{{Short description|American entertainer and composer}} {{listen |filename="Belford's Carnival", performed by the United States Navy Band.wav |title="Belford's Carnival" |description="Belford's Carnival", published in 1897 and played here by the U.S. Navy Band in 2006. |format=Ogg }} border|thumb|"The Storming of El Caney" played by the Bensenville Municipal Band conducted by Fred Lewis. Recorded in concert May 17, 1986. '''Russell Alexander''' (February 26, 1877 – October 1, 1915) was an entertainer and composer, active primarily with vaudeville shows and musical comedy organizations.
Alexander was born in Nevada, Missouri, and became a euphonium virtuoso who joined the circus band of Belford's Carnival at the age of 18. At 20, he became arranger and euphonium soloist with the Barnum & Bailey Circus Band and toured Europe from 1897 to 1902. Following his tour with Barnum & Bailey, Alexander worked in a novelty musical vaudeville act with his brothers. Although his compositional output was relatively small, he is considered a great composer of marches. He wrote 33 marches, 6 galops, and several overtures, novelties, and other works. For part of his career he worked in acts with his brothers, Newton and Woodruff.
On July 20, 2015, a memorial plaque honoring Alexander was unveiled on the Main Street Stage in Liberty, New York, just a short distance from the Old Town Cemetery in which Alexander is buried. The ceremony included a performance of seven Alexander works.
== Works == {{Div col}} Unless noted, his works were published by C. L. Barnhouse Co., to whom Alexander's widow sold the rights to his music shortly after his death. *Across the Atlantic March (1899) *Americans Before Havana Overture (unpublished) *Baltimore's Boast March (1899) *Bastinado Galop (1908) *Belford's Carnival (1897) *Burr's Triumphal (1897) *The Butterfly Dance (unpublished) *The Cantonians March (1908) *Charioteers of Semiramis Galop (unpublished) *Colossus of Columbia (1901) *The Comedy Club March (1907) White Publishing *Congressional Limited Galop (unpublished) *The Conquest March (1913) Fillmore Bros. Music House *Conway's Cantata March (unpublished) *The Crimson Flush March (1897) *The Darlington March (1896) *Decatur at Tripoli Overture (unpublished) *Embossing the Emblem March (1902) *The Exposition Four March (1903) *The Four Gladiators (1899) (unpublished) *From Tropic To Tropic March (1898) *Hampton Roads March (1919) Fillmore Bros. Music House *International Vaudeville (1897) *Memphis the Majestic (1900) *Olympia Hippodrome March (1898) *Pall Mall Famous March (1909) Star Music Co *Paramour of Panama March (1904) McMillin *Patriots of the Potomac March (1903) *La Reine March (1907) *Rival Rovers March (1899) *Round Up The (1916) *Salute to Seattle March (1905) *Shoot the Chutes Galop (1901) *Song of the South (1905) [Solo with Band Acc.] *The Southerner March (1908) *The Southerners Galop (unpublished) *Steeplechase Galop (1900) *The Storming of El Caney (1903) *Storming El Caney March (unpublished) *Vicksburg the Valiant March (unpublished) *Vienna to Vicksburg (unpublished) *Yankees in Vienna March (unpublished) {{Div col end}}
==References== *Hoe, Robert, Jr. "Alexander, Russell". In Rehrig, William H. ed. ''The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music: Composer and Their Music, Vol. 1.'' Westerville, OH: Integrity Press, 1991. p. 8.
==External links== *[https://www.barnhouse.com/composer/russell-alexander/ biography and list of works] at C. L. Barnhouse Company website *{{YouTube|ktDO3HG909E|Sun Life Band playing Belford's Carnival}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Russell}} Category:1877 births Category:1915 deaths Category:American male composers Category:American vaudeville performers Category:Circus musicians