How The Clown Song Was Meant To Be Played
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- "Entrance of the Gladiators," Op. 68 is widely known as The Clown Theme Song; however, the piece was originally composed in 1897 by Czech composer Julius Fučík as a Military March for the Austro-Hungarian Army.
This is a fun video demonstrating how the March should be used featuring military parades and drill from all around the world. I had hoped to include more, but the pieces' length did not permit. Music is provided by "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band.
The idea of using a grandiose military marching song to signal the entrance of a bunch of clowns was probably a really hilarious joke when circuses first started doing it.
It's pretty funny that 100 years ago the joke was that you were sending in the clowns to the military song, and now the joke is that you're sending in the military to the clown song.
Like dressing lions tamers (I dont know the name in English) as dukes.
I have had that exact same thought. People learn through association, and jokes lose context over time.
Sort of like how Nimrod has come to mean "buffoon" when in reality bugs bunny was making fun of Elmer Fudd by ironically comparing him to a legendary hunter from the Bible.
Imagine if the only context that anyone remembers Also Sprach Zarathustra (aka: the "2001: A Space Odyssey" song) is parodies of "2001."
That's what happened to "Entry of the Gladiators."
The fact a song called "Entrance of the Gladiators" became a song associated with clowns is really funny to me
That's OK. The British army does the changing of the guards at Buckingham palace to the tune of The Liberty Bell March. (You know, the Monty Python theme song?)
Gladiators were the entertainers of the roman empire.
Gladiators were the stars of the circus
The Roman circus
Sounds far too upbeat for being about a game where people slaughter each other.
Imagine writing an epic military march, then finding out later in life that the whole world associates it with clown shenanigans.
In all fairness, at this point there's really only a handful of commonly remembered marches. Stars and Stripes Forever, Entrance of the Gladiators, Liberty Bell March and Colonel Bogey March are probably the main ones that people are likely to remember at this point. I may have missed a couple, but chances are good that most people on this site have heard those ones and probably not many others.
It kind of reminds me of how an 80s italodisco song is now associated with animal crossing porn 36 years after it's release, and people in the distant future make videos like 'Camel by Camel how it was meant to be portrayed' with footage of an Italian disco.
@@LuwiigiMaster No weird porn was definitely always the intention with Italian music.
@@hedgehog3180 aww, I thought you were gonna point out another italodisco song that was also made famous by porn, maybe in an 'Ulterior Motives' way.
I would think that shits hilarious
Ngl, it does sound like a good march, if you just detatch yourself from the clown association, which although is hard for most versions, is surprisingly easy for this one.
Because it's played with actual instruments.
Maybe it's because the percussion section is more prominent...?
It has parts that feel neither like a march or a clown music. Perfect enigma
It's the tempo. The one used in circuses is called a "screamer" and they are played at twice the speed. This one is played exactly as what the score said...
@@kousand9917 in circuses they play the marches with real instruments
*"You are not just an army, you are the entire warzone!"*
"You are not just a warzone
You're the entire war!"
"You're not just a war, you're a whole multi-generational conflict!"
"You are the entire 100 Years Wars."
"You're not just the hundred years war, you're the art of War itself!"
Is this a Kurzgesagt reference?
Kind of like how the song "Pomp and Circumstance" was originally written to be a funeral march, but now is used for high school graduations.
To be fair, there are a few songs they use to reflect some sort of death, the Wedding March is a particularly good example of a song for death.
and being Bri'ish
Imagine homies show up to the funeral going like “LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO” when that banger comes in
Still looks ridiculous students graduation with Macho Man theme. XD Owwwweyeah the pukesters out there.
Actually, for a Coronation.
The problem is that is too cheerful for what it is announcing and then part through it it starts sounding fantastical. But despite all that I kinda see it
kinda makes it more creepy tbh
Yeah there's sort of a thin line between soberly triumphal and goofy fantastical and that's the problem this particular piece has I think
Thats austrian marches for you xD
There's a lot of cheery marching songs. A lot of parades are meant to be celebratory so it makes sense that this would be the type of music to be used.
