The Screamer
Fred Jewell
Performance Suggestions
The Screamer gives the ensemble (and the audience!) no quarter when it
comes to the issue of tempo. Quite simply, it is fast, energetic, and exciting
when performed at a true “circus march” clip. Composed in the
standard march form of the period (minus the dogfight), the opening fanfare
introduction leaves little time to wonder regarding the composer’s
intent; this march will simply scream from one end to the other! While
it has been assumed for years that most circus marches are performed “as
fast as possible; approaching one beat to the bar,” the key to successful
performance is in generating musical excitement while maintaining clarity.
Very little has been added to this March classic outside of articulations
and dynamics. The wise conductor should carefully balance the melodic line
against the heavily doubled accompaniment, making judicious decisions regarding
dynamic levels to achieve this goal. Articulation consistency has been
carefully edited and where the intent of the composer was less clear on
the original parts, judgments have been made to achieve the musical intent
that is so important to achieving the inherent style.
As with nearly all marches of this period, there existed no written cymbal
part. The only exception to this is the strong crash indicated by the composer
on the downbeat of bar 12 on the traditional snare and bass drum part.
All other crashes, accents, etc. on the new part provided with this edition
are suggestions and may be edited freely to achieve one’s personal
interpretation. The conductor wishing to create their own part needs nothing
more than a sheet of staff paper and a little time to create a fresh alternative.
The original edition of The Screamer contains but two volume levels throughout
the course of its one minute and forty-five seconds, forte and fortissimo!
The march may certainly be performed at these volume levels (and it probably
was in a real circus environment!), though a bit more emphasis on the softer
end of the dynamic spectrum will add immeasurably to achieving variety.
All dynamic edits added to this newly published version are simply suggestions.
Certainly, other equally valid interpretations may be devised by the creative
conductor given a little time and patience.
There will be a tendency for the ensemble to rush the opening fanfare
passage and this must not be allowed. Since tempo is all important to a
successful performance of this march, having two or more tempos underway
on the downbeat spells disaster; keep the tempo under firm control.
Many young musicians with limited march experience are unaware that it
is what is not on the page that brings the march to life. Spend adequate
time working on a firm yet light marcato style. Attention to this particular
detail will reap ample rewards as you work on the plethora of details required
to bring The Screamer to life. Tubas must be on the front side of the pulse,
never behind, and there should be a core to each and every bass note played.
Naturally, the horn after-beats, (always a favorite of hornists everywhere!)
must be exacting and balanced. As fast as the off-beats will be going by,
these important harmonic support tones must be clearly heard during the
march. Again, marcato is the word that needs to be stressed.
Nothing could be worse than to have an ensemble slam through The Screamer
at a brisk tempo, making little or no music along the way. As such, a number
of dynamic “suggestions” have been made for the ensemble on
the freshly engraved parts. However, these are not to be construed as absolutes.
More important is achieving the intent of the composer, and this has everything
to do with the style of the piece. The piece should literally “shout
with excitement,” and it is the conductor’s responsibility
to bring this out through careful balancing of the various lines over a
solid bass and percussion sound. Poorly executed scale passages and inconsistent
style of articulation will only compound the problems of performing this
march if the proper style is not carefully rehearsed.
The trumpet (cornet) players will need to be prepared for even, and clear
double-tonguing in several passages. For example, the measure before 22
simply cannot disappear. Quick, even articulation along with rapidly firing
pistons must be coordinated.
The bridge that begins at the anacrusis to measure 39 serves as an introduction
to the Trio, hence, should be played molto marcato in order to contrast
the style change at 43. The mp dynamic indicated the first time through
the Trio is suggested only for contrast. As such, it appears in parentheses
so that conductor and performer realize that it was not part of the original
publication. Take care to ensure that the woodwinds extend their whole
note at 44 and 46 to the fullest value. Scalar passages need to be shaped
as the direction of the passage dictates.
The final strain appears at measure 60, introduced by the trumpet scale
passage. It is musically effective to have the woodwinds add a small crescendo
to each trill so that the intensity of the music is always pushing forward.
Good balance should be maintained between the two primary melodies and
the volume should be checked to the extent that the ensemble maintains
good tone quality. The mp dynamic level given at 68 is but one suggestion
to achieve the varying contrast so essential to march performance. It may
be deleted the second time through for a more dramatic conclusion.
