Charley Wilcoxon

The Downfall of Paris

The Downfall of Paris is derived from an English tune dating back to the late 1700s, and became popular among European military bands in the 1800s. It became a standard of the American fife and drum repertoire thanks in part to its inclusion in George B. Bruce and Daniel D. Emmett's The Drummer's and Fifer's Guide (1862). The snare drum accompaniment to this popular melody has been a standard piece of the rudimental snare drum literature for well over a century. What sets these new Wilcoxon variations apart is that their existence has been unknown until now. The Downfall of Paris: Swing Variations for Snare Drum come from thirty years later in his career than his other most popular works, and they perfectly demonstrate Wilcoxon's ability to employ rudimental vocabulary to make distinct but compelling music with the same source material.