Look up America's own marching music like American Patrol and American Ranger March. Both equally very cheery.
This comment made me realize the music is supposed to be Jingoistic.
from about 0:45 it's actually quite a solid march song, but the opening will always be incredibly funny
yeah 0:45 absolutely slaps. Wish I could have that motif on repeat
Yes
The opening always lets me know some goofy shit is about to happen
Those 45 seconds should be reserved for politicians...
Yes, it is the opening that changes the feel of the music.
They should've stuck with this, it perfectly describes the state of the Austro Hungarian Armies in the 20th century.
Austerlitz moment
Guten Tag
Yeah haha it’s not like, oh wait, Germany couldn’t even fully invade Belgium, 15 successive battles with almost no resources and still being able to carry out one of the world most effective offensives. Stormtroopers that make the German elite look like conscripts.
Don’t let popular thought poison your brain, a rather unmilitarist culture going into a conflict no one understood holding up the longest fronts when even still having less troops the Germany and lost 1 million troops in on if there first major battles because of Hosldorf idiocy.
@svetozarboroevicvonbojna4702 the Austrian general was an idiot who wouldn't take orders from the germans and still expect them to bail them out but the germans were smart
@@svetozarboroevicvonbojna4702 The entire war couldve been avoided if the Chief of the Austrian General staff an the rest of the council didnt want to invade Serbia, its hotzendorf's fault
As a person who was in the military and marching band in High School: it physically hurts me every time the video is out of step with the music.
Me too, but that's because I have been years participating in Spanish processions.
Actually you're simply in constant pain and it only reminds you. 🌝
@@mky3039 How dare you say something so true 😅🤣😑
Same here
Yup
War is just a particularly violent form of clownshow when you think about it.
Several clowns beat the shit out of eachother to prove who's the bigger clown
No
true
barnum & bailey used this Masterpiece on his circus show, coz it was one of his favorites notes. then everyone started associating it with the clowns.
the clowns are an army
and you will fear them
I see a Juggalo joke in here somewhere, but it's too easy
The Honk legion
As the entire company marches out of their balloon type 94 tankette.
IN DEATH WE ARE ONE! IN DEATH WE ARE STRONG! IN DEATH WE ARE THE HONK LEGION!
Imagine a malicious clown with an army.
Like some-sort of jokester, but evil!
Julius Fucik: “Entrance Of The Gladiators is an epic piece of melody that will evoke what it was like when the Roman gladiators entered the arena of the Colosseum, the bloody combats in front of the emperor who with a thumb decides if the defeated gladiator lives or dies and the execution of christians that was apparently the halftime show” (And the reason why a Pope ordered that these Roman coliseums must be preserved in some way instead of being demolished and managed to survive to this day)
P.T. Barnum: Yeaaaaaahhh... whatever, Take this whole fistful of dollars for the rights of your tune. I'll make a few slight changes but believe me that people will remember it for all that you said about gladiators and stuff...
Many years later:
Julius Fucik: What the Fu...cik!?
Both the song and his last name are completely appropriate to being associated with marches.
...wait, so his name isn't Juicy Fuck? I swear I saw it posted as if that was his name once, but I may have been hallucinating at the time.
To be fair without the cultural learning that this is circus music, it sounds like a marching song.
It also really helps that this is considerably restrained as far as performances of Entry of the Gladiators go so it just sounds like the introduction of some simulation of war rather than the madcap antics of incoming circuses, literal or metaphorical.
I heard it was meant to be played at half this speed
try 0.75
At .75 speed it sounds a lot more serious
it does make it more obvious that most of the video clips don't match the beat though
Somewhere between normal speed and .075 speed (.086 speed, to be exact) is about correct for military cadence on this song.
doesnt that means speeding up marching song can became a circus
19th century; Brave men marching to their fates.
20th century; joyful circus clowns and graceful acrobats.
21st century; Politicians world wide.
The often omitted last part is my favorite part of this.
same
Yes, we played this in high school marching band, I agree!
