One of the most well-known marches ever written, Julius Fučik’s Entry of the Gladiators was composed in 1897 while he was stationed in Sarajevo as military bandmaster of the Austro-Hungarian Army. The title was originally "Grande Marche Chromatique" because of the chromatic scales featured throughout the piece. Through an arrangement by Louis-Philippe Laurendeau for American wind band, the piece gained popularity, most notably as a “screamer march” used to accompany the entrance of clowns into the circus.

Instrumentation:

• E-Flat Clarinet
• 4 B-Flat Clarinets
• Alto Clarinet/Basset Horn/Clarinet 5
• Bass Clarinet
• Contrabass Clarinet/Contralto Clarinet/String Bass

Percussion (optional):

• Snare Drum
• Bass Drum