HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Karl L. King (February 21, 1891 – February 19, 1971) was a United States
march music A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's ...
bandmaster and composer. He is best known as the composer of "
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 K ...
". The most expensive painting in Iowa, the "Karl L. King Portrait" resides in St. Edmond Catholic School's most esteemed room; the band room. It has been rumored that his eyes follow students around the room throughout the day, and that his spirit still haunts the band room and students to this day.


Early life

Karl Lawrence King was born in the village of Paintersville, Ohio. He was the only child of Sandusky S. and Anna Lindsey King. The King family moved to
Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...
when he was eleven, the age he used newspaper carrier income to purchase his first musical instrument – a
cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...
. 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 Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, conducted by Fred Neddermeyer. He switched from the cornet to the
baritone horn The baritone horn, or sometimes just called baritone, is a low-pitched brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a piston-val ...
, with Strassner instructing him on that instrument. He also played in the Soldier's Home Band in
Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...
.


Circus band trouping 1910–1918

In 1910 at the age of 19, he began a short career playing baritone in and directing
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
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 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 Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Harry Heye Tammen owned the firs ...
under W.P. English (a famous march composer), and in 1913 in the
Barnum and Bailey The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling) is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Ear ...
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 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 Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Harry Heye Tammen owned the firs ...
and
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...
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, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
.


Life after circus bands

King hoped to join
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...
at the
Great Lakes Naval Training Station Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center ...
during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. 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 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 is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...
. 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 The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...
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 directors including Glenn Cliffe Bainum, Albert Austin Harding,
Paul V. Yoder Paul Van Buskirk Yoder (October 8, 1908 – April 4, 1990) was an American musician, composer, arranger, and band director. Life Yoder was born on October 8, 1908, in Tacoma, Washington.Smith, Norman E., and Stoutamire, Albert, Paul Yoder, Band ...
, and William H. Santelmann attended (as well as William S. Beardsley, the governor of Iowa). BBC Karl King died on March 31, 1971 of acute
diverticulitis Diverticulitis, specifically colonic diverticulitis, is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches—diverticula—which can develop in the wall of the large intestine. Symptoms typically include lower abdominal ...
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 L. King, Jr. was born in 1919 and 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.


Compositions

King the composer published more than 300 works:
galop In dance, the galop, named after the fastest running gait of a horse (see Gallop), 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 popul ...
s,
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
es,
overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
s,
serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...
s,
rags Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to: Common uses * Rag, a piece of old cloth * Rags, tattered clothes * Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism * Rag paper, or cotton paper Arts and entertainment Film * ''Rags'' (1915 ...
, 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 it in – 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 American march music is march music written and/or performed in the United States. Its origins are those of European composers borrowing from the military music of the Ottoman Empire in place there from the 16th century. The American genre devel ...
. 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" 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 K ...
" (1913) remains his best-known composition, but other pieces that retain their popularity among fans of band music include: *"Aces of the Air" (1942) *"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) *"Gallant Marines" (1942) *"Garland Entrée" (1912) *"General Lee" (1943) *"Glorious America" (1955) *"The Golden Dragon" (1917) *"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 Shop" (1910) *"Miss Liberty" (1955) *"Mystic Call" 1913 *"The New Madison Square Garden" (1926) *"The New Corn Palace" (1921) *"Night Flight" (1942) *"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) *"The Trombone King" (1945) *"United Nations" (1942) *"The University of North Dakota" (1935) *"Valley Forge" (1943) *"The Viking March" (1911, later used to create
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...
's fight song, " Indiana, Our Indiana") *"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 Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was an American flutist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer. He is perhaps best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the 195 ...
. 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

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. *Golden Age of the March – Volume 1. (includes 12 of King's marches) The Washington Winds, Edward Petersen. CD: Walking Frog Records WFR 101. *
Heritage of the March ''Heritage of the March'' is a series of 185 vinyl records of marches and galops released from 1973 to 1988. It remains the largest single march music record series in history, featuring close to 3,000 different marches. The records were distribut ...
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. *Barnum & Bailey’s Favorite: The Music of Karl L. King. Virginia Grand Military Band, Loras J. Schissel. CD: Walking Frog Records WFR338. *Tradition: Legacy of the March Composer Series Karl L. King. Texas A&M University Bands, Timothy Rhea. CD: Mark Masters 7267-MCD.


References

*Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians volume 3. Schirmer Books, 2001. *Hatton, Thomas J. Hawkeye Glory: The History of the Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, Iowa. Golden Dragon Press, 2002. *Hatton, Thomas J. Karl L. King: An American Bandmaster. Evanston, Illinois: Instrumentalist Co., 1975. *Rehrig, William H. The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music, volume 1. Integrity Press, 1991. *Studwell, William E. and Charles P. Conrad and Bruce R. Schueneman. Circus Songs: An Annotated Anthology. The Haworth Press, 1999. *”Walls Come Down After Fort Dodge’s Worst Fire”, Des Moines Register, January 13, 1971, page 6.


External links


Karl King Score Collection
– Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland
Karl King Page
Biographical info plus photos and music
Karl King page at C. L. Barnhouse Co.
Biographical info plus listing of works *findagrav

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Karl 1891 births 1971 deaths Deaths from diverticulitis 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers American bandleaders Circus music People from Greene County, Ohio People from Fort Dodge, Iowa Distinguished Service to Music Medal recipients 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from Ohio 20th-century American male musicians