way, whether the piece becomes
unrecognizaIle or not, whether IL may
suit the ether peri, rmers OF not, and
whether people say how ably the band
plays that air. or not, for it may lie n
question of limb, il not OF lie, TO have Il
done I'm just that way.
"Cnething t.lat fiyts. n ~cessarily, q GER
tain ssmcnoss TO much circus music is the
conn u'sory empha. is of notes in reg ular re-
current order, not dCman lei at all flr
musical expression, Tut very requisite for
marking the time for the horses in n
menage act, OF some other riding. II you
DO not thuI hardy accent the time the
bcst-trGiicd horse is liable 20 lie oil b oxen
mp and make a failure OF his performance.
When was with Hcngler l many time
| hal To 20 with my violin 10 the ring at six
O'Clock in the morning TO play by the
hour near horse that was IN lcrgoing
| training, 50 as 10 ftm.larize the ami nal
/ It'll the mir 90 which Inc would be required
| To perform in the ring. Hcnllcr woull
have a horse in training that way as much
as three months steadily before trusting
him in the ring. and lie was very careful
never to allow the time 10 e made slower
or more rDpi :, to sui; the horse, but kept
| regular, un II the beast fell M urally into
the step &C. Il.
"IIcre there Is so much careful training,
and We have 20 adapt the time to the
| horses 60 Il certain degree, hut still the
marked accent must lie kept, and that is
| enough 10 make n very strong family re-
semblancc ctwecn the tuncS-cnoush 10
| make pc ,plc say same oil tune.' Tho ele-
/ plant and trained stations require al
/ ways the same music, or IL not the same
that so very ncnr 10 1t that the animals
can not recognize any difference. OF
course, We do vOfk in some changes on
hem, lut not abrupt cncs, for the Amer
lean public will not stand the same thing
| GN the time, no matt,r what the prefer
eLccs OF the animals may be. When was
in England seven years ago Henglcr's
band was playing the same music for
menace and trick acts that they had
played for seven years before, and have
no doubt they nro playing the same piece.
now. That woull le likely to breed riot
In this country, think.
"Many trapCzs and 9th or specially per.
lie
when we can accommodate them by play,
ing IL we always do so. Gen rally, how,
ever, their music is arranged for strinc
bands TO lie used in thea ers and variet,
shows, and we could not play II withou
arrangement, which would bo too mucl
trouble so long as we can supply othe
music qui'e as good. The lady who doe
Gne trapezo act and the lon:
slide on the inclined wire ha
some lcauiiful Spanish music
aud as II suits very well for the tripl
trapczo oct, which Is on at the same time
we play it. Now and then we work in
new piece on her, an | she is very good
natured about il, always saying: al
right but after two or three days she 4
sure TO come aud say: please, Mr.. Robin
son, let me have my own music again.
She can work better with the music [,
which she Is accustomed. The trapcz
performers also have their own music 70
their special work. Nine. Dockrcll wa
very particular about her musi.', and use,
always TO sing with the band, but O
course in tone that tho audience coul,
n theur, when riding i'm the ring. She n
doubt got into the hahy while training he
horSea in winter, nccustoming them to tn
measure OF music for their movements"
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The >iiliest Man La YAnkredom.