I've heard modified versions of this from a lot of school marching bands
I keep hearing this is supposed to have a slower tempo than the screamer (the circus version), but every version I've heard has the same tempo.
Try .75 speed
@@Travelling_Heart15 It changes the song to a really good march!
@@Travelling_Heart15no way... it actually sounds serious now
At .75 I can see it. At .5 it becomes silly again: it sounds like the clowns are stuck in molasses and the band is in on the gag.
Ha, now I’m the video everyone is taking a light stroll instead of marching.
I now have an image in my head of an actual known military.
Imagine, rows of cars and thousands of clowns, each unit having their special uniform and face paint pattern.
Camouflage Face Paint!
I usually listen to most of RUclips at 1.5 speed. Totally forgot to take it off of that when I watched this. I was just like, “Holy crap that’s some clean articulation!”
Just tried it! Great idea.
1:02. Those are some dangerous looking airline stewardesses but at least they won’t have to worry about unruly passengers.
It's still hard as hell to not laugh without thinking of the Twitter Anthem in this version. But it does fit Austria-Hungary considering their amazing military record in World War I without German Support
"Play some circus music."
"No, wrong kind of circus music."
Well, it's a goddamn circus full of buffooning clowns either way, so I don't really see a problem! :D
>Austria-Hungary
>composed by a guy whose name looks like Julius Fuckit
It's still the clown song
Austria-Hungary in WW1: Send in the 2nd wave of Clowncars
So Austria
Why does the first one 0:05 looks like it’s by great America in San Jose
Once you get past that first section it gets more military march. But that opening portion is just so *happy* for a military march.
C'zech composer Julius Fučík as a Military March for the Austro-Hungarian Army.' No wonder they lost WWI. The tune that brought down the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
hard not to collapse when you have like 10 different languages in your army and need a translator just to send a retreat order.
Perhaps that’s the reason this piece became associated with clowns…
@@derederekat9051 That and the commander Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf was a pompous idiot that sent soldiers into frozen wastelands with cardboard shoes to get eaten by wolves. Ironically Hötzendorf always wanted war with Serbia but the Archduke kept him at bay wanting peace but after he was assassinated Hötzendorf basically got the green light to invade and start WWI.
It's also hard fighting against the whole world.
"Your not a soldier,your the entire army"
YOU'RE NOT THE ENTIRE ARMY, YOU'RE THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF RUclips SHORTS KID!(your spelling sucks harder than a vacuum)
*You're
Excuse me, but I don’t know that quote, could anybody explain?
No one cares for English well enough to be correct in the language @@asiancat109
@@FilipPopovic-oj2fz Is a parody of a common joke on the social media plataforms: "You’re not a clown you're the entire circus.”
The fact that they put up china when the clown part starts 😂😂
5000 soldiers come out of one IFV
Chuckles: I'm about to commit various war crimes.
Chuckles noo💀
I WILL BE WANTED IN _AT LEAST_ 13 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!!
The “clown song” is actually “Entrance of the Gladiators” by Julius Fučík and is a military march..
Yes, hence the creator of this video had military marches in the background!
Gladiator got hurt so people can laugh at them, technically theyre clowns, a cool clowns
@@TaitLawrence-xl2xb The video creators was being ironic, this song is really about clowns.
@@alexaalexa2308 It originally had nothing to do with gladiators. Fucik originally composed it when he was a military bandmaster and titled it "Grande Marche Chromatique." He later retitled it "Entrance of the Gladiators" because of his personal interest in the Roman Empire.
What a unique way to hear the music. I can totally see this as a military march now.😮
It is a military march
@@ketchup901 they knows now, just it was originally associated in a lot of peoples minds as “the clown song”
I’m quite fine with the “clown-ification” of Enterance of the Gladiators. The composer wanted military glory, and it got co-opted for civilians’ amusement at a (among other things) silly spectacle. To this, I say “yeah, let’s make love and not war!”
Maximus putting the clown nose after making the balloon animals: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED
Watching the music put to actual marching soldiers, you can see how if somebody didn't grow up with it as "the clown music", it would seem to them as perfectly fitting a soldier marching song. I didn't even find it that hard to detach the clown association from the music after a bit.
