The subtitle 'For a young elephant' of 'Circus Polka' composed by Stravinsky is due to the piece's original use as music for a ballet performance with 50 elephants and the same number of ballerinas. The effective and inventive composition ranks among the modern classics of the 20th century and is presented here in arrangements for saxophone quartet or saxophone ensemble.

Al Circo (To the Circus) was written in 1968 by David Stout, dedicated to Emory Remington and was premiered by Trombonist Fred Boyd on a recital at the Eastman School of Music with Carolyn Kuban performing on the Harp. The work is in two movements, both in a lighter nature and humorous. Mute colors are an important part of the mood of the work.

David Stout writes about his work:

"I wrote this when I was a junior at the Eastman School of Music. Fred Boyd, a bass trombonist, wanted to play it. At the bottom of page 4, on the trombone part, where it says ?hand in bell? he had a problem. With a bass trombone he couldn?t reach around far enough to put his hand in deep enough to distort the tone enough. So, he calls me into his practice room one day and tells me to turn around so I can?t see him. He then plays that passage. ?Is that the sound you want?? he asks. ?Yeah that?s it. Perfect!? I reply. I turn around. He shows me a large plastic fish that he had used to shove in the bell. So on his part, we mark those notes, ?con sardino.?

Dr. Louis Setzer, the author of Solo Literature for Trombone and Harp - An Annotated Bibliography, rediscovered the work and received permission from the composer to edit the composition from the original pencil manuscript. He believes this work is the oldest known original composition for Trombone and Harp

This fine work is appropriate for advanced performers and is about 7 minutes in length.