"Entrance of the Gladiators" op. 68 or "Entry of the Gladiators" is a military march composed in 1897 by the Czech composer Julius Fuc�k. He originally titled it "Grande Marche Chromatique", reflecting the use of chromatic scales throughout the piece, but changed the title based on his personal interest in the Roman Empire. In 1901, American publisher Carl Fischer published a version of this march, arranged for American wind bands by Canadian composer Louis-Philippe Laurendeau, under the title "Thunder and Blazes". It was during this period that the song gained lasting popularity as a screamer march for circuses, often used to introduce clowns. Today it is known mainly by this association, even though the title and composer are relatively obscure. The march receives the occasional concert hall performance, such as at the 2007 Last Night of the Proms. This arrangement for brass quintet includes the following parts: Bb Trumpet 1, Bb Trumpet 2, F Horn, Trombone, Tuba.

The Liberty Bell March for Brass Quintet by John Philip Sousa Arranged by Jari Villanueva Score 2 Trumpets in Bb Horn in F (Eb Alto Horn) Trombone (Baritone TC) Tuba Drums (optional) Substitute parts provided It may be associated with Monty Python's Flying Circus but "The Liberty Bell" was written for Sousa's unfinished operetta The Devil's Deputy in 1893. Financing for the show fell through and shortly afterwards, Sousa and his band manager George Hinton attended the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. As they watched the spectacle "America", in which a backdrop depicting the Liberty Bell was lowered, Hinton suggested "The Liberty Bell" as the title of Sousa's recently completed march. Coincidentally, Sousa received a letter from his wife, saying their son had marched in a parade in honor of the Liberty Bell which had been on a nation-wide tour. Sousa agreed. He sold "The Liberty Bell" to the John Church Company for publication, and it was an immediate success. The origin of the tune comes from the time Sousa heard Marcella Lindh, one of his soprano soloists, whistling a tune of her own creation. Sousa couldn?t get the melody out of his head and asked his soprano if he might use it in a march. She agreed, but didn?t know that her tune had been used until several years later when she happened to hear a European band perform the march.

Julius Fuc�k was a Czech composer and conductor of military bands. He became a prolific composer, with over 400 marches, polkas, and waltzes to his name. As most of his work was for military bands, he is sometimes known as the "Bohemian Sousa". Today his marches are still played as patriotic music in the Czech Republic. His worldwide reputation rests primarily on two works: "The Florentiner March" popular throughout much of Europe and the "Entrance of the Gladiators", which is widely recognized, often under the title "Thunder and Blazes", as one of the most popular theme tunes for circus clowns. This arrangement for brass quintet includes the following parts: Bb Trumpet 1, Bb Trumpet 2, F Horn, Trombone, Tuba.