So, What is that Sneaky Music, Anyway?

February 1, 2007 1:13 AM

Trying to identify a short hook from old school cartoon music, originally for attribution, now just out of stubborn curiosity.

Probably an obscure classical lift, ending up in cartoons via silent movie accompaniment, or something like that. You may remember it as one of sundry villainous themes, often used when someone is sneaking up on something. Real short. A transcription of it is here.

posted by umberto to media & arts (3 comments total)

I've had a fairly good look for this as well, I think if it were a straightforward classical lift one of us would have found the source. My best guess is that it evolved out of Zamecnik's "Mysterioso - Burglar Music 1" in Sam Fox Moving Picture Music Volume 1 (scroll down for link to MIDI), which was published in 1913 and was apparently the first widely distributed collection of silent film music. I'll be interested to see if someone can do better!
posted by teleskiving at 3:23 AM on February 1, 2007

I wouldn't have gotten it without teleskiving mention the silents. I wasn't going back far enough. Check out Al Weber's The Villain's Theme (track 8).
posted by loosemouth at 4:40 PM on February 1, 2007

Excellent. Thanks, both of you.
posted by umberto at 11:29 PM on February 2, 2007