Russell Alexander was an entertainer and composer, active primarily with vaudeville

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

 shows and musical comedy organizations. He was a euphonium

Euphonium

The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...

 virtuoso who joined the circus band of Belford's Carnival at the age of 18. At 20, he became arranger and euphonium soloist with the Barnum & Bailey Circus Band and toured Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 from 1897 to 1902. Following his tour with Barnum & Bailey, Russell Alexander worked in a novelty musical vaudeville act with his brothers. Although his compositional output was relatively small, he is considered a great composer of marches. He wrote 33 marches, 6 galops, and several overtures, novelties, and other works. For part of his career he worked in acts with his brothers, Newton and Woodruff.

Works

Unless noted, his works were published by C. L. Barnhouse Co., to whom Alexander's widow sold the rights to his music shortly after his death.

• Across the Atlantic March (1899)
• Americans Before Havana Overture (unpublished)
• Baltimore's Boast March (1899)
• Bastinado Galop (1908)
• Belford's Carnival (1897)
• Burr's Triumphal (1897)
• The Butterfly Dance (unpublished)
• The Cantonians March (1908)
• Charioteers of Semiramis Galop (unpublished)
• Colossus of Columbia (1901)
• The Comedy Club March (1907) White Publishing
• Congressional Limited Galop (unpublished)
• The Conquest March (1913) Fillmore Bros. Music House
• Conway's Cantata March (unpublished)
• The Crimson Flush March (1897)
• The Darlington March (1896)
• Decatur at Tripoli Overture (unpublished)
• Embossing the Emblem March (1902)
• The Exposition Four March (1903)
• The Four Gladiators (1899) (unpublished)
• From Tropic To Tropic March (1898)
• Hampton Roads March (1919) Fillmore Bros. Music House
• International Vaudeville (1897)
• Memphis the Majestic (1900)
• Olympia Hippodrome March (1898)
• Pall Mall Famous March (1909) Star Music Co
• Paramour of Panama March (1904) McMillin
• Patriots of the Patomac March (1903)
• La Reine March (1907)
• Rival Rovers March (1899)
• Round Up The (1916)
• Salute to Seattle March (1905)
• Shoot the Chutes Galop (1901)
• Song of the South (1905) [Solo with Band Acc.]
• The Southerner March (1908)
• The Southerners Galop (unpublished)
• Steeplechase Galop (1900)
• Storming of El Caney Galop
  Storming of El Caney Galop
  "The Storming of El Caney" is a descriptive musical work by Russell Alexander. It is frequently performed at a galop tempo, and has been recorded by bands including Merle Evans' Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey circus band and The Washington Winds....
  
  (1903)
• Storming El Caney March (unpublished)
• Vicksburg the Valiant March (unpublished)
• Vienna to Vicksburg (unpublished)
• Yankees in Vienna March (unpublished)

External links

• Russell Alexander biography and list of works at C. L. Barnhouse Company website
• Sun Life Band playing Belford's Carnival