Under White Tents English, Walter P.

Under White Tents

by: Walter P. English

Original Copyright: 1907

By: Dixie Music House

BandMusic PDF Library

Ed Ballenger Collection
Music Preservation Team: Tom Pechnik, Senior Archivist; Mary Phillips; Wayne Dydo;
Bill Park, Director; Marcus Neiman, Program Notes

North Royalton, Ohio

www.bandmusicpdf.org
 English, Walter P.

DOB: 1867
DOD: June 14, 1916 (Denver Colorado)

“Walter (Woody) English was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He played
tuba with most of the largest and best circus bands, including the
Great New York Circus (1891) and Carl Clair’s Barnum & Bailey’s
Greatest Show on Earth. He toured Europe with Barnum & Bailey.

While performing with these circuses, English wrote many pieces for
the Barnum & Bailey band and assumed leadership of that band in
1907. In 1908, he left that circus but occasionally played in circus bands until 1916. He came to an
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unfortunate and untimely death in Denver, Colorado on June 4, 1916.”

Under White Tents (galop) was composed by Walter P. English and published in 1894 by Boos and
republished in 1907 by Dixie Music Co. The piece is a circus gallop and evokes all the fast paced
excitement of the center ring. The prominent tuba part features running counterpoint to the melody.
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Two other colorful gallops by English are “Mile-a-Minute” and “Wild Fire.”

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Rehrig, William H., Heritage encyclopedia of band music. (1991), Westerville, OH.

Program note researched by Marcus L. Neiman

Medina, Ohio

Additional information on either the composer or composition would be welcomed. Please send
information to
marcusneiman@zoominternet.net