February 21, 2014

This February Concert featured the music of the band's namesake, Karl L. King, in celebration of his birth on February 21, 1891.  It reflected a wide variety of King's musical styles and tastes, and was heavily influenced by his career as a circus musician.  When Karl King arrived in Fort Dodge in the fall of 1920 with his wife Ruth and young son Karl, Jr., he was already a well-established performer, conductor, composer and publisher of band music.   He continued to write music along with directing the local Municipal Band for 50 years, and eventually opened his own music store and publishing business here.

Music for this concert was drawn from a variety of Mr. King's works.  Several were published 100 years ago in 1914, when Karl King was a 23-year old young man.   He had traveled for four years with different circuses and had already reached the peak of his playing career as a Euphonium player with the Barnum and Bailey Circus Band, the top job of that era.   The 1914 season found Mr. King being named bandleader on the Sells-Floto Buffalo Bill Combined Shows, a position he would hold for the next three years.  Thus began his friendship with Col. William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody.

Selections from that year included the marches "Sells-Floto Triumphal" and "Pride of Arizona" a ragtime selection, "Georgia Girl" a serenade featuring the trombones, "Solitude" and an overture, "Gypsy Queen".  Closing this special concert was King's lively galop, "Emporia" along with "Diamond Jubilee March", a medley of portions of seven of Mr. King's most famous marches, written for the 75tth anniversary of the C.L. Barnhouse Co. in Oskaloosa IA.

Also featured was music written by Mr. King for the actual Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, including "Wyoming Days", "On The Warpath", and "Passing of the Red Man".

Additional selections on the program included "Buffalo Bill's Equestrian March" by W. Paris Chambers; and the classical selection, "Echoes from the Metropolitan Opera House", arranged by T.M. Tobani, featuring many well-known operatic standards.  This selection was a particular favorite of Mr. King, and one he performed frequently.