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This week the city band played two of my favorite marches. They are not often played by other bands. This city band has been playing continuously since 1897.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWKc--oc ... re=related" target="_blank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K0tO1wx ... re=related" target="_blank

For the younger folks, Them Basses is what you want your director to select when you are tired of background parts because you have the melody throughout. The Klaxon is a parody on the old horns and cars of the 1920's.

I played The Klaxon just a couple of years ago in a county teacher's band I used to sit in on. I had no idea it was so infrequently played! Fun piece!

(I also recommended it for my community band's rep list next year, but I don't think the director likes marches unless they're something by Holst.)

I played "The Klaxon" with a lcoal band about two years ago. Fun piece. Henry Fillmore (1881-1956) composed it in 1929 for use in opening ceremonies of the Cincinnati Automoblile Show in early 1930. It has the subtitle "March of the Automobiles". Fillmore's original score called for use of a new instrument, the Klaxophone, which consisted of 12 car horns powered by an auto battery.

AHHHOOOOOOOOOGHAAAAA!!!

About a month ago my High School's Summer Band played "The Klaxon", it's a wonderful march. However, it was not as funny as watching the Band Director trying to explain to the crowd what the Klaxon actually was.

The Hella Shrine Band and the Mesquite Symphonic Band have rehearsed both of these marches sometime in the last two or three years. Both Bands performed "Them Basses," and the Mesquite band programmed The Klaxon about two years ago

We are not the only bands around the D/FW area that like to play the "old" marches.

A little firemens' band that I play in used "Them Basses" in a short concert a few years ago. I happened to be the only tuba player, so the announcer jokingly referred to the march as "Them Bass".

Both marches are still used by community bands in my local; glad to see that's the case in other parts of this "favored land of ours" as well. Thanks for sharing your band's music, and very nice band shell, by the way!

I haven't played it in many years but I have performed The Klaxon on a few occasions and always enjoyed it.

Funny, I'm a fan of The Klaxon, but pretty much hate Them Basses. Didn't like it in high school, didn't like it in college, and didn't like it when the massed group as USABTEC played it. I just don't get it.

Thanks for all the comments. It's good to see the old marches are played once and a while. This band plays both marches each year. On August 11th we will do an all march concert. So for the Carl King, Henry Filmore and Sousa fans we have a treat. By the way there is always room for more tubas in the band. The band shell was built in 1937 with WPA money. It was fixed a bit in the early 1990's but it's showing it's age. There is a group trying to raise money to redo the band shell and the park around it. There is a concert every Thursday by this band throughout the summer.

Starting in my sophomore year of high school, I constantly nagged at my band director to let us play Them Basses. I even went as far as going to the library and having a few friends and I play it outside of his office to show that we could play it. Finally, in my final semester we got a chance to play it. One of my all time favorite marches.

I went to high school at a small 2A school in DEEP East Texas, where we marched military. I'm so glad that I was exposed to marches like Them Basses, Invictus, Quality Plus, and pretty much every march you can think, of as a high schooler. Plus, it helped alot hanging around with my grandad who taught band for 30+ years

Which Karl King march(s)? I've played a couple, and love his low brass lines!

I've never heard of or played The Klaxon. Them Basses - many, many times. Something that every conductor has done is to double time the last stanza. ANNOYING!!

The Karl King marches usually played during the season are: Invitus, Emblem of Freedom, Columbia, 140th Infantry, and March of Freedom. Invitus is on You Tube. I expect Emblem of Freedom and Columbia on August 11th.

my university's marching band marches and plays Them Basses to start out football games. it's always fun to see 15+ sousaphones plow through those bass lines.

-Ct