Everything I Know About Classical Music I Learned from Cartoons Pt. 3
And I'm Not the Only One
Chopin is all over classic cartoons. Woody Woodpecker devoted an entire Oscar-nominated cartoon to his works. And who can forget Tom gliding in the air with makeshift wings to "Grande Valse Brillante?" A sample:
French composer François-Joseph Gossec was influential in his era but isn't terribly well-known today. But I think you might recognize his Gavotte, which was used to underscore something pleasant or dainty (usually ironically) in Warner Brothers cartoons.
Brahms' Hungarian Dances serve as the soundtrack for the WB classic Pigs in a Polka. Director Friz Freleng would time out his cartoons on musical bar sheets in order to get the synchronization precise. This is Freleng at his best:
The surest way to get a cartoon character to fall asleep is to sing them Brahms' Lullaby. Also, be sure to throw the phrase "close your big bloodshot eyes" in there somewhere.
And the surest way to make a cartoon character cry is to play them Träumerei by Robert Schumann on the violin. Elmer Fudd even cries in time to the music here:
Beethoven's Fifth was used in World War II cartoons for a very specific reason: the Morse Code for "V" is dot-dot-dot-dash, and so the similar motif from the Beethoven piece symbolized "V for Victory" to wartime audiences.
The works of Ludwig van Beethoven are all over classic Looney Tunes and Disney shorts. Beethoven is even the hero of my favorite cartoon pianist: Schroeder from the Peanuts gang.
When I reflect on my childhood I think introducing young people to classical music through prankster rabbits, cats with lisps, and suicidal coyotes only makes complete sense. Classical music is as evocative an art form as human creativity has ever discovered, and the cartoons I’ve used in these pieces are the finest examples of how beautifully madcap and inventive human creativity can be. If there is a limit to our collective creativity I don’t think it’ll ever be found, and for that I’m thankful.
Love this. Looney Toons had a huge impact on both my appreciation for music and my understanding of comic timing. Great piece, Jason!
Strangely missing from this excellent series: Fantasia by Walt Disney? Introduced me to Modest (mouse) Mussorksky