Raymond Scott's six person Quintette [he called it a 'Quintette' because of the word's "crisp" sound] debuted December 26, 1936, performing his composition, The Toy Trumpet. Warner Brothers licensed his music in 1941, and within two years Carl Stalling began adapting and quoting and peppering his own music with Raymond Scott themes. And what did Carl Stalling write music for? He wrote the music that Bugs and Daffy danced to; he composed the scores for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. So, if you like these cartoons (and even present ones like Ren & Stimpy, The Simpsons, Animaniacs, etc.), Raymond Scott's music is in your soul.
He was also an inventor. Developing some of the first synthesizers (circa 1949!), a machine that used artificial intelligence to compose music, a machine to assist in the composition of movie scores, "Karloff," a keyboard Theremin, and many more wondrous inventions. Also, he worked for Motown, created stimulating and soothing electronic music for babies, and more. In short, Raymond Scott was a musical giant of the 20th century that many people don't know.
I have one compact disc of Raymond Scott music, deliciously produced with love by Irwin Chusid (the head of the Raymond Scott Archives), called, The Music of Raymond Scott: Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights. Twenty-two of the best songs I've ever heard. Some of the titles are, War Dance for Wooden Indians, Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals, The Penguin, and New Year's Eve in a Haunted House. Great titles! And the best part is that each piece of music aurally paints whatever the title implies. And let me tell you, when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, those ghosts know how to party!
There are three things that are truly impressive about this music: the speed, the descriptive nature, and the manner in which it was composed. Scott would play a phrase on the piano and have a member of the Quintette imitate it. He would do this for each instrument, including drums, without regard to the idiosyncrasies of each instrument. That means the music is really difficult. Then the Quintette would rehearse and rehearse, and Scott would edit and fix. Eventually, a finished song existed, completely memorized by the performers. Was this an easy feat? In Scott's own words (to a recording executive
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