Klaxon, The (ed Fennell)

Henry Fillmore

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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 Solo Trumpet
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Kettle Drums
Percussion

(Percussion detail desired)

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 concert program, 7 March 2013

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

Media

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

Kentucky Virginia (Whitesburg, Ky.) Summer Winds (Susan Creasap, conductor) - 7 June 2022
Leander (Tx.) High School Wind Ensemble (T Andre Feagin, conductor) - 16 December 2021 (2021 Midwest Clinic)
Riverside High School (Painesville, Ohio) Wind Ensemble (David A. Schwartz, conductor) - 14 May 2021
University of Oregon (Eugene) Wind Symphony (Ryan McCue, conductor) – 11 February 2020
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, 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
Scott County High School (Georgetown, Ky.) Symphonic Winds (Tom Brawner, conductor) – 10 December 2010 (2010 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Courage (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Clark) (1919/2003/2012)
His Honor March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Clark) (1934/2014)

All Wind Works

136th U.S.A. Field Artillery (arr. Foster) (2012)
Alamo March (as Will Huff) (1916)
Alamo March (arr. Miller) (1916/2016)
America Exultant (arr. Glover) (1917/2004)
Americans We (ed. Fennell) (1929/1979)
Americans We (ed. Foster) (1929/2011)
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)
The Circus Bee (1908)
The Circus Bee (1908/2003) (ed. Foster)
The Circus Bee (arr. Custer) (1908/1994)
The Circus Bee (ed. Schissel) (1908/2007)
The Circus Bee (arr. Stevens) (1908/2013)
Courage March (2013) (arr. Contorno)
Courage (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Clark) (1919/2003/2012)
Cradle of Liberty (as Al Hayes) (arr Laferty) (2015)
The Crosley March (arr. Foster) (2001)
The Footlifter March (arr. Foster) (1935/2003)
Footlifter March, The (ed. Blatti) (1935)
Genius (arr. Clark) (1937/2005)
Gifted Leadership (ed. Foster) (1927/1959)
Go: Galop (as Will Huff) (1916)
Go: Galop (arr. Contorno) (1916/2009)
Golden Friendships (ed. Foster) (1926/2005)
Headway March (arr. Contorno) (1920/2014)
His Excellency (ed. Schissel) (1909/2006)
His Honor March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Clark) (1934/2014)
His Honor (ed. Fennell) (1934/1978)
His Honor March (arr. Foster) (1934/2000)
Hot Trombone (1921)
In Uniform (1905)
King Karl King (1957)
King Karl King (ed. Foster) (1957/2007)
Klaxon, The (1930)
The Klaxon (arr. Balent) (1930/1995)
The Klaxon (ed. Fennell) (1930/1984)
The Klaxon (arr. Foster) (1930/2014)
Lassus Trombone (1915)
Lassus Trombone (ed. Foster) (1915/2011)
Lassus Trombone (arr. Schissel) (1915/2000)
Light Cavalry Overture (as arranger; ed. Foster) (1866/2000)
Lightning Fingers (arr. Foster)
Lucky Trombone (1926)
Man of the Hour, The (1924)
(We're) Men of Florida (ed. Foster) (1949/2005)
Men of Ohio (1921)
Men of Ohio (ed. Foster) (1921/2009)
Men of Ohio (arr. Schissel) (1921/1999)
Miami (arr. Foster) (1938/2006)
Military Escort (as Harold Bennett) (ed. Fennell) (1923/1980)
Military Escort (as Harold Bennett) (arr. Swearingen) (1923/1998)
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)
Project (as Harold Bennett) (arr. Clark) (2002)
The President's March (ed. Foster) (1956/2008)
A Review March to the U.S. of A. Armed Forces (ed. Foster) (1942/2013)
Rolling Thunder (arr. Howell) (1916/2020)
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)
Success (as Harold Bennett; arr. Clark) (1912/2001)
Teddy Trombone (1911)
Teddy Trombone (arr. de Meij) (1911)
Teddy Trombone (arr. Foster) (1911/2013)
A Trombone Family Reunion (arr. Glover) (2019)
Troopers' Tribunal (1905)
Troopers' Tribunal (arr. Foster) (1905/2009)
The U.S. of A. Armed Forces (ed. Foster). See: A Review March to the U.S. of A. Armed Forces
Waves March (1943)
When the Saints Meet Lassus Trombone (arr. Brandon)
The Whistling Farm Boy (1925)

Resources

Fillmore, H.; Fennell, F. (1984). The Klaxon [score]. Carl Fischer: New York.
Pease, Andy. "The Klaxon by Henry Fillmore." Wind Band Literature, 11 July 2022. Web. Accessed 11 July 2022
Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 204