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48-506: The West Palatinate has always been one of the poorest agricultural regions of Germany. In the 19th century, transport links to industrial centres did not exist and harvests, such as those of 1816/17 or 1831, were poor, regularly resulting in famine. The region was also badly impacted by the decline in mining on the Königsberg and Potzberg . For many families, the way out of this misery was either to emigrate or to work as migrant workers in

96-673: A band director for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Regimental Band . Other bands and musicians that have employed or often employ circus music in their work include Danny Elfman , Oingo Boingo , Tom Waits , Mr. Bungle , the Dickies , Panic! at the Disco , Legendary Shack Shakers , Mr. Strange/The Shanklin Freakshow and Kaizers Orchestra . The music genre dark cabaret is heavily based on elements from circus music and from burlesque and vaudeville influences. Popular artists within

144-521: A dizzying galop or a graceful waltz. An act containing ferocious wild animals, such as lions, would probably use a march. " Sobre las Olas ", or "Over the Waves", is a popular waltz used during trapeze shows, written by Mexican composer Juventino Rosas . One piece that was never normally played was John Philip Sousa 's " Stars and Stripes Forever ". Instead, it was used in emergencies, such as animals getting loose, to help signify to workers that something

192-478: A rapid-fire tempo – usually around 200 beats per minute – and melodies that contain showy features such as leaps, runs, and fanfares. It is difficult for "windjammers" (circus musicians) to play because of its fast tempo. Marches served many purposes throughout the course of a circus. They were often used for grand entrances and exits, overtures and finales, acts featuring wild animals, or other daredevil-type acts. Circus marches are divided into "strains": The galop

240-476: A typical musicians' village; at times a quarter of the population was musically active. The number of musicians and bands grew steadily. In 1909 alone, 1,043 wandering musicians were identified from county of Kusel on the basis of passport applications. At that time it was possible to travel to some countries without a passport – in England only 100 gold marks and a valid employment contract needed to be shown – it

288-428: A week. The first journey for the young musicians – called "Easter boys" because they had just been released from school at Easter – often took place with their father or a close relative. This prevented homesickness, but also prevented young people from falling into the hands of unscrupulous bandmasters who only exploited them. With the first trip, the actual training period of the musicians began. For two to three years,

336-535: A young singer, Frank Sinatra , for his band in 1932. In 1935, the remaining full-time wandering musicians of the Palatinate were admitted to the Reichsmusikkammer ("State Music Institute"). A prerequisite for a professional travelling outfit was that the band had to consist of at least seven members. They had to pass examinations and needed a responsible director, who was issued with a group pass by

384-501: Is a famous circus music piece. Unlike Fučík, King grew up performing circus music joining Robinson's Famous Circus at the age of 19 as a baritone player. During that time circus music needed its own style because modern music did not fit with most of the acts that the circus performed. This led to King's quick rise in popularity as a circus music composer for circuses everywhere. Many other composers were well known for writing screamers, among them Fred Jewell and Henry Fillmore . As

432-417: Is another popular form of circus music. Like the march, it is played at a fast, lively tempo and is primarily used for daredevil acts, such as trick-riding or other wild animal performances. Any performance or act that consisted of fast-paced tricks or stunts would probably have performed to a galop. The galop is typically written in 2/4 time and has a short length, but would only end when the ringmaster signaled

480-550: Is assumed that at the turn of the century around 2,500 musicians were on tour every year. Over time, the musicians became more professional and the standard of training improved. In English seaside resorts, wealthy citizens spent the summer months. The West Palatine musicians were welcome there, as long as they adapted to the increased demands of the audience. In order to be engaged by the baths and spas, their usual street clothes had to be exchanged for uniforms and contemporary pieces of music by well-known composers had to be included in

528-553: The Alsace to extract the mineral resources at Königsberg and Potzberg and who played the folk music of their homeland in their free time, are also said to have contributed to the musicality of the inhabitants of the Musikantenland. The names of the first musicians to travel around, and who could thus be regarded as role models, are unknown, nor is it known when the first journeys were undertaken. The code civil introduced during

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576-471: The French period , which among other things brought commercial freedom , led to the fact that, from 1800 onwards, the secondary job title of "musician" is to be found more and more often. In the early days, the first musicians played at church festivals or other festivals in the surrounding area or in neighbouring countries. Since it was economically worthwhile, more and more bands formed around 1830, so that

