The Walking Frog

The emergence of ragtime coincided with the great era of concert bands. The similarities between the marches, two steps, cakewalks, and ragtime pieces resulted in an intermingling of these forms. Famous circus bandmaster Karl L. King (1891–1971) wrote The Walking Frog between 1917 and 1918 during the time he was the director of the Barnum & Bailey’s Circus Band, but it was not published until after he had left the circus. King originally wrote the piece as a circus clown “walk about” but its infectious charm soon made it a favorite with many other circus acts. (Source: published score)