This is a great version I love it and honestly if you take away all the scary stuff then yes it can be a good March.
Scary stuff?
Clowns and stuff@@KaiserWilhelmReal
Thanks for czech
Scary stuff?
@@mrpineapple3942Guy probably hates clowns
Honestly i would be pretty scared if i heard that during war
*Clown invasion in progress*
Imagine a time traveler going to the first use of this song, and everyone is confused why he’s giggling.
0:56- where's that from?
Peru I reckon
I will confirm with a friend of mine and tell you if I remember to confirm
@@flanfre_skarlett Ok, thanks
Chile, they actually have a curious history about them copying literally everything from German military lol
It's Chile
Very ironic that the military, a symbol of order, would promote violence, while the circus, a symbol of chaos, would promote family-friendly entertainment. Just goes to prove that anarchism is not only more humanistic than fascism, but more wholesome as well.
This song perfectly describes Austria-Hungary, it's perfect for them.
The less familiar the part of the song is, the easier it is to not associate it with clowns.
Yes "March of the Gladiators" is the perfect song for this video...😊
Speaking as a former drill instructor in the Canadian Forces, this reminds me how many silly-looking marches there are out there in the world. I suppose I'm biased toward the British/Canadian/American "Walk from here to there in a somewhat normal manner" technique.
Yeah, high step marches make no sense. Are you trying to get there in organized fashion or are you trying to do a synchronized SpongeBob routine?
The US has a few silly marches for special occasions. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier guard changing for instance.
@@Bacopa68 Not even close. The walking is unnaturally smooth, and the heel clicks are exaggerated, but it's still basically just walking, not contorting the body into absurd positions. Slow march is the closest the US, Canada, and UK normally get, and when I taught it the most important thing we drilled (no pun intended) into the trainees heads was that it was not goose stepping.
Looking at description I found out it was written by a czech composer named Julius Fucik.
Thank you for educating me, all this time I was sure Sousa wrote it.
I mean, it fits perfectly for the PLA. They haven't won a *single* modern war. 0:12 😆😆😆
So haven't most armies in the world, not all countries go around the world picking up fights with random sandpeople crapholes.
Americans neither 🤔
The PLA also haven’t lost a modern war either
@@kevindominguez2117I mean we won against ourselves once
Legit beat your sorry ass in Korea, you sounded like an absolute clown here 😂😂😂
1:25 Dude hoped nobody would notice his change-step.
Can anyone tell me what military the guys at 1:08 are from? Because those are awesome uniforms!
mongolian
Still sounds like a song for circus
Well yes but maybe where can you actually relate to this I've actually just know this from tom and and jerry i think.
Well i don't know no more.
Yeah
It sounds like a marching song, and circuses use marching songs for some reason, so yeah
If we can find someone who hasn't heard a version of this song before and this was the first time they heard it they might say the opposite
@@thesmilingman7576 I'd go as far as to say that if someone gave it some decent lyrics it'd make a good national anthem
If only the Army had its own Clown Corps.
“Bravo Six, going honk.”
The Clown Corps is the politicians
The top brass.
i love it. look how perfectly the clowns are marching to their music.
The reason it works really well for clowns is because it has the same sort of silly, upbeat, not-so-serious energy you hear in a lot like, Mario tunes. 8-bit music theory explains it better than I can. I feel a lot of the same energy in the main part.
If you think about it, an IFV is just a weapons grade clown car
This would be a good marching song for the Russsian Army.
Who’s actually winning again?
@@zhangfang7254russia
And why not the American army?
Blame the woke ideology of America sponsoring LGBTQ army recruit videos
Это была бы хорошая походная песня для армии где клоун верховный главнокомандующий.
Unironically, yes.
Although, given the modern connotation that "Entrance of the Gladiators" is associated with clowns and circuses, this video could be seen as quite the political statement.
A statement that someone wants all the smoke
Using it for clowns was already a political statement to begin with lol
I like to think the composer was being ironic. It's a cheery march, but it also points out the absurdity of war.