624-483: The gallery spring ( Stollen Quelle , "Yellow Water") as well as the former mining administrator's house in the miners' settlement of Dreikönigszug and the housing estate of Kellerhäuschen are still reminiscent of the history of mining on the Potzberg. The present Potzberg Tower , which has several predecessors, was built in only 39 working days. The foundation stone was laid on 13 October 1951, on 2 December 1951

672-603: The Netherlands. After the hardship of the post-war period was over and cultural life flourished again, the travelling musicians faced increasing competition from with records, radio and film; the trade was never able to return to its heyday. At best, as a circus musician some touring musicians were able to continue their profession for a while. Some musicians stayed abroad, especially in the US, and continued to make music there. Bill Henry, originally Heinrich Jakob from Mackenbach, hired

720-526: The Potzberg. In 1795, there were only five mines still in operation; in 1850 only three mines were left, and, in 1866, mining ended at the Dreikönigszug ("Epiphany Shaft"). The Dreikönigszug , which had been in operation for almost nine decades, was one of the most profitable mercury mines in the Palatinate and Germany. Even today, numerous surface remnants in the Potzberg forest such as portals ( Mundlöcher ), collapsed tunnels ( pingen ), spoil tips ,

768-545: The Potzberg. Its summit belongs to the municipality of Föckelberg and is home to the Potzberg Wildlife Park , Potzberg Tower , a Bundeswehr military tower and a hotel. Potzberg was a mining centre in the Palatinate in the 18th and 19th centuries. From the first decades of the 18th century until 1866, mining for the mercury mineral cinnabar was evidently carried out at Potzberg. The mining district in this second Palatine mining period mainly covered

816-756: The State Director of the Saar-Palatinate division of the Reichsmusikkammer . In 1938, musical auditions were conducted in Mackenbach and Lauterecken, where a total of 30 bands were examined. With effect from 1 April 1939, the act on the membership of wandering musicians was repealed by the Reichsmusikkammer as their activities were "not considered to be promoting musical culture". With that, the era of travelling musicians from

864-589: The West Palatinate came to an end. The repertoire of the bands required the individual musician to be able to play several instruments; as a rule, one had to master not only a wind instrument but also a string instrument. There were no music schools in the Palatinate , but Jettenbach pastor, Schowalter, tried in vain before the First World War to form one politically. A musical apprenticeship

912-430: The bandmaster, an experienced wandering musician, relatives were often preferred. On longer journeys, several conductors would sometimes join their bands together. Most of the bands consisted of five to ten musicians, but they could also have 20 or more members. The musicians were employees of the bandleader and received their wages after the trip from him, which were determined depending on their skills, their experience and

960-512: The better-off regions of Europe. The economic boom in France during the reign of Napoleon , for example, attracted many Germans to southern France, where they found work in the ports. At the same time, migrant trades developed in various professions that sold home-made products abroad, such as brushes and brooms from Ramberg or shoes from the Pirmasens area. The reasons why the inhabitants of

1008-546: The businesses of the cloth makers, dyers and tailors. Music brought prosperity to the once impoverished region, and many musicians returned as wealthy men, sometimes after years of absence. The start of the First World War marked the beginning of the end for touring music bands that had just reached its absolute climax. Many men had to go to war, most of the job opportunities for musicians were eliminated and Germany's borders were blocked. Musicians who were caught out by

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1056-446: The circus as 'windjammers.'" The group meets twice annually to study and play the compositions of classic era circus music composers such as M. L. Lake and Karl L. King . They've also researched in the archives of the C.L. Barnhouse publishing company which was a major supplier of sheet music for circus bands. Music that imitates or evokes the sound of the circus has also been written, often showing up in film scores, some dedicated to

1104-502: The circus was around. Drums were also added to the circus bands and although saxophones have been arguable, they were frequently used as well. The calliope , built by Joshua C. Stoddard in 1856, was also used by the circus. Not a part of the circus band, it is a sometimes called a "circus piano" and is played like a piano, but powered by a steam boiler. Its sound can carry as far as nine miles. Present-day circus music varies widely in instrumentation, style and form. It often incorporates

1152-597: The county of Kusel. Not only its relative height, but also its massive appearance make the hill a conspicuous high point in West Palatinate . Although the Stolzberg (572 m [1,877 ft]) and Königsberg (567 m [1,860 ft]) are somewhat higher, the Potzberg has been given the epithet of "King of the Westrich ", the name of the local region. In 1964/65, the road was extended up to top of

