Karl King
Encyclopedia
Karl L. King was a United States
march music bandmaster and composer
. He is best known as the composer of Barnum and Bailey's Favorite
.
when he was eleven, the age he used newspaper carrier income to purchase his first musical instrument – a cornet
. He studied with Emile Reinkendorff, director of the Grand Army Band of Canton, on this instrument.
He grew up as a self-taught musician
with very little schooling of any kind (he left school after the eighth grade, age fourteen). His only music instruction included assistance from local musicians when he played brass instruments in the Canton Marine Band. He also had four piano lessons and one harmony lesson from musical show director William Bradford. He learned to compose by studying scores. He quit school to learn the printing trade (while composing music at night), but soon switched to playing in and composing for bands.
His first professional positions were in the Thayer Military Band in Canton, directed by William E. Strassner followed by the Neddermeyer Band of Columbus, Ohio
, conducted by Fred Neddermeyer. He switched from the cornet to the baritone horn
) with Strassner instructing him on that instrument. He also played in the Soldier’s Home Band in Danville, Illinois
.
His first full-time conducting job was in 1914 through 1915 with the Sells Floto Circus
and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show combined shows band. He became bandmaster for the Sells-Floto Circus in 1915 and was bandmaster of the Barnum and Bailey Circus band 1917-1918. In his final band, he included his wife Ruth (Lovett) as the calliope performer. He had married Ruth November 17, 1916.
In an interview in the last year of his life, King stated that his proudest moment was conducting the Barnum and Bailey band in Madison Square Garden
.
at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station
during World War I
. With no openings on his staff at the time, Sousa suggested King apply to the army as bandmaster at Camp Grant
. The war ended on his reporting date so King did not serve on active duty.
King remained in Canton to as director of the local band. He began a music publishing business, the K.L. King Music House in 1919, the same year his only child Karl L. King, Jr. was born. The first publication of his new music company was “Broadway One-Step”.
After a year in Canton where he directed the Grand Army Band (1919) King settled down in Fort Dodge, Iowa
. This was in 1920 (age 29) and for the next fifty-one years he conducted the Fort Dodge Municipal Band, which featured future American Bandmasters Association
president Joseph Hermann on clarinet. The band became known as King’s Band.
King was instrumental in the passage of the Iowa Band Law in 1921, which allowed cities to levy a local tax for maintenance of a band. He commemorated this with one of his marches, “Iowa Band Law”. In 1960, King would direct “Iowa Band Law” with the largest mass band ever assembled: 188 high school bands and nearly 13,000 musicians at a nationally televised University of Michigan football game.
He was given a testimonial dinner for 250 people in 1951 at the age of 59 where band world luminaries including Glenn Cliffe Bainum, Albert Austin Harding
, Paul V. Yoder
, and William H. Santelmann attended (as well as William S. Beardsley
, the governor of Iowa).
Karl King died on March 31, 1971 of acute diverticulitis
at age 80 in a Fort Dodge, Iowa hospital. He and his wife Ruth I. (Lovett) King (June 10, 1898-July 4, 1988) are buried at North Lawn Cemetery. Their only son Karl King, Jr. died November 19, 1987.
A physical description of Karl King in the 1951 Who’s Who in Music: brown eyes, brown hair, 6’1” in height, 200 pounds.
s, waltz
es, overture
s, serenade
s, rags
, and 188 marches and screamers
. It could be said that King did for the circus march what Sousa did for the patriotic march. He seemed to like composing under pressure and often composed in tight spots (such as by oil lamp in cramped circus tents). His name appeared on the sheet music as Karl King, K. L. King, and sometimes Carl Lawrence.
His first known composition still extant was composed for the Thayer Military Band while he was performing in it – titled “March T.M.B.” (1909). His first copyrighted work was “Moonlight on the Nile Waltz” (also 1909).
King's marches for circus bands are usually composed at a high difficulty level (grade 4-5 typically) American march music#Difficulty. He also contributed greatly to the school band movement with numerous compositions at various levels of difficulty.
"Barnum and Bailey's Favorite
" (1913) remains his best known composition, but other pieces that retain their popularity among fans of band music include:
King’s final published march was “The Home Town Boy March” (1962) dedicated to Meredith Willson
.
