Karl King

One of the great American masters of march music, Karl King's background was a circus ringmaster. Without any formal musical training and with less than an eighth-grade education, he composed and published his first march at age 17, and joined Robinson's Famous Circus as a baritone horn player two years later. It was the dawn of the golden age of circus music, as circus acts were actively seeking out commissioned music, having long since realized that the standard music that was available fitted less than comfortably into a circus program, as it was impossible to synchronize to the action. King quickly developed a mastery for penning charts that meshed perfectly with the rhythm of various circus acts. With this talent, it was no problem for him to rise to a leadership position in some of the most famous circus bands in the country, and by 1917, he was director of the Barnum & Bailey Circus band. He also worked with the Buffalo Bill Circus. King created more circus marches than any other composer, while the death-defying genre of aerial waltzes and the rhythmically satisfying tromping of circus gallops were other kingdoms where King ruled. But, by the early '20s, he'd had enough of the circus life. He took on the position of conductor of the Fort Dodge Municipal Band and must have liked it there -- he stayed at this post for the next half a century. Under his leadership, this band became an adored attraction at state and regional fairs, rodeos, and expositions. He also put together a private company publishing music, and his wife Ruth King, a former circus calliope player, ran an adjoining company that sold musical instruments. One of his great accomplishments was helping to start the American Bandmasters Association as well as a branch within his own state, the Iowa Bandmasters Association. He also played an important role in establishing what is known as the Iowa Band Law. Touring bands that have found a total lack of gig possibilities in this state may think that this was a set of restrictions on bands playing live in Iowa, but it was actually legislation which handed the state's municipalities the right to levy an small tax to support municipal bands. More than 40 states eventually adopted similar laws. King was also involved early on in composing special music for the growing school band programs in America. He created marches designed specifically for school bands, as well other types of selections such as waltzes and overtures. He became a popular choice as a conductor at events in which many marching bands perform together, known as "massed bands." At one such gathering at the University of Michigan, some 13,000 high-school musicians played together under his baton. King also was active as a contest judge in events for high-school marching bands. King wrote a total of more than 400 different compositions, many of them created in makeshift conditions such as by the light of a kerosene lamp in a circus tent. He also apparently thrived on composing music under extreme pressure. "Barnum & Bailey's Favorite" is his best known composition, but he also wrote "A Night in June," "Enchanted Nights Waltz" for a high-trapeze act, and "Broadway One-Step" for clowns. Although most of the circus music had happy memories for its composer, there were exceptions. His composition "In Old Portugal" was written for the famed aerialist Lillian Leitzal, and, in a truly morbid happening, was being played by the circus band when she fell to her death in 1931. To make matters worse, this tragedy happened on a Friday the 13th. He wrote "Hawkeye Glory" for the University of Iowa and "Hawkeye Fair" for the Iowa State Fair, where from 1921 through 1959 he led the band. Far from being a chauvinist for his home state, he also wrote themes for states such as Arizona, Indiana, and Illinois. King was honored with many prestigious awards, including induction into the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts and the Society of European Stage Actors and Composers. His music is almost constantly performed, and not only by marching bands. It is also popular material for organ players, available in a series of arrangements for that instrument. The Iowa-based ensemble the King Ringers perform special hand-bell versions of his pieces.
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