1200-648: The dilapidation of the tower, however, the transmission antenna was dismantled. Its successor is the telecommunication tower on the Bornberg (520 m) at Schneeweiderhof near Eßweiler ; it is used today by Südwestrundfunk . The Potzberg Run ( Potzberglauf ) is 8,210 metres long and climbs through 342 metres in height. It takes place annually in November and is one of the Palatine Mountain Running Cup series. Until 1997 there

1248-438: The end of an act. If the act went longer, the galop could be extended by playing da capo . One of the best-known examples is Gustav Peter 's widely popular Memory of Circus Renz , which was published in 1894 with the title Souvenir de Cirque Renz . The piece was originally written for the xylophone. Circus music catered to the needs of the different acts. For example, a high-flying, nimble trapeze act could be characterized by

1296-606: The growing number of musicians. However, since it was alleviating the economic hardship in the West Palatinate, it was decided not to take action against it. Only school-age children, who accompanied their fathers or relatives more and more often, were banned from travelling. From 1850, it was increasingly trained musicians who played in the bands. The bands now travelled all over Europe and also went overseas – Asia, Australia, Africa and above all America were worthwhile destinations. Everywhere, they were known as "Mackenbachers", even if they came from other places. Mackenbach was, however,

1344-410: The income of the band. The instrumentation was mostly mixed, pure wind or string groups were less common. The conductor had to make sure that even more demanding pieces could be included in the repertoire in order to get better paid engagements. Easily transportable, more robust instruments were preferred. The discipline of the musicians was important, later on the external appearance and the appearance of

1392-456: The last stone on the 35-metre-high structure was cemented into placed. After the construction of 165 wooden steps and a pedestal to the platform of the tower, it was opened on 13 July 1952 with about 3,000 guests present. Originally an 18.5-metre-high broadcasting aerial was erected on the platform. From here, Südwestfunk broadcast its radio programmes until 30 November 1993 and the then private radio station RPR1 until 24 March 1993. Due to

1440-578: The military era. A regimental musician was not only able to improve the mastery of his instrument, but also gained an insight into a wider range of music and the possibilities for its arrangement. This proved useful for the later time as a touring musician in selecting and interpreting the pieces. Hubertus Kilian from Eßweiler, for example, received such training when he did his military service in 1852 with an infantry battalion in Kaiserslautern. The bands ( Kapellen or Banden ), were put together by

1488-496: The mine bear witness to the Christian faith of the miners. Numerous test pits, prospecting tunnels and other prospecting marks indicate this period of the mining boom. Unfortunately, however, many projects were unsuccessful and closed down after a short period. Very few mines were able to survive for any length of time and operate more or less profitably. After its expectant beginning and years of hope, mining gradually declined on

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1536-536: The municipalities of Gimsbach, Rutsweiler, Mühlbach and Föckelberg. The government of the Electorate of the Palatinate promised itself new sources of income with the production of mercury . This began on the southern Potzberg ("Alter Potzberg"), but from 1771 the focus shifted to the much richer northern Potzberg. Its zenith was probably in the 1780s. An old mining map by Electoral Palatine master miner ( Bergmeister ), Adolph E. Ludolph, dates to this time The names of

1584-687: The musicians was also emphasized. Potzberg The Potzberg , known as "King of the Westrich" ( König des Westrich ), is a wooded hill, 562 m above  sea level (NHN) (1,844 ft), in the North Palatine Uplands in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate . The Potzberg is one of the "Palatine Domes" ( Pfälzer Kuppeln ) and is located in the western part of the Northern Palatine Uplands in

1632-467: The region that later became the Musikantenland between Kusel , Kaiserslautern , Rockenhausen and Meisenheim devoted themselves to the presentation of music are not exactly known. It is assumed that the significance of Electoral court in Mannheim as the music centre of Europe in the 18th century played an important role in this development. Miners who had been recruited from Saxony , Thuringia or

1680-565: The repertoire. To communicate with employers and officials, at least the conductor had to speak foreign languages. Hubertus Kilian, for example, spoke English and French and understood Italian and Spanish. There were also bands that travelled on foot from place to place through the emigrant regions and played in town squares, but the proceeds from street performances alone were lower. Those who were unable to converse in foreign languages and only had Palatine folk music in their programme could not hope for permanent employment. Another, crisis-proof sector

1728-519: The start of the war during a trip abroad were prevented from returning home. Rudolf Mersy from Aschbach was interned until 1920 in camps in Australia and New Zealand, Otto Schwarz from Hinzweiler and his band, who had previously lived in England for several years, were incarcerated on the Isle of Man . After the war, Germans were initially banned from entering almost all countries, with the exception of