King’s publishers included J. E. Agnew, C.L. Barnhouse, Fillmore Brothers, Kalmus, Rubank Inc., R. F. Seitz, William E. Strassner, and Volkwein Brothers Inc. as well as his own publishing company Karl L. King Music House.
A disastrous fire on January 12, 1971 destroyed the Knights of Columbus Hall where the Fort Dodge Band held rehearsals and stored instruments and uniforms. The hall also held most of Karl King’s original manuscripts, including special arrangements.
Highway signs leading into Fort Dodge list it as “Home of Karl L. King”.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
march music bandmaster and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He is best known as the composer of Barnum and Bailey's Favorite
Barnum and Bailey's Favorite
Barnum and Bailey's Favorite is a circus march written by Karl King for the circus of the same name in 1913.-Composition of the march:Barnum and Bailey's Favorite, often referred to as "The Granddaddy of Circus Marches", was composed by Karl King in 1913 and was published through C. L. Barnhouse...
.
Biography
Karl Lawrence King was born in the little village of Paintersville, Ohio. He was the only child of Sandusky S. and Anna Lindsey King. The King family moved to Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
when he was eleven, the age he used newspaper carrier income to purchase his first musical instrument – a cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
. He studied with Emile Reinkendorff, director of the Grand Army Band of Canton, on this instrument.
He grew up as a self-taught musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
with very little schooling of any kind (he left school after the eighth grade, age fourteen). His only music instruction included assistance from local musicians when he played brass instruments in the Canton Marine Band. He also had four piano lessons and one harmony lesson from musical show director William Bradford. He learned to compose by studying scores. He quit school to learn the printing trade (while composing music at night), but soon switched to playing in and composing for bands.
His first professional positions were in the Thayer Military Band in Canton, directed by William E. Strassner followed by the Neddermeyer Band of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, conducted by Fred Neddermeyer. He switched from the cornet to the baritone horn
Baritone horn
The baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
) with Strassner instructing him on that instrument. He also played in the Soldier’s Home Band in Danville, Illinois
Danville, Illinois
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...
.
Circus Band Trouping 1910-1918
In 1910 at the age of 19, he began a short career playing baritone in and directing circus bands. That year, he joined the Robinson Famous Shows under conductor Woodring Van Anda (“Woody Van”). The next year he was performing in the Yankee Robinson Circus band under Theo. Stout. In 1912, he performed in the Sells-Floto Circus under W.P. English (a famous march composer), and in 1913 in the Barnum and Bailey band under Ned Brill. At the request of Brill he wrote (and dedicated to Brill) “Barnum & Bailey’s Favorite”, his most famous march and possibly the most recognizable American music written specifically for the circus. It would soon be adopted as the theme of the circus.His first full-time conducting job was in 1914 through 1915 with the Sells Floto Circus
Sells Floto Circus
The Sells Floto Circus was a combination of the Floto Dog & Pony Show and the Sells Brothers Circus that toured with sideshow acts in the United States during the early 1900s.-History:...
and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show combined shows band. He became bandmaster for the Sells-Floto Circus in 1915 and was bandmaster of the Barnum and Bailey Circus band 1917-1918. In his final band, he included his wife Ruth (Lovett) as the calliope performer. He had married Ruth November 17, 1916.
In an interview in the last year of his life, King stated that his proudest moment was conducting the Barnum and Bailey band in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.
Life after Circus Bands
King hoped to join John Philip SousaJohn Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. With no openings on his staff at the time, Sousa suggested King apply to the army as bandmaster at Camp Grant
Camp Grant (Illinois)
For other uses see Camp Grant.Camp Grant was a U.S. Army facility located in the southern outskirts of Rockford, Illinois named in honor of General Ulysses S. Grant...
. The war ended on his reporting date so King did not serve on active duty.
King remained in Canton to as director of the local band. He began a music publishing business, the K.L. King Music House in 1919, the same year his only child Karl L. King, Jr. was born. The first publication of his new music company was “Broadway One-Step”.
After a year in Canton where he directed the Grand Army Band (1919) King settled down in Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fort Dodge is a city and county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 25,206 in the 2010 census, an increase from 25,136 in the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S...
