In a Clock Store

In a Clock Store
by Charles J. Orth
The final page of the piano score showing five different clock sounds
KeyE-flat major
Published1893
Recorded1902 (1902) Columbia Records

"In a Clock Store (Im Uhrenladen)", also known as "In the Clock Store", is an 1893 novelty descriptive piece by American composer Charles J. Orth. It is written in the key of E♭ major as a descriptive fantasy in 3
4 time.[1] It was originally published for piano and later issued in other arrangements, including full orchestra, military orchestra, piano accompaniment, and reduced ensembles for 10 or 14 instruments.[2] It is generally categorized as light music.

Described as humoresque, it was part of the standard repertoire of the Sousa Band conducted by bandleader John Philip Sousa[3] and was prominently featured by Sousa in performances at the Chicago World's Fair and in his European tours. International reception was mixed, but the music remained popular with American audiences.

It was the first ever work to appear on a disc record in the Columbia Records catalog in 1902, with Sousa playing it in a command performance for Edward VII the following year.[4] It later became part of the theatre organ repertoire during the silent film era, and was often performed between films or during coming attractions. As talkies took over in the 1930s, it was first used in an early Walt Disney sound cartoon, The Clock Store. The song found new life in the theater organ revival of the 1950s.

Description

An apprentice opens the clock store. Ticking clocks can be heard striking all at once, including a cuckoo clock and a grandfather clock. The apprentice can be heard whistling. Several clocks run down and are rewound. A musical clock plays a popular tune. Four o'clock strikes on many different clocks, from a miniature Dresden to a large Scotch cathedral outside.[5] Arrangements of the song depict these activities, with instruments mimicking bells, cuckoo clocks, tam-tam, alarm clocks, and whistles. Mechanical actions like the clock running down, the boy winding the clock, and the movement of standing and pendulum clocks are represented through instrumental effects, rhythmic patterns, and dynamics. A footnote on the percussion score for theatre orchestra indicates that the trombonist can sound the gong while the cuckoo and bells can be imitated by other members of the band as needed.[1] When the song was performed, the audience was often provided with a narration of the piece in the program notes. This style found favor with popular audiences.

Background

Charles J. Orth (11 April 1867 – 1 February 1921) was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was a student of Otto Von Gumpert, who had studied under Carl Reinecke. Orth went on to study under Hugo Kaun and later, Franz Neumann.[6] Orth wrote "In a Clock Store" at the age of 16, which was played by the Sousa Band[7] beginning around 1893, with notable performances at the Chicago World's Fair. The song was also performed internationally and recorded many times.[8]

Orth composed and published at least 19 songs during his lifetime,[2] including medleys, marches, and waltzes, with notable performances of "The Spanish Beggar Girl", "The Capture of Santiago", "Love's Melody", and "On the Battlefield of Life". He was known for only two songs during his lifetime: "In a Clock Store" and "In a Bird Store". "In a Clock Store" is considered his most memorable composition.[9]

Arrangements

Many different arrangements of the piece are known. Milwaukee composer and conductor Christopher Bach (1835–1927) arranged the original piece for Orth in 1893.[10] A Bach arrangement for silent film orchestra popular in the 1920s comprises a mixed ensemble of woodwinds (2 clarinets, 2 oboes, bassoon), brass (2 cornets, 2 horns, trombone), strings (1st and 2nd violins, viola, cello, bass), percussion (drums, bells), and piano.[1] Composer Frank Churchill arranged excerpts of the song in 1931 for the short Walt Disney film The Clock Store.[11] Additional arrangements came much later, with John W. Schaum arranging a version for piano in 1951, [12] followed by versions arranged by Ben Vito (1955) and Weber (1958).[10]

Reception

Reception was mixed, with American audiences enjoying Orth's tone painting, while European audiences were far more critical of the genre. British music critics were particularly hostile to the song. In spite of this, European musicians performed the song in their own countries with their own bands.[8]

Use in early cinema

The song featured widely in early motion picture history in the 20th century. According to the Estes Park Museum, a 1921 Victor recording of the song was used in the historic Park Theatre in Colorado, the oldest operating cinema in the western United States, to provide a soundtrack for what was then called coming attractions or trailers.[13] Similar use occurred in the United Kingdom.

Selected recordings

"In a Clock Store" is the first ever disc record listed in The Columbia Master Book Discography. It was likely recorded in 1901 but only released in 1902.[14] It is listed as Volume 1, matrix number 1, record number 1 in the Columbia catalog.[15] Many different recordings exist. Herbert Griffiths and his orchestra recorded a version of it in 1928 at the Stoll Picture Theatre.[16] One of the most recent recordings is by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1968.[17]

Year Artist Label Size A/B-side Matrix No. Ref
1902 Climax Orchestra Columbia 7-in.; 10-in. Blank 1 [18]
1906 Hager's Orchestra Zonophone Blank 432
1907 Victor Orchestra Victor 10-in.; 12-in. "A hunt in the black forest" B-4219; C-4219 [18]
1916 Sodero's Band Edison 10-in. "The Nightingale and the Frog" 4982 [18]
1922 Miniature Concert Orchestra Brunswick 12-in. X7643 [19]
1924 Band of the Grenadier Guards Columbia 12-in. AX835 [19]
1924 Aeolian Concert Orchestra Vocalion "A hunt in the black forest" A35028
1925 Sutherland Orchestra Beltona "Pomp and Circumstance" 5015 [19]
1926 Metropolitan Orchestra His Master's Voice 12-in. C376 [20]
1938 Band of the Coldstream Guards Gramophone 10-in. 0EA1169 [18]