I'd say the idea was more morale focused, if I'm some skinny 18 year old being drafted into the army at least I want to be paraded with this and not one of those grim and depressing march
It's actually the person who turned it into a clown theme being ironic.
"... absurdity of war."
Please pass that along to the guys storming the beaches at Normandy.
I am sure that your thoughts will age well.
@@bugwar5545 War is stupid and the soldiers who stormed Normandy were brave and victorious. Both these things can be true.
@@soapsatellite Is something stupid when it changes your life for the better?
Is something stupid when without it your life would be far, far worse?
War is a harsh teacher, but fools will learn no other way.
When you play this at 0.75 replay speed it actually sounds like a typical Austro- Hungarian military march lol, like "under the double eagle" march but a bit goofier and whimsical
I know that that music wasn’t written at the time but I can’t stop laughing at the idea of it being played at the battle of karansebes.
I once saw a skit do the first time this was proposed to the Austro-Hungarians.
It called the composer “The silliest cockamamie nonsense man in all of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.”
people who know it was the entry of the gladiators
👇
hop off the like begging trend it says in the description
@@Levoluvast my bad I didn’t see the description
I’ve never truly heard the full thing before. And it’s even more hilarious that the whole ordeal is now associated not with honor and military, but whimsy.
This the US Marine Band performance of Laurendeau speeded up version for American wind bands, which went to get famous as a screamer march, and forever associated with clowns and the circus. It is NOT the way it was meant to be played. Look for the slower version.
This is played at standard march tempo of 120 bpm.
What makes this work is the tempo, and percussion. When sped up over normal renditions it fits with other marches, especially ones like those written by John Philip Sousa.
What tempo this is supposed to be played? 🤔 This sounds way too fast
It's correct, just about 118 bpm exactly as intended. It's a march, so it's designed to be played at the same tempo as soldiers can march
@@richardmillhousenixon its supposed to be 3/4ths this speed
Play it at .75 speed and honestly, you can start to see it being a march. In the same vane as "Stars and Stripes forever"
@@lordofspearton8643 vein
Put it on x2 speed
It’s the first part that is usually associated with clowns and i can see why even at half speed it’s too cheerful but after that it becomes a very solid piece of military music
All rise for the Russian national anthem
This was actually the first time I have ever heard the whole piece. Definitely a beautiful piece of music! Glad I ran across it.
To be fair clowns and the Austro-Hungarian army are pretty much the same thing if you think about it
In the Army, we marched to this during drill and ceremony practice in the hot Texas sun. It's a great old march, and yes, we all chuckled when it was first played for us to march to. 😊
Slow it down a bit from the circus tempo we've gotten used to over the last 100 years or so and it's easier to see the military march. But we've gotten used to it being played fast, in higher, sprightlier notes, and we (in the US at least) have a hundred years or so of hearing that and associating it with clowns.
Compare and contrast, as we used to be told in school, with John Philip Sousa's "Gladiator March," also adapted as circus music. I used to say: With Fucik, your mind's eye sees the clowns. With
Sousa, it sees the elephants.
I wonder if we use old ancient instrument and ensemble, this song will have an entirely different mood to it?
It's pretty funny that this was supposed to bring moral to soldiers but is now used as an insult on social media.
If you’ve ever served, then you know how fitting clown music is for the military
I thought this is "The Entrance of the Gladiators."
You know, watching it in the original meaning it feels like a naval march lol
Its an austro hungarian marsch
Well that explains a lot
Fits them for their efforts in ww1
@@emad1518 italian front underrated
@@emad1518 should have seen them hold off 8 Italian attacks
@@walterwhite174211th battle of Isonzo 😐
Sounds like someone balancing a stack of plates on a banana peel
I think its telling that the song we associated with war eventually became a complete joke, and then was eventually turned back around to call wars a joke
I thought this was all just gonna be China/North Korea
As a pacifist and anti-military man, I like this video; the association is fitting.
never trusting a czech to make a march song ever
Julius Fučík - Entry of the gladiators (Op. 68) _[Circus Song]_ It is a Circus song. Have you ever been to a Barnum and Bailey circus? It is the first music they play.
