Gustav Peter (1833-1919) is a Hungarian composer whose life is little known
except being the composer of Souvenir de Cirque Renz. The piece is often dated to 1904, but Peter was in fact mentioned as the composer already in 1894 in the monthly reports by Friedrich Hofmeister for sheet music for Xylophone and Orchestra. Souvenir de Cirque Renz has appeared since the beginning of the 20th century on countless recordings and is today known internationally and has been arranged for other solo instruments and various accompaniments.
 
This arrangement is for Solo Xylophone and Piano. The creation of the work comes at a time when the xylophone was rediscovered as a artistic instrument and the widely known Circus company "Circus Renz" in Berlin enjoyed great popularity. Gustav Peter dedicated the work to the circus director, Ernst Jacob Renz.