Frederick Alton Jewell ( Worthington,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

May 28, 1875 - Worthington, Indiana, February 11, 1936), was a prolific musical

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

who wrote over 100 marches and screamers, including:

Fred Jewell

* "Battle Royal" (1909) * "Floto's Triumph" (1906) * "Quality Plus" (1913) *"The Outlook" (1913) * "E Pluribus Unum" (1917) * "Supreme Triumph" (1920) * "The Screamer" (1921) * "The Old Circus Band" (1923) At the age of 16, Jewell ran away from home and joined the Gentry Bros. Dog & Pony Show as a

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" o ...

player. He also played the calliope. After making excellent impressions with successful circus officials, Jewell rose through the ranks. He eventually landed himself as the leader of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus band (like

Karl King Karl L. King (February 21, 1891 – February 19, 1971) was a United States march music bandmaster and composer. He is best known as the composer of " Barnum and Bailey's Favorite". The most expensive painting in Iowa, the "Karl L. King Portrai ...

, another successful American composer of his time). He also played in or directed the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus and 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 first ...

. Jewell retired from circuses in 1918. He traveled to Iowa and took leadership of the Iowa Brigade Band. From there he began his own publishing company and moved back to his hometown, Worthington, and served as high school band director, as well as a steady composer of band music. He directed other local bands in Florida and Indiana also. Frederick Jewell died in 1936 at the age of 61 in Worthington.

External links

* * iography and list of works at C. L. Barnhouse Co. https://www.barnhouse.com/composer/fred-jewell/

References

# Studwell, William E., Conrad, Charles P., Schueneman, Bruce R. Circus Songs: An Annotated Anthology, Haworth Press, New York, 1999. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jewell, Fred American bandleaders American male composers American composers Circus music 1875 births 1936 deaths