One last suggestion …. While it has become popular for some to increase
the tempo during the second time through the final strain, this must be
done with caution. Many good performances have concluded in disaster with
a well-meaning conductor pushing the ensemble beyond the dictates of good
taste and musical common sense. While achieving the excitement of performing “one
beat to the bar” may provide a temporary thrill for the audience,
if the ensemble cannot maintain good musical style, then it would be wise
to achieve an exciting conclusion through a well-placed, resonant final
tone!
In the final analysis, The Screamer should be performed in a manner that
brings all of the excitement and urgency of life beneath the ‘Big-Top’ to
the concert stage. Clarity of articulation in a marcato style and smoothly
flowing unison woodwind scale passages are absolutely essential in order
to achieve this goal. While the tempo must be brisk, one certainly should
not take it any faster than it can be performed within the bounds of good
taste. While the “one beat to a bar” is what many circus march
veterans will say should be the correct tempo, it is important that whatever
tempo is chosen that it be sustainable for the duration of this wonderful
circus march!
About the composer …
Frederick Alton Jewell, born in 1875, was a young man when he ran away
from home and literally “joined the circus!” Baritone horn
was his point of entry into the Gentry Bros. Dog & Pony Show. Through
hard work and experience, he eventually rose to the position of bandmaster
of and Music Director of the Barnum & Bailey Band (1908), a position
also held at one time by the circus musician and director Karl L. King.
Though circus travel held great attraction for young men of the era, the
lifestyle of being constantly on the train to the next performance eventually
became less desirable. As a result, Jewell left the circus in 1917 and
moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa. He became conductor of the Iowa Brigade Band
and started his own publishing company.
Ultimately, Jewell moved his family back to his hometown in Worthington,
Indiana in 1923. He continued to direct bands such as the Murat Temple
Shrine Band and the Sahara Grotto Band in Indianapolis. Jewell also directed
the high school band in Worthington while he continued to compose marches
for public consumption. His most famous marches are E Pluribus Unum (1917),
Quality-Plus (1913), The Old Circus Band (1922), and of course, The Screamer
(1906). Fred Jewell passed away in1936 in Worthington, Indiana, at the
age of 61.
Program Notes
The lure of joining the circus and seeing America most have been an irresistible
call for a number of young boys who had a “wanderlust personality” throughout
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After all, one visit to any
traveling circus was enough to get the blood moving in the days before
there were radios and televisions to preoccupy one’s time. Certainly,
the various acts and wild animals on display at the circus were far superior
to anything imaginable to the youth of the day, especially for those living
far from major metropolitan areas. The difficulties of performing in a
circus band under any and all weather conditions seemed a small price to
pay for the privilege of trooping (the term circus musicians use to describe
their travels) with the circus.
This became the life that young sixteen year old Fred Jewell chose when
he ran away from home to join in on the adventure of a lifetime. He had
learned to play the baritone horn in the family band directed by his father
in his hometown of Worthington, Indiana. As he would soon discover, only
the hardiest of boys would be able to cope with life on the rails and all
of the inherent danger that accompanies creating the magic of the traveling
circus day in and day out. For the musician, this included performing on
the circus wagon through town to drum up interest, an hour-long concert
outside the main entrance to the circus tent prior to the performance,
and finally, the constant playing while each act was featured in the center
ring. To say that life with the circus was not easy would be an understatement!
Jewell spent time with a number of circuses during his trooping days,
including the Gentry Brothers Dog and Pony Shoe, the Sells Floto Circus,
Ringling Brothers, and ultimately directing the Barnum & Bailey Band
from 1908-1910. His last circus band experience was with the Hagenbeck-Wallace
Show during the 1916-1917 circus season. In spite of learning the ropes
of being a circus bandsman and director, Jewell found time to compose marches,
overtures, waltzes and miscellaneous other pieces, eventually becoming
the leader of one of the greatest circus bands of all. The Screamer was
written while he was actively performing with the circus, and it bears
all of the requisite musical traits of a great circus march. From the lightning-fast
fanfare that opens the piece to the swirling woodwind passages, this march
literally “screams” from one end of the march to the other.
It was intended to draw attention to something important about to happen
in the main circus ring beneath the Big-Top, and it takes little imagination
to imagine the ringmaster in his red coat and top hat introducing the first
of the many acts that has made the circus an important part of Americana
during the nineteenth century.
Barry E. Kopetz
New Albany, Ohio
December 4, 2005
