Grand American Traveling Dime Museum

Circus music is the body of music used to accompany circus performances and the composed repertory that emulates that sound. It is designed to cue and pace live acts—parades, aerialists, acrobats, clowns, and animal displays—while sustaining a festive, spectacular atmosphere. Stylistically it centers on bright brass and woodwinds with emphatic percussion, delivered either by a live circus band or by mechanical/recorded instruments such as the steam calliope and band organ. Repertoires historically mixed dedicated circus marches (often called “screamers”) with popular tunes of the day arranged for band, along with dances like waltzes and foxtrots to suit specific acts and ring changes.