Gladiator's Song

[Mick Pearce]

I said I'd post any further information I got on this from Malcolm Austen
and he just sent me an e-mail about the composer of the tune (for the verse
at least), about which there was some confusion. It was written by a Czech
born composer called Julius Ernst Wilhelm Fucik (1872-1916).

Fucik began his career as a military bandmaster in 1897 with the 86th
infantry regimental band in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. During this period he
wrote Entry of the Gladiators. It was arranged (in 1910) by Canadian
Louis-Phillipe Laurendeau. Also known as Thunder And Blazes, Fucik
originally gave it the title "Grande Marche Chromatique" but was so
fascinated by the culture of Roman Gladiators entering an amphitheatre that
he changed the name.

(This information came from site:
http://worldmilbands.ottawa.com/featured/fuzik.html in an entry written by
Jack Kopstein, CWO (retired), where more information may be found. There is
also a wav clip of the tune and a bit of the music for the Solo 1st Bb
Cornet at: http://world.std.com/~tsh/circus.html/ )

Mick

--
Check out Herga Folk Club at http://ds.dial.pipex.com/mcp/herga/

[Jason Hill]

In article <7mhteh$lal$1...@lure.pipex.net>, Mick Pearce
<mickp...@dial.pipex.com> writes

> It was written by a Czech
>born composer called Julius Ernst Wilhelm Fucik (1872-1916).
>
>

I'm sure there's an anagram in there somewhere.

--
Jason Hill

[J. J. Farrell]

In article <7mhteh$lal$1...@lure.pipex.net>,

"Mick Pearce" <mickp...@dial.pipex.com> wrote:
>
> Fucik began his career as a military bandmaster in 1897 with the 86th
> infantry regimental band in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. During this period
> he wrote Entry of the Gladiators. It was arranged (in 1910) by
> Canadian Louis-Phillipe Laurendeau. Also known as Thunder And Blazes,
> Fucik originally gave it the title "Grande Marche Chromatique" but
> was so fascinated by the culture of Roman Gladiators entering an
> amphitheatre that he changed the name.

Aah ... takes me back to General Science class in the first form:

Here comes Harry with a Bunsen burner,
Best watch out 'cause he's only a learner

Mind you, he seemed old enough for the Bunsen burner to be a new-
fangled gadget to him, so the warning was probably appropriate.

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