. This was in 1920 (age 29) and for the next fifty-one years he conducted the Fort Dodge Municipal Band, which featured future American Bandmasters Association
American Bandmasters Association
The American Bandmasters Association was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music. Goldman sought to raise esteem for concert bands among musicians and audiences...
president Joseph Hermann on clarinet. The band became known as King’s Band.
King was instrumental in the passage of the Iowa Band Law in 1921, which allowed cities to levy a local tax for maintenance of a band. He commemorated this with one of his marches, “Iowa Band Law”. In 1960, King would direct “Iowa Band Law” with the largest mass band ever assembled: 188 high school bands and nearly 13,000 musicians at a nationally televised University of Michigan football game.
He was given a testimonial dinner for 250 people in 1951 at the age of 59 where band world luminaries including Glenn Cliffe Bainum, Albert Austin Harding
Albert Austin Harding
Albert Austin Harding was the first Director Of Bands at the University of Illinois. He was also the first band director at an American university to hold a position of full professorship...
, Paul V. Yoder
Paul V. Yoder
Dr. Paul Van Buskirk Yoder was an American musician, composer, arranger, and band director.-Life:Paul Yoder was born on October 8, 1908 in Tacoma, Washington...
, and William H. Santelmann attended (as well as William S. Beardsley
William S. Beardsley
William Shane "Bill" Beardsley was the 31st Governor of Iowa from 1949 to 1954.-Biography:Beardsley was born in Beacon, Iowa and grew up in Birmingham, Iowa. The son of a pharmacist, he attended pharmacy school himself, and established a drugstore in New Virginia, Iowa in 1922. He was elected to...
, the governor of Iowa).
Karl King died on March 31, 1971 of acute diverticulitis
Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis is a common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon...
at age 80 in a Fort Dodge, Iowa hospital. He and his wife Ruth I. (Lovett) King (June 10, 1898-July 4, 1988) are buried at North Lawn Cemetery. Their only son Karl King, Jr. died November 19, 1987.
A physical description of Karl King in the 1951 Who’s Who in Music: brown eyes, brown hair, 6’1” in height, 200 pounds.
Karl King’s Compositions
King the composer published more than 300 works: galopGalop
In dance, the galop, named after the fastest running gait of a horse , a shortened version of the original term galoppade, is a lively country dance, introduced in the late 1820s to Parisian society by the Duchesse de Berry and popular in Vienna, Berlin and London...
s, waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
es, overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
s, serenade
Serenade
In music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
s, rags
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
, and 188 marches and screamers
Screamer (march)
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 :...
. It could be said that King did for the circus march what Sousa did for the patriotic march. He seemed to like composing under pressure and often composed in tight spots (such as by oil lamp in cramped circus tents). His name appeared on the sheet music as Karl King, K. L. King, and sometimes Carl Lawrence.
His first known composition still extant was composed for the Thayer Military Band while he was performing in it – titled “March T.M.B.” (1909). His first copyrighted work was “Moonlight on the Nile Waltz” (also 1909).
King's marches for circus bands are usually composed at a high difficulty level (grade 4-5 typically) American march music#Difficulty. He also contributed greatly to the school band movement with numerous compositions at various levels of difficulty.
"Barnum and Bailey's Favorite
Barnum and Bailey's Favorite
Barnum and Bailey's Favorite is a circus march written by Karl King for the circus of the same name in 1913.-Composition of the march:Barnum and Bailey's Favorite, often referred to as "The Granddaddy of Circus Marches", was composed by Karl King in 1913 and was published through C. L. Barnhouse...
" (1913) remains his best known composition, but other pieces that retain their popularity among fans of band music include:
- "Allied Honor" (1955)
- "Attorney General" (1921)
- "The Big Cage" (1934)
- "Big Four" (1955)
- "Bolivar" (1918)
- "Broadway One-Step" (1919)
- "Bunker Hill" (1943)
- "Burma Patrol" (1942)
- "Carrollton" (1909)
- "Circus Days" (1944)
- "Cyrus The Great" (1921)
- "The Desert Patrol" (1934)
- "Diamond Jubilee March” (1961, a composite of seven of King’s most famous marches)
- "Emblem of Freedom" (1910)
- "Fidelity" (1912)
- "Flying Cadets" (1942)
- "Freedom City" (1955)
- "Garland Entrée" (1912)
- "General Lee" (1943)
- "Glorious America" (1955)
- "Homestretch Gallop" (1912)
- "Hosts of Freedom" (1920)
- "Invictus" (1921)
- ”Iowa Band Law” (1921)
- ”Iowa Centennial March” (1946)
- "Kentucky Sunrise" (1919)
- "Liberty Fleet" (1942)
- "Lt. Commander" (1934)
- "March Ponderoso" (1910)
- "The Melody ShopThe Melody Shop"The Melody Shop" is one of Karl King's most popular marches and one of the most popular marches of all time. The March is Written in Eb and then Switches to Ab at the Trio. Excerpts of the March are commonly used in auditions for Euphoniums and Baritone Horns auditioning for a spot in a Military...