Other uses

Radio disc jockey Halloween Martin used a version as the theme song for her morning show Musical Clock in the 1930s.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Orth, Charles. J. (1921) [1893]. "In the Clock Store". arr. Christoph Bach. Grauman's Theatres Scores, 1882–1937. New York: Carl Fischer. American Music Research Center. University of Colorado Boulder Libraries. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  2. ^ a b Pazdírek, Franz (ed). (1910). The Universal Handbook of Musical Literature: Practical and Complete Guide to All Musical Publications. Vol 22: Verlag des Universal-Handbuch der Musikliteratur, Pazdírek & Co. T. Presser. p. 108. OCLC 328427724.
  3. ^ Warfield, Patrick (2013). Making the March King: John Philip Sousa’s Washington Years, 1854-1893. University of Illinois Press. p. 218. ISBN 9780252095078. OCLC 961590291.
  4. ^ Danner, Phyllis (1998). "John Philip Sousa: The Illinois Collection". Notes. 55 (1): 9–25. (subscription required)
  5. ^ Victor Records. Victor Talking Machine Company. 1913. pp. 40, 45, 152, 229.
  6. ^ "Milwaukee Composer Has Work Accepted by Chicago Orchestra". Musical America. 29 (16): 13. February 15, 1919.
  7. ^ "Charles Orth Well Known Composer Dead". The Morning Star. February 2, 1921. p. 3.
  8. ^ a b Fasshauer, Tobias (2024). "Hands across the Sea" - John Philip Sousa Und Der Musikalische Amerikanismus in Kontinentaleuropa. Transcript Verlag. pp. 73, 282. ISBN 9783839464601. OCLC 1531379353.
  9. ^ "Charles J. Orth". The Sheboygan Press. February 2, 1921.
  10. ^ a b Rehrig, William H; Bierley, Paul E. (ed). (1991). The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music: Composers and Their Music. Vol 2: O-Z. Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press. pp. 570-571. ISBN 0918048087.
  11. ^ Merritt, Russell; Kaufman, J. B. (2016). Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series (2nd ed.). Glendale, CA: Disney Editions. pp. 98–99. ISBN 9788886155274. OCLC 76000173.
  12. ^ Schaum, John Walter (1951). "Orth, Charles J". 1946-1954 Copyright Registration Cards (O-Z). United States Copyright Office.
  13. ^ "Phonograph". Jones Collection. Estes Park Museum. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  14. ^ Marco, Guy A. (ed). (1993). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the United States. Garland Pub. pp. 119, 129. ISBN 9780824047825. OCLC 27431101. Note: There was a dispute between Victor and Columbia from 1901–1902, likely delaying the original release. There is some indication that the presence of the old "Climax" label shows it was previously recorded in 1901.
  15. ^ North, James H.; Tierney, Tom (Fall 2014). "The Columbia Symphony Orchestra: An Exploration of the Recording History of a Phantom Orchestra". ARSC Journal. 45 (2): 156-178. (subscription required)
    • Hoffmann, Frank W.; Ferstler, Howard (eds.). (2005). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. 2nd ed. Routledge. pp. 214, 468. ISBN 9780203484272. OCLC 65174453.
    • Brooks, Tim (1999). The Columbia Master Book Discography. Vol 1: U.S. Matrix Series 1 through 4999, 1901-1910, with a History of the Columbia Phonograph Company to 1934. Greenwood Press. p. 55. ISBN 9780313308215. OCLC 40693820.
    • Fasshauer, Tobias (2024). "'He was the march king and they were the march hares': John Philip Sousa and the Berlin Industrial Exposition, 1896". In Gasche, David (ed). Festschrift in Honour of Damien Sagrillo's Sixty-Fifth Anniversary. Lit Verlag. p. 97. ISBN 9783643916846. OCLC 1505968416.
  16. ^ Orchestra With Organ At The Stoll (ft. Herbert Griffiths). (August 1928). "In a Clock Store". Descriptive Fantasie (Orth). Broadcast. 8" 78 RPM. No. 269-A. United Kingdom.
  17. ^ Orth, Charles J. (1968). "In a Clock Store". Music For You. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by James Walker. Record 7, Side 2. Reader's Digest: RDS 6321. UR 2S-0431. RCA Records.
  18. ^ a b c d "Orth, Chas. J.". Discography of American Historical Recordings. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  19. ^ a b c "Beltona (ad)". The Gramophone. 2 (25): March 1925. p. xxi.
  20. ^ 1926 Catalogue of "His Master's Voice" Records. The Gramophone Company, Limited. p. 247.
  21. ^ "Halloween Martin winds up 'Musical Clock' program". The De Paulia. 17 (22-Z142). March 31, 1938. pp. 1, 4.
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