1776-462: The styles of circus music changed, so has the instrumentation. With the nineteenth century came the introduction of brass bands. String instruments were no longer used in "traditional" circus bands to make "traditional" circus music, which is defined by Merle Evans as music that is brighter in tone than other music. Sounds of cornets, trumpets, trombones, French horns, baritones, and tubas were able to reach far and wide, signaling to entire towns that

1824-497: The subject and some not. Nino Rota is known for his circus-inspired music that was written for many of Federico Fellini ’s films, including I Clowns and 8 1/2 . Jerry Goldsmith famously wrote a theme for the 1984 film Gremlins in such a style, which influenced the film makers to an extent. Circus music and bands shaped the musicians who played with them. One example is Captain Kenneth R. Force , who went on to become

1872-574: The time of the ancient Romans , circus music first started as a performance by a fiddler or a flutist . It was not until the twentieth century that circus music was performed by big bands . The first modern circus director and performer was Philip Astley (1742–1814), a veteran of the Seven Years' War and a skilled equestrian. With his horsemanship skills and the addition of jugglers, acrobats, and clowns, Astley opened Paris 's first circus in 1782. The first known composer of circus music

1920-476: The travelling area had to be extended as well. In the beginning, they travelled mainly to areas where many Germans lived as emigrants or migrant workers, and came as far as southern France or Spain. The number of passports issued for international travel increased from year to year. The Bavarian state government – the Palatinate had been part of the Kingdom of Bavaria since Congress of Vienna – became aware of

1968-585: The use of electric instruments and synthesizers alongside the more traditional instruments. In 1971, Charles Bennett Jr. and Art Stensvad gathered fans of circus music and veteran circus bandleaders including Merle Evans into a circus music preservation society known as Windjammers Unlimited. According to the Windjammers Unlimited website, the name windjammers preserves historic circus slang. "Because circus musicians spent their days 'jamming wind through their horns', they were known to others in

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2016-574: The young musicians were usually only allowed to play accompanying roles, which they called abstoßen ("detached") or abknuppen . The leader would decide whether someone was talented enough to become a soloist or whether he had to remain in the background as an accompanying musician. Many musicians gave up quickly when they found a more suitable place to work, and only went on a few trips. The most talented musicians took further lessons with good teachers of their instrument, often abroad, at every opportunity. A further training opportunity offered itself during

2064-471: Was Charles Dibdin (1745–1814). He was partners with Astley and was also the one who financed the theatre used for the royal circus. Dibdin was a very well known composer in his time and had written hundreds of works before he decided to join Astley to work for the circus. He wrote all of the pieces used in the circus, which were mostly intermezzos or comedy pieces. An ensemble of approximately sixty children

2112-480: Was an annual mountain race for touring cars from Mühlbach to the top of the Potzberg. It was 3.34 kilometres long. Circus music Circus music (also known as carnival music ) is any sort of music that is played to accompany a circus , and also music written that emulates its general style. Popular music would also often get arranged for the circus band, as well as waltzes , foxtrots and other dances. Although circuses have been in existence since

2160-499: Was similar to that of a craftsman: the apprentice was taught for several years by a master, an experienced touring musician. The best known teachers were Ludwig Christmann from Kaulbach , Jakob and August Rech from Etschberg and Ludwig Jakob from Mackenbach , who was also called "Gorlhauser Lui" because he grew up in Godelhausen . Training began while a boy was still at school, the pupil had to attend music lessons several times

2208-407: Was the circus , which even offered work for some musicians after the First World War. In the 19th century, large circus companies developed, which sometimes had several bands. There was a great demand for musicians and many Palatines, especially from Mackenbach, found well paid jobs at Hagenbeck , Sarrasani or Busch . In the hometowns, instrument-making developed as a flourishing industry, as did

2256-417: Was used as singers and dancers to perform the many pieces that he wrote for the circus, such as "The Graces", "Clump and Cudden", and "Pandora", which was arguably the most famous piece that was used in the circus because it was originally used in a popular puppet show that mocked contemporary figures of the time. The most common type of circus music is the circus march , or screamer . It is characterized by

2304-496: Was wrong. One of the most recognized pieces of circus music is " Entrance of the Gladiators " by Julius Fučík (1872–1916). Fučík wrote almost 300 marches and dances, and for that reason he is often referred to as "Bohemian Sousa". Although his best-known piece is now famous in circus music, he did not compose with the intent of having his pieces played in a circus. " Barnum and Bailey's Favorite " by Karl King (1892–1971)

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