Parsons Playlists: Cartoon Classical

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library Associate Melanie A. and features some classical music which can be found in classic cartoons!

Cartoon Classical

What's Opera Doc still

It seems that sometimes folks can feel a bit intimidated by “classical” music. What if I told you that you are probably familiar with a lot more classical pieces than you think because they often show up in the soundtracks of classic cartoons?

During the 1930s and 1940s, many practices from silent film scoring (often performed on piano or organ in movie theaters), which often made use of classical pieces, made their way into cartoon shorts. Use of this music was economical for the movie studios because much of it was public domain and therefore free of copyright restrictions. Moreover, the use of “serious” classical music in silly cartoons often (literally & figuratively) the humor of the cartoons.

Here are a few a few “greatest hits” pieces which found their way into a variety of cartoons. Enjoy! – MAA

Gioachino Rossini – William Tell Overture
The most famous bit of Rossini’s William Tell overture is the finale (aka the “Lone Ranger Theme“) — you’ll see it in scenarios featuring horseback riding among other things.
Animated shorts featuring the finale include: Disney’s “The Band Concert” (1935) and Warner Brothers’ “Bugs Bunny Rides Again” (1948)

Section 2 “The Storm” and Section 3 “Call to the Cows” regularly show up as well
For example, Disney’s The Band Concert (again!) for a cartoon take on “The Storm” and both “The Storm” and “Call to the Cows” feature in Disney’s “The Old Mill” (1937)

Franz Liszt – “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2”
Animated shorts featuring Hungarian Rhapsody include Tom & Jerry in “The Cat Concerto” (1947) & Bugs Bunny in “Rhapsody Rabbit” (1946), for example

Franz Von Suppé – “Light Cavalry Overture”
Features in animated shorts like Disney’s “Symphony Hour” (1942)

Franz Von Suppé – “Poet and Peasant Overture”
Used, for example, in the Popeye short “The Spinach Overture” (1935)

Popeye at the Piano

Johann Strauss II – Frühlingsstimmen op. 410
Tends to show up in cartoons where someone frolics in a field or similar, for example, “The Stupid Cupid” (1944) or “From A To Z-z-z-z” (1954)

Johann Strauss II – “An der schönen blauen Donau, Waltz, Op. 314”
Strauss’s “Blue Danube Waltz” also appears frequently for example in “A Corny Concerto” (1943) or “Johann Mouse” (1953)

Frédéric Chopin – “Marche Funèbre (Funeral March)” (from Piano Sonata No. 2)
Chopin’s funeral march is a bit morbid and will be instantly recognizable, cartoon examples include “Scaredy Cat” (1948) and “Convict Concerto” (1954)

Richard Wagner – “Ride of the Valkyries”
This one is used in one of my all-time favorite cartoons the 1957 classic “What’s Opera, Doc?” starring Bugs Bunny & Elmer Fudd

and here is a link all of the above (and more) on Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZeyTST0VCx3NOQgyB_9o4ueq&si=v08TGVoC6bD3Y-LZ

P.S. If you’d like to learn a bit more about classical music as used in cartoons, check out this great thread with lots of video examples compiled by animator Vincent Alexander: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1366449816042102787.html

Arachnophonia: Casablanca

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eliana (class of 2024) and features insert title info here. Thanks, Eliana!

Casablanca: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Casablanca soundtrack

Among the shelves of CD’s in Parson’s music library sits the soundtrack of Casablanca, one of the most famous movies of all time with a score that certainly holds its own. The score, composed by revolutionary Austrian composer Max Steiner, will transport you to the 1940s and fill you with the triumphant energy of World War II cinema. Steiner not only utilizes leitmotifs in his scoring, but his songs provide formal and rhythmic continuity for the film as a whole, making his composition a true masterpiece.

The beating heart of the film is the song “As Time Goes By,” originally written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It is rumored that Steiner disliked this song and wanted to scrap it altogether, but he was forced to use it because the female lead (Ingrid Bergman) cut her hair for a different production and wouldn’t be able to reshoot any scenes with a new theme song. Notwithstanding Steiner’s disdain, the song is a true masterpiece with the context of the film. “As Time Goes By” represents not only the love that Rick and Ilsa have for each other, but also the past that they shared. When the song is not present in scenes between the two of them, the strain on their relationship becomes all the more apparent. Conversely, the song’s presence denotes a sense of calm between the two. Steiner weaves the song’s melody throughout the film to somehow bridge gaps between scenes, allude to strife, and foster love all at once. It is his compositional ingenuity that sets this film apart from many others.

