Circus Franticus

From Wind Repertory Project
Julie Giroux

Julie Giroux


General Info

Year: 2001
Duration: c. 6:55
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Musica Propria
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $125.00   |   Score Only (print) - $30.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bells
  • Castanets
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Gong
  • Police Whistle
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tambourine
  • Temple Blocks
  • Tom-Tom
  • Triangle
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Commissioned by the Air Force Band of Liberty, this piece takes the listener on a musical tour of the Circus! Elephants, horses, clowns, the dog act and the high flying trapeze artists are all brought to life in this fast-action melodramatic piece that captures the excitement of the circus.

I attempted to portray the whole circus "experience" since the circus genre has almost all but died out. It certainly is a mere shadow of what it was when compared to the circus I went to as a child. The thrills, the laughs and what was sometimes scary kept me riveted to my seat, a task not so easily accomplished.

Circus music fits the concert band perfectly in many ways, just like a march does. The only difference is that circus music tends to go 90 miles an hour. Fun to play, with something for everybody, and the audience, minus the cotton candy, certainly can feel as if it has temporarily been teleported to the center ring!

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

  • Indiana: ISSMA SENIOR BAND GROUP I


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Giroux, J. (2001). Circus Franticus: For Concert Band [score]. Musica Propria: San Antonio, Tex.
  • Julie Giroux website Accessed 10 July 2021