Captain Holz believes that many of the new attractive ideas found in modern dance music “can be used just as easily in the service of the Lord as in bebop.” Many of the well-known band and orchestra leaders, early in their music experience played in Salvation Army bands. The bands of Stan Kenton and Woody Herman are two of the Captain’s favorites.
Another one of Captain Holz’s duties—not a minor job either—he is Editor of the Salvation Army Music Publishing Department at the New York Headquarters. Many musicians say that the best Salvation Army music in this country comes from this department.
At this time Captain Holz is arranging a Salvation Army Hymnal for Youth and also is putting the finishing touches on an instruction method for cornet, horn, baritone, tuba and trombone.
Merle Evans, Toscanini of the Big Top
“See the waltzing horses keeping time to the music of the band, Johnny!” exclaimed one of the many fathers who had taken his son to the circus. The horses seemed to be crossing their slender legs to the beat of the music, and at each boom of the drums they reared gracefully.
But Johnny’s father didn’t know that Merle Evans, bandmaster of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus, was keeping his third eye on the waltzing, glossy-coated horses and directing his band to follow them. Merle says that he uses three eyes during performances—one to watch his music and one to glance at his players, but the third one never misses anything that goes on under the Big Top.
Actually, horses learn to dance without music. Evans watches them go through the intricate steps taught by the trainers. Then he chooses a composition to match the rhythm of their dance, usually a waltz or a galop.
Merle Evans, the Toscanini of the Big Top, is now in his thirty-second year as leader of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus twenty-seven-piece Band. During this time he has not missed a single performance out of more than 14,000 engagements, and he has no assistant.
Merle began his musical career at an early age, and his cornet has been an obsession ever since. His first teachers were the local musicians in his hometown of Columbus, Kansas, where he was born fifty some years ago. At the age of ten he was playing in the town band. For the next few years he practiced six hours every day. He listened to such “greats” as Clarke, Sousa and Gilmore then tried to copy their phrasing, tones and style.