Klaxon, The (ed Fennell)

Henry Fillmore

Henry Fillmore (ed. Frederick Fennell)

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General Info

Year: 1930 / 1984
Duration: c. 3:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts - $75.00   |   Score Only - $15.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Eb Clarinet
Bb Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
Eb Alto Clarinet
Bb Bass Clarinet
Bb Contrabass Clarinet
Eb Alto Saxophone I-II
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Cornets I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium (Bass Clef & Treble Clef)
Tuba
String Bass
Kettle Drums
Percussion

(Percussion detail needed)

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The Klaxon was premiered at the Cincinnati Automobile Show in reference to the name for a loud horn added as an accessory to 1920s automobiles. Fillmore introduced a new instrument called the “klaxophone,” a brace of 12 of the noisy devices, car-battery powered and table mounted, tuned to play along with the band, possibly in the trio and break strains. The horn section is featured in the work, with the subdued and simple tune in the trio and the final strain.

- Program note by Florida State University Wind Symphony

Paul Bierley, who has written two interesting and scholarly books on John Philip Sousa and his music, culminated nearly a decade of research in 1982 with the publication of two valuable books on the life and music of Henry Fillmore. Among many sidelights, he learned that, contrary to oft-repeated stories, the pseudonym Gus Beans was not selected at random from a Cincinnati telephone book; the Crosley March has nothing to do with a compact car; and there was another Ohio composer whose real name happened to be the same as one of Fillmore's pseudonyms, Will Huff.

Stories of a connection between a car horn and The Klaxon March were more factual. Composed in 1929 and published the next year, the march (subtitled March of the Automobiles) was written for the Cincinnati Automobile Show which began at the Music Hall in January 1930. Fillmore also invented a new instrument for the occasion called a klaxophone. It consisted of 12 automobile horns, mounted on a table and powered by an automobile battery. Like Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture cannons, the klaxophone was a bit noisy.

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band

Commercial Discography

• Audio CD: Texas A&M University Bands (Timothy Rhea, conductor) - 2002

State Ratings

• Indiana: ISSMA SENIOR BAND GROUP I

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Amador County Concert Band (Pine Grove, Calif.) (Steve Chambers, conductor) – 6 October 2019
• Grinnell (Iowa) College Symphonic Band (Joshua W. Neuenschwander, conductor) - 11 May 2019
• Syracuse University (Syracuse, N.Y.) Concert Band (Nieves Villasenor, graduate conductor) – 25 April 2019
• Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO) Symphonic Band (T. André Feagin, conductor)- 9 October 2018
• University of Florida (Gainesville) Symphonic Band (Timothy Rhea, conductor) – 27 September 2018
• Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City, MI) Concert Band (Patricia Brumbaugh, conductor) - 19 April 2016
• Lexington (Mass.) Bicentennial Band (Jeffrey Leonard, conductor) – 31 January 2016
• Los Angeles Symphonic Winds (Stephen Piazza, conductor) - 15 March 2015
• Sierra Nevada Winds (Yuba City, Calif.) (Robert Halseth, conductor) - 22 November 2014
• Florida State University Wind Orchestra (Ricky Brooks, conductor)] - 7 March 2013 (79th Annual ABA Convention, Tampa)
• Fillmore Wind Band - 6 May 2012
• Solano Winds (Fairfield, Calif.) (Bill Doherty) - 4 June 2011

Works for Winds by this Composer

• 136th U.S.A. Field Artillery (2012) (arr. Foster)
• Alamo March (as Will Huff) (1916)
• Alamo March (arr. Miller) (1916/2016)
• America Exultant (arr. Glover) (1917/2004)
• Americans We (1929/1979)
• Black Mask, The (written as Al Hayes) (ed. Foster) (1914/2015)
• Bones Trombone (arr. Oliver) (1922)
• Bull Trombone (1924/1959)
• Chimes of Iron Mountain, The (1955)
• Circus Bee, The (1908/2003) (ed. Foster)
• The Circus Bee (arr. Custer) (1908/1994)
• Circus Bee, The (ed Schissel) (1908/2007) (ed. Schissel)
• Courage March (2013) (arr. Contorno)
• Courage (arr. Clark) (1919/2003/2012)
• Cradle of Liberty (as Al Hayes) (arr Laferty) (2015)
• Crosley March, The (2001) (arr. Foster)
• The Footlifter March (arr. Foster) (1935/2003)
• Footlifter March, The (ed. Blatti) (1935)
• Genius (arr. Clark) (1937/2005)
• Go: Galop (as Will Huff) (1916)
• Golden Friendships (ed. Foster) (1926/2005)
• Headway March (arr. Contorno) (1920/2014)
• His Honor March (arr. Clark) (1934/2014)
• His Honor (ed. Fennell) (1934/1978)
• His Honor March (arr. Foster) (1934/2000)
• Hot Trombone (1921)
• King Karl King (1957)
• King Karl King (ed. Foster) (1957/2007)
• Klaxon, The (1930)
• Klaxon, The (arr. Balent) (1930/1995)
• Klaxon, The (ed. Fennell) (1930/1984)
• Klaxon, The (arr. Foster) (1930/2014)
• Lassus Trombone (1915)
• Lassus Trombone (ed. Foster) (1915/2011)
• Lassus Trombone (arr. Schissel) (1915/2000)
• Lightning Fingers (arr. Foster)
• Lucky Trombone (1926)
• Man of the Hour, The (1924)
• Men of Ohio (1921/2009) (ed. Foster)
• Men of Ohio (1921)
• Miami (arr. Foster) (1938/2006)
• Military Escort (arr. Swearingen)
• Military Escort in 5 Ways (1930)
• Miss Trombone (arr. Contorno) (1908/2012)
• Miss Trombone (1908)
• Mt. Healthy (arr. Shaffer) (1916/2007)
• Noble Men (arr. Foster) (1922/2001)
• The Orange Bowl (ed. Foster) (1939/2004)
• Our Own Red, White and Blue (arr. Foster) (1917/2015)
• Playfellow (1927)
• Poet, Peasant and Light Cavalryman, The ((1915/1959)
• Precision (as Harold Bennett) (arr. Clark) (1926/2011)
• The President's March (ed. Foster) (1956/2008)
• Rolling Thunder March (1916)
• Rolling Thunder (ed. Fennell) (1916/1983)
• Rolling Thunder March (arr. Foster) (1916/2014)
• Rolling Thunder March (arr. Foster Jr.) (1916/2015)
• Rolling Thunder March (arr. Glover) (1916)
• Sally Trombone (1917)
• Shoutin' Liza Trombone (arr. Foster) (1920/2002)
• Slim Trombone (arr. Contorno) (2013)
• Star-Spangled Banner (as arranger) (1814/1934/1959/1973)
• Teddy Trombone (1911)
• Teddy Trombone (arr. de Meij) (1911)
• Teddy Trombone (arr. Foster) (1911/2013)
• U S of A Armed Forces March, The (2013) (arr. Foster)
• Waves March (1943)
• The Whistling Farm Boy (1925)

References

• Fillmore, H.; Fennell, F. (1984). The Klaxon [score]. Carl Fischer: New York.
• Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 204