1990
Search results
Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros. , where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.
- Overview
- Looney Works
Carl W. Stalling (10 November 1891 - 29 November 1972) was a noted American composer and arranger of music for animated cartoons. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he worked, averaging one complete score each week, for twenty-two years. Stalling started his career as an accompanist for silent films on the piano and theater organ in Independence, Missouri. It was there that he met and befriended a young Walt Disney who was producing animated comedy shorts in the Kansas City region. Stalling composed several early cartoon scores for Walt Disney, including Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho in 1928, (but not Steamboat Willie, Disney's first released sound short). Early discussions with Disney about whether the animation or the musical score should come first led to Disney creating the "Silly Symphonies" series of cartoons. These cartoons allowed Stalling to create a score which Disney handed to his animators. While there, Stalling pioneered the use of "bar sheets" which allowed the musical rhythms to be sketched out simultaneously with the storyboards for the animation. He left Disney after only two years, at the same time as animator Ub Iwerks. Finding few outlets in New York, Stalling rejoined Iwerks at his own studio in California, while freelancing for Disney and others. In 1936, when Iwerks was hired by Leon Schlesinger, who was under contract to produce animated shorts for Warner Bros., Stalling went with him to become a full-time cartoon music composer, with full access to the expansive Warner Bros. catalog and musicians. He remained with Warner Bros. until his retirement in 1958. His last cartoon was To Itch His Own, a cartoon directed by Chuck Jones which featured the world's strongest flea, the Mighty Angelo. Stalling was consistently an innovator. He was the first music director to extensively use the metronome to time film scores. He is one of three composers, along with Max Steiner and Scott Bradley, credited with the invention of the click track.[citation needed]
His stock-in-trade was the "musical pun", where, much to the annoyance of his fellows, he used references to popular songs, or even classical pieces, to add a dimension of humor to the action on the screen. Working with legendary directors Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, and Chuck Jones, he developed the "Looney Tunes" style of very rapid and tightly coordinated musical cues, punctuated with both instrumental and recorded sound effects, and occasionally reaching into full blown musical fantasies such as Rabbit of Seville, A Corny Concerto and What's Opera, Doc?. Stalling was a master at quickly changing musical styles based on the action in the cartoon. His arrangements were very complicated and technically demanding. The music itself served both as a background for the cartoon, and provided musical sound effects. The titles of the music often described the action, sometimes forming jokes for those familiar with the tunes.
Examples include:
•A beautiful woman sashaying into a room would be accompanied by "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" or "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" .
•A drunken character would stagger to "How Dry I Am", "Little Brown Jug", or a slow-tempo "Shuffle Off to Buffalo".
•A football team would scrimmage to "Freddie the Freshman".
See Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
- 3 min
Stalling was a quiet man, granting only one interview about his work (for "Funnyworld" magazine). For a better appreciation of his work, fans should get the two "Stalling Projects" CDs. Born November 10, 1891. Died November 29, 1972 (81) Add to list. Awards.
- January 1, 1
- Lexington, Missouri, USA
- January 1, 1
- Los Angeles, California, USA
Jan 19, 2015 · Stalling was a prolific American composer whose orchestral music reached millions in those classic Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and his Merrie Melodies. His work is instantly ...
Died. November 29, 1972 · Los Angeles, California, USA (undisclosed) Birth name. Carl William Stalling. Mini Bio. Carl Stalling is the most famous unknown composer of the 20th century, almost solely based on his work composing musical scores for animated cartoons.
- November 10, 1891
- November 29, 1972
May 23, 2018 · STALLING, Carl. Composer. Nationality: American. Career: 1920s—accompanist for silent films; 1928—musical director at Walt Disney 's studios; 1931–36—employed by Ub Iwerks's studio; 1936–57—musical director for Warner Bros. cartoons. Died: 29 November 1972.
People also ask
When did Carl Stalling pass away?
Who is Carl Stalling?
Why is Carl Stalling's work important?
How did stalling work?
Is Leonard Bernstein a better composer than Carl Stalling?
Where can I find original music scores of Carl Stalling?
Mar 4, 2024 · Stalling retired in 1958, after composing over 600 animated films for 22 years, and was succeeded by Milt Franklyn. Stalling passed away in 1972, at the age of 81. Contents