Why did you put so many funny clowns in the video
Idk but the clowns are probably from USA 🤣
@@yiwoon_cr8s
动态网自由门 天安門 天安门 法輪功 李洪志 Free Tibet 六四天安門事件 The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 天安門大屠殺 The Tiananmen Square Massacre 反右派鬥爭 The Anti-Rightist Struggle 大躍進政策 The Great Leap Forward 文化大革命 The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution 人權 Human Rights 民運 Democratization 自由 Freedom 獨立 Independence 多黨制 Multi-party system 台灣 臺灣 Taiwan Formosa 中華民國 Republic of China 西藏 土伯特 唐古特 Tibet 達賴喇嘛 Dalai Lama 法輪功 Falun Dafa 新疆維吾爾自治區 The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 諾貝爾和平獎 Nobel Peace Prize 劉暁波 Liu Xiaobo 民主 言論 思想 反共 反革命 抗議 運動 騷亂 暴亂 騷擾 擾亂 抗暴 平反 維權 示威游行 李洪志 法輪大法 大法弟子 強制斷種 強制堕胎 民族淨化 人體實驗 肅清 胡耀邦 趙紫陽 魏京生 王丹 還政於民 和平演變 激流中國 北京之春 大紀元時報 九評論共産黨 獨裁 專制 壓制 統一 監視 鎮壓 迫害 侵略 掠奪 破壞 拷問 屠殺 活摘器官 誘拐 買賣人口 遊進 走私 毒品 賣淫 春畫 賭博 六合彩 天安門 天安门 法輪功 李洪志 Winnie the Pooh 劉曉波动态网自由门
@@yiwoon_cr8s Clowns are the same all over the world. I didn't really bother trying to tell them apart.
@@wasd____ You will not be saying this when the enemy is at your home and your family at their mercy. You'll be the only clown then.
@@Oera-B Ok clown.
I never thought of it as "Clown song", but more the Circus song/piece. But totally believable for some march.
totally agree... thats one HELL of a circus thet play XD
Impressive how you got them all to march in step with the music. Must have taken a lot of organisation.
Military marches are the ultimate clown shows so it fits
While they be goofy to USA and a lot of europe, they ain’t goofy to the military praising nations of asia and east Europe
@@BisexualPlagueDoctor I don't mean goofy. I mean that they are literally just displaying a whole bunch of clowns (soldiers)
@@F2p7YshCn9 They are risquing their lifes kilomiters away from home, dying for what their nations or themselfes think is right and you are calling them clowns while sitting confortably in your home
@@ManuelCruz-nk8fs yeah???? you literally just described clown behaviour
@@F2p7YshCn9 Yeah, if sitting confortably in your home and doing jackshit count as clown behaviour
I don't know why bands now play it much slower (4/4 at 120-140 bpm). This is the speed that you play it for a serious march and you play it way faster for the circus (2/2 at 100-120 bpm) but yet Three Dog Night used it in one of their songs and played it at a very slow tempo (4/4 at 60bpm or slower).
All fun and jokes till devil dogs come on screen
Then it's _hilarious_
Every time Catch-22 talks about useless parades, I need to picture this.
how can they walk with a serious face?
You ain't been in the military, have you?
Even without the clown association, the song is still an extremely happy and cheerful march. It's how it became the clown song in the first place.
The goofy ahhs is like 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
Russia’s military:
The clown version we associate with the song plays when one of the guys kicks the other in the bum, while marching
remember when we used to make fun of fascists so hard that their own marching anthem became a worldwide joke about self-important clowns? good times
This isn't Fascist music, it was composed inside of Austria-Hungary.
Cocomelon-Nursery Rhymes ain't hiding anymore💀🙏🏽
Call them clowns if you want but some of those could nuke a nation if they want, the joke is on you in the end, sadly
Using a military march song for the circus had to be a political statement at one point.