Call to Victory

The fourth piece in the concert is entitled Call to Victory. It was written by Karl L. King (see below) in 1941. This arrangement was written in 2001 by James Swearingen (see also below).

In late 1941. C. L. Barnhouse Jr. suggested to Karl King that he compose a book of sixteen “quickstep” marches, designed for bands of modest experience and ability. Mr. King had already composed well over 100 marches to that point in his very distinguished career. Many of the marches were written for the bands of circuses, colleges and universities, and professional ensembles. At first, Mr. King was reluctant to take on such a large task, but the project took on a certain amount of patriotic momentum with the escalation of war in Europe and America’s involvement in it.

Two days after the United States entered the Second World War in December, 1941, Mr. King sent off to his publishers the first ten marches for the book which became known as “Marching to Victory”. The marches for this book were written in traditional form and style, but at a difficulty level which would make them accessible to school bands, as well as town bands and other groups whose personnel might have been depleted by the war effort. Mr. King did not supply titles for the marches; rather, he made suggestions based upon brief descriptions of the marches that he provided to Barnhouse.

By December 31, Mr. King had composed four more marches. That day, he wrote, “As to the next two, I don’t know where the ideas are coming from. I intend to stay home New Year’s Eve…so perhaps I can think of something!”

On January 8, 1942, he sent another march and wrote, “Am sending one more today. You wanted a ‘Semper Fidelis’ type…this one has a drum part and bugle (cornet) strain…Am quite sure you will like it.” By January 19, the final march for the book had been composed, and the task of selecting titles began.

The titles for the sixteen new Karl King marches were developed by C. L. Barnhouse Jr. and his assistant Art Taylor. They endeavored to select titles that not only reflected the style of each march, but also carried a patriotic and military, or martial connotation. The original title of this march was “Bugles Parade”, but Barnhouse admitted to Mr. King that “I’m not so keen about (it). Suggestions…would be particularly welcome.” In response, Mr. King confessed, “The bugle tune has me stumped. The title you have is as good as any I can think of right now. You might call it ‘Bugle Boy’ or ‘Trumpet Triumphs’.” By February 8, the titles had been finalized, and this march became known as “Call to Victory”.

The “Marching to Victory” book containing “Call to Victory” and fifteen other marches went on sale in April 1942. Word spread quickly about this new collection of “King Tunes” for school bands. The book was an immediate hit, selling over fifty thousand copies by the end of the year.

Karl Lawrence King (1891 – 1971) was born in the village of Paintersville, Ohio. The King family moved to Canton, Ohio when he was eleven. He used newspaper carrier income to purchase his first musical instrument – a cornet. He grew up as a self-taught musician with very little schooling of any kind (he left school after the eighth grade, age fourteen). His only music instruction included assistance from local musicians when he played brass instruments in the Canton Marine Band. He also had four piano lessons and one harmony lesson from musical show director William Bradford. He learned to compose by studying scores. He quit school to learn the printing trade (while composing music at night), but soon switched to playing in and composing for bands. King’s first professional positions were in the Thayer Military Band in Canton, followed by the Neddermeyer Band of Columbus, Ohio. He switched from the cornet to the baritone horn. He also played in the Soldier's Home Band in Danville, Illinois.

In 1910, at the age of 19, he began a short career playing baritone in and directing circus bands. That year, he joined the Robinson Famous Shows. The next year he was performing in the Yankee Robinson Circus. In 1912, he performed in the Sells-Floto Circus under W.P. English (a famous march composer), and in 1913 in the Barnum and Bailey band under Ned Brill. At the request of Brill, he wrote (and dedicated to Brill) “Barnum & Bailey's Favorite”, his most famous march and possibly the most recognizable American music written specifically for the circus. It would soon be adopted as the theme of the circus.

His first full-time conducting job was in 1914 through 1915 with the Sells Floto Circus and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show combined shows band. He became bandmaster for the Sells-Floto Circus in 1915 and was bandmaster of the Barnum and Bailey Circus band in 1917–1918. In his final circus band, he included his wife Ruth (Lovett) as the calliope performer. He had married Ruth on November 17, 1916. In an interview in the last year of his life, King stated that his proudest moment was conducting the Barnum and Bailey band in Madison Square Garden.

King hoped to join John Philip Sousa at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station during World War I. With no openings on his staff at the time, Sousa suggested King apply to the army as bandmaster at Camp Grant. The war ended on his reporting date, so King did not serve on active duty.

King remained in Canton as director of the local municipal band. He opened a music publishing business, the K.L. King Music House in 1919, the same year his only child Karl L. King, Jr. was born.

After a year in Canton where he directed the Grand Army Band (1919) King settled down in Fort Dodge, Iowa. This was in 1920 (age 29) and for the next fifty-one years he conducted the Fort Dodge Municipal Band, which featured future American Bandmasters Association president Joseph Hermann on clarinet. The band became known as King's Band.

King was instrumental in the passage of the Iowa Band Law in 1921, which allowed cities to levy a local tax for maintenance of a band. He commemorated this with one of his marches, “Iowa Band Law”. In 1960, King would direct “Iowa Band Law” with the largest mass band ever assembled: 188 high school bands and nearly 13,000 musicians at a nationally televised University of Michigan football game.

Karl King published more than 300 works: galops, waltzes, overtures, serenades, rags, and 188 marches and screamers (short, march-like pieces intended to stir the audience into a frenzy, as four-footed animals galloped across the ring). It could be said that King did for the circus march what Sousa did for the patriotic march. He seemed to like composing under pressure and often composed in tight spots (such as by oil lamp in cramped circus tents). His name appeared on the sheet music as Karl King, K. L. King, and sometimes Carl Lawrence.

King's marches for circus bands are usually composed at a high difficulty level (grade 4–5 typically). He also contributed greatly to the school band movement with numerous compositions at various levels of difficulty. “Barnum and Bailey's Favorite” (1913) remains his best-known composition, but many other pieces retain their popularity among fans of band music.

Arranger James Swearingen (b. 1973) holds a Master’s Degree from the Ohio State University and a Bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University and is Professor of Music Emeritus, Department Chair of Music Education at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.

Swearingen is currently one of several resident composers at Capital University and is also a staff arranger for the Ohio State University Marching Band. Prior to his appointment at Capital in 1987, he spent eighteen years teaching instrumental music in the public schools of central Ohio. Swearingen’s first teaching assignment was in Sunbury, Ohio. He then spent fourteen years as Director of Instrumental Music at Grove City High School, teaching marching, concert and jazz bands. Swearingen is also a guest conductor, adjudicator and educational clinician in the US and internationally. He has travelled throughout the United States, Japan, Australia, Europe, Canada, and the Republic of China.

With over 600 published works, he has written band compositions and arrangements in a variety of musical forms and styles. Many of his pieces, including 81 commissioned works, have been chosen for contest and festival lists. He is a recipient of several ASCAP awards for published compositions and in 1992 was selected as an Accomplished Graduate of the Fine and Performing Arts from Bowling Green State University. Most recently, he received the 2002 Community Music Educator Award given annually by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

The music for Call to Victory was provided for the band by Joe and Terri Ferong.