Henry Fillmore (December 3, 1881 – December 7, 1956) was an American musician, composer, publisher, and bandleader, best known for his many
marches
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...
and
screamers, a few of which he wrote for the
Band of the Hour at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
in
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248.
Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...
.
Early life and education
Fillmore was born in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
as the eldest of five children. In his youth. he mastered piano, guitar, violin, flute, and
slide trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrat ...
. He kept his trombone activities a secret at first, as his circumspect religious father James Henry Fillmore (1849–1936)—a composer of
gospel songs
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
, often in collaboration with
Jessie Brown Pounds
Jessie Hunter Brown Pounds (August 31, 1861 – March 3, 1921) was an American lyricist of gospel songs.
Life
Jessie Hunter Brown was born into a farm family in the village of Hiram, Portage County, Ohio. A staff writer for ''Christian Stan ...
—believed it an uncouth and sinful instrument. Henry's mother secretly bought a used trombone for him and obscured from Henry's father the son's learning to play the instrument.
Fillmore, whose relative Frederick Augustus Fillmore (1856–1925) was also a tune-composer for gospel songs, was a singer for his church choir as a boy. He began composing at 18, with his first published
march
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
"Hingham", named after a line of brass instruments.
Fillmore entered the
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, wh ...
in 1901.
Personal life
After graduating from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Fillmore traveled the United States as a
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 ...
bandmaster
A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a concert band, military band, brass band or a marching band.
British Armed Forces
In the British Army, bandmasters of the Royal Corps of Army Music now hold the rank of staff s ...
with his wife, an
exotic vaudeville dancer named Mabel May Jones. They were married in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
.
Career
During the 1920s, Fillmore was back in Cincinnati conducting the
Shriners
Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Shriners International describes itself ...
Temple Band, which he turned into one of the best
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
s in the country.
In 1938, Fillmore, after being advised by a physician that he had just a few months to live, retired to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. He went on, however, to prove the physician wrong, keeping an active schedule rehearsing high school bands in Florida and composing marches. Henry Fillmore Band Hall, the rehearsal hall for many of the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
's performing groups, acquired its name as a tribute to Fillmore's work in the band genre. His march "Orange Bowl" was written for Miami's
Band of the Hour. ''Uncle Henry'', as Fillmore was affectionately known to the members of the ''Band of the Hour'', also wrote the University of Miami's current official fight song – "Miami U How-De-Doo". His arrangement of "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
" is performed by the
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
Marching Chiefs
The Florida State University Marching Chiefs is the official marching band of the Florida State University. The band has served in this capacity since the 1940s and continues to perform at all home football games as well as several away games eac ...
. His march "Men of Florida" was composed for the bands at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
. He was given an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of Miami in 1956 in recognition of his career. Fillmore lived out the rest of his days in
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
.
Music
Fillmore wrote over 250 pieces and
arranged
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestra ...
orchestrations for hundreds more. He published under a variety of pseudonyms, including Gus Beans, Harold Bennett, Ray Hall, Harry Hartley, Al Hayes, and Henrietta Moore. Only the name Will Huff caused any issues, as another
Will Huff
William Lockwood Huff (January 16, 1875 – November 5, 1942) was a composer of band music best known for his military marches and the circus march ''The Squealer''. He was born in Massieville, Ohio and grew up in Coalton, Ohio. He took up his fa ...
composed marches and resided in Fillmore's state. Fillmore used many pseudonyms throughout his career and was worried that flooding the market with music published under "Henry Fillmore" would dissuade others from purchasing his music. His pseudonyms are associate with grade, or difficulty level, or genre. In a 1953 interview with Jack H. Mahan, Fillmore explained his pseudonym uses: "Harold Bennett" was easy and non-progressive, if you can play one, you can play them all. "Al Hayes" was a little more difficult. "Will Huff" was a duplicate composer (Fillmore's "Will Huff" was usually easy grade). "Henry Fillmore" could be the easiest marches or the most difficult. "Harry Hartley" are all solos; cornet, trombone, and baritone that are easy grade with no triple-tonguing or cadenzas. Solos under other names are just incidental. "Henrietta Moore" is all twilight songs.
While best known for
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 ...
and
screamers, he also wrote
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,
foxtrots,
hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
, novelty numbers, and
overtures
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 ...
. Fillmore's best-known compositions include:
* "The President's March" (1956)
* "The Footlifter" (1935)
* "Americans We" (1929)
* "Men of Ohio" (1921)
* "The Man of the Hour" (1924)
* "His Honor" (1934)
* "The Klaxon" (1930)
* "Lassus Trombone" (1915)
* "(We're) Men of Florida"
* "Military Escort March" (1923)
* "Mt. Healthy" (1916)
* "The Crosley March"
* "Noble Men" (1922)
* "Orange Bowl March" (1939)
* "
Rolling Thunder March
"Rolling Thunder" is a screamer composed by Henry Fillmore in 1916. It includes a fast and extremely technical trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass famil ...
" (1916)
* "
The Circus Bee
"The Circus Bee" is a circus march, or screamer, composed by Henry Fillmore
Henry Fillmore (December 3, 1881 – December 7, 1956) was an American musician, composer, publisher, and bandleader, best known for his many marches and screamers, ...
" (1908)
* "King Karl King" (1957)
Fillmore gained fame as the "Father of the Trombone Smear", writing a series of 15 novelty tunes featuring
trombone smear
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
s called "The Trombone Family". A number of these have a strong
ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...
influence. The tunes have subtitles printed on the parts, some of which reflect social and racial realities of the time. Many were advertised specifically to denigrate black people. All of Fillmore's trombone rags are as follows:
* "Miss Trombone (A Slippery Rag)" (1908)
* "Teddy Trombone (A Brother to Miss Trombone)" (1911)
* "Lassus Trombone (The Cullud Valet to Miss Trombone)" (1915)
* "Pahson Trombone (Lassus Trombone's 'Ole Man')" (1916)
* "Sally Trombone (Pahson Trombone's Eldest Gal Some Crow)" (1917)
* "Slim Trombone (Sally Trombone's Cousin- the Jazzin' One Step Kid)" (1918)
* "Mose Trombone (He's Slim Trombone's Buddy)" (1919)
* "Shoutin' Liza Trombone (Mose Trombone's Ah-finity)" (1920) (Also known as "Hallelujah Trombone" for the quote from
Handel's "Messiah")
* "Hot Trombone (He's Jes a Fren' ob Shoutin' Liza Trombone)" (1921)
* "Bones Trombone (He's Jes as Warm as Hot Trombone)" (1922)
* "Dusty Trombone" (1923)
* "Bull Trombone (A Cullud Toreador)" (1924)
* "Lucky Trombone" (1926)
* "Boss Trombone" (1929)
* "Ham Trombone" (1929)
Occasionally, as in "The Footlifter" credit, Fillmore
wrote with the name Harold Bennett.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Fillmore on hutchcc.edualso see the Karl King Page (each of these "March Kings" wrote a march saluting the other)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fillmore, Henry
1881 births
1956 deaths
American bandleaders
American male composers
American composers
American Disciples of Christ
Musicians from Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni
University of Miami alumni
University of Miami faculty
20th-century American male musicians