Other notable songs present in the film are “La Marseillaise,” “It Had to Be You,” and “Die Wacht am Rhein.” You can listen to these, as well as the rest of the score, from the Casablanca CD located in the Parsons Music Library.

Arachnophonia: Slumdog Millionaire

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Amy (class of 2025) and features the soundtrack to the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. Thanks, Amy!

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack album cover

“What can a Slumdog possibly know?”

When I think of a powerful and incredibly well-made movie, Slumdog Millionaire is one that comes to mind. The 2008 drama stars Dev Patel as Jamal Malik, a teen on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

Slumdog Millionaire flashes between Jamal’s life as a teen and his childhood, showing the realities of living on the streets of Mumbai as a young child. The story is compelling, and the acting is phenomenal, but the thing that makes this film is the soundtrack. With artists like M.I.A. involved, it is easy to understand how this film won the Golden Globe for best soundtrack in 2009. A. R. Rahman, the score’s creator, wanted to create a mix of both modern and old India in the soundtrack.

A. R. Rahman’s original song “Jai Ho” for the movie won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture. The song was an international success with remixes and covers of the song coming from across the globe. The song was also the Indian National Congress’s official campaign song in 2009.

While this movie discusses and portrays hardship and is not indicative of every success story, I think it gives hope to those who feel stuck and like they won’t succeed. You can check out the soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire at the Music Library!

Parsons Playlists: Music from Tom & Jerry

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Xipeng (class of 2024) and features music used in the soundtracks of Tom & Jerry cartoons.

Music from Tom and Jerry

The Tom & Jerry cartoons provided me with so much inspiration for my piano practice when I was a kid, and this playlist of a small collection of the original soundtracks, reminds me of my childhood memories.

Tom and Jerry

Johan Pachelbel – “Canon in D” (London Symphony Orchestra)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No.41 in C Major “Jupitar” K.551 (English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner)

Johannes Brahms – 21 Hungarian Dances No.5 in G Minor: Allegro (Wiener Philharmoniker)

Ludwig van Beethoven – Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor, “Für Elise”, WoO 59 (Lang Lang)

Anonymous – “Sari Galin” (Farid Farjad)

Francois-Joseph Gossec – Gavotte in D Major, “Rosine” (arr. for violin and piano) (Takako Nishizaki)

Stephen Foster – “Old Folks At Home” (Tom Roush)

Anonymous – “Go Tell Aunt Rhody” (Woody Guthrie)

Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez – La Cumparsita, tango (Ensemble Contraste)

Frédéric Chopin – Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 18, No.1 in E-Flat Major (Lang Lang)

Anonymous – “Deck The Halls” (The Ames Brothers)

Eduardo di Capua – “Maria, Marì” (Luciano Pavarotti, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna)

Anonymous – “Froggie Went A-Courtin'” (Woody Guthrie)

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZewM9r0M6kQyxNW8PbpHUKWW

[Editor’s note: And here is a fun piece about classical music in cartoons from Classic FM: https://www.classicfm.com/composers/liszt/cartoonist-how-generation-learned-classical-music-bugs-bunny/ ]

Parsons Playlists: Disney Tears

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist features a playlist of tear inducing Disney songs curated by Music Library student manager Eliana (class of 2024).

Disney Tears: Disney Songs That Make Me Cry

Sometimes, you just need a good cry. What better way to do it than by listening to Disney movie hits? Curl up, grab a box of tissues, and get your cry on.

Death of Mufasa - The Lion King

“Go The Distance” from Hercules

“Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto

“Remember Me” from Coco

“The Next Right Thing” from Frozen II

“Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from The Lion King

“I See The Light” from Tangled

“Beauty and the Beast (Tale As Old As Time)” from Beauty and the Beast

“A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella

“Reflection” from Mulan

“Just Around The Riverbend” from Pocahontas

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zez8MPSzhhLbHR1OEA3Mup4k

And here is a version on Spotify: