The Circus Bee

Composed in February of 1908, The Circus Bee was Fillmore's first march to be published after leaving his father's music publishing firm in 1905 - over differences about the suitability of band music (Fillmore Brothers was founded by his father and uncles as a publisher of religious music) and Henry's running off to marry the 'exotic dancer' Mabel May Jones and joining the Lemon Brothers Circus. By 1908, the composer returned to Cincinnati with his new wife, rejoined the family business and launched a career as a composer of band music whose popularity was exceeded only by that of Sousa. This is a newly-engraved and meticulously edited score prepared by Richard W. Sargeant, Jr.