" (1910) - "Miss Liberty" (1955)
- "Mystic Call" 1913
- "The New Madison Square Garden" (1926)
- ”The New Corn Palace” (1921)
- "Peacemaker" (1955)
- ”Pride of the Illini” (1928, written for University of Illinois)
- "The Purple Pageant" (1933, written for Northwestern University)
- "Ragged Rozey" (1913)
- "Robinson's Grand Entrée" (1911)
- "Rough Riders" (1943)
- "The Royal Scotch Highlanders" (1919)
- "Sarasota" (1918)
- "Trombone King" (1945)
- "United Nations" (1942)
- "The University of North Dakota" (1935)
- "Valley Forge" (1943)
- "The Viking March" (1911)
- "The Walking Frog" (1919)
- "War March of the Tartars" (1938)
- "Woody Van's" (1911)
King’s final published march was “The Home Town Boy March” (1962) dedicated to Meredith Willson
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
.
King’s publishers included J. E. Agnew, C.L. Barnhouse, Fillmore Brothers, Kalmus, Rubank Inc., R. F. Seitz, William E. Strassner, and Volkwein Brothers Inc. as well as his own publishing company Karl L. King Music House.
A disastrous fire on January 12, 1971 destroyed the Knights of Columbus Hall where the Fort Dodge Band held rehearsals and stored instruments and uniforms. The hall also held most of Karl King’s original manuscripts, including special arrangements.
Awards and Honors
- 1929 – Elected to American Bandmasters Association
- 1953 - Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma
- 1962 – Elected to the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts
- 1962 – Karl L. King Viaduct over the Des Moines River dedicated at Fort Dodge
- 1964 – Elected to the Society of European Stage Actors and Composers
- 1967 - Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Distinguished Service Award
- 1967-1971 – Honorary Life President American Bandmasters Association
- 1971 - Edwin Franco Goldman Award of the American School Bandmasters Association (first non-school band director to receive this award)
- 1975 – Iowa Award given posthumously, highest award state can bestow an individual
- 1976 – Fort Dodge Band Shell renovated and named in honor of Karl King
- 1980 - National Band Association names Karl King to the Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors
- 1995 – Inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame
- 2006 – Karl King Statue dedicated in Fort Dodge
Highway signs leading into Fort Dodge list it as “Home of Karl L. King”.
Discography
The following is selective. Note that the volumes in the Heritage of the March series are typically half filled with King marches.- Circus Spectacular: The Band Music of K.L. King. Circus Band, Matthew H. Phillips. CD: Vox 7541.
- Heritage of the MarchHeritage of the MarchHeritage of the March is a series of 185 vinyl records of marches and galops released from 1973 to the early 1980s. It remains the largest single march music record series in history, featuring close to 3,000 different marches...
LPs: volumes 25, L, N, R, CC, DD, NN, QQ, RR, SS, TT, YY, HHH, III, QQQ, XXX, ZZZ, FFFF, and GGGG. - The Music of Karl King. University of Illinois Symphonic Band, Harry Begian. LP: Golden Crest CRS 1096.
- Salute to Karl King. Band of Her Majesty’s Life Guards, W. Jackson. LP: Philips SBL 7925.
- Tradition: Legacy of the March Composer Series Karl L. King. Texas A&M University Bands, Timothy Rhea. CD: Mark Masters 7267-MCD.
External links
- Karl King Page Biographical info plus photos and music
- Karl King page at C. L. Barnhouse Co. Biographical info plus listing of works
- findagrave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16275979