Classical Music in Cartoons

I recently commenced a unit on Romantic Music with my senior tertiary music class. I love to use ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ from Disney’s Fantasias to introduce the idea of Romanticism in music. I have very clear recollections of watching it when I was a student and I remember how after viewing it, I understood the concept more clearly and was in awe of just how powerfully music could tell a story and portray emotions and feelings!

This got me thinking about classical music being used in cartoons, so I decided to do a search of what was available.

Below is a list of what I discovered. If you know of any other please share!

 

1. Maestro Minnie : 

Music: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee

 

2. Maestro Minnie

Music: Brahms’ Lullaby

 

3. Maestro Minnie

Music: Rossini’s William Tell Overture

 

4. Bugs Bunny

Music: Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 2

 

5. Looney Tunes – Pigs in a Polka

Music: Brahms’ Hungarian Dances #5, 7, 6 and 17 (they appear in that order)

 

6. Bugs Bunny – Baton Bunny

Music: Von Suppe’s A Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna

 

7. Magical Maestro

Music: Largo al factotum aria from Rossini’s Barber of Seville opera

 

8. Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl

Music: Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus

 

9. The Cat Concerto

Music: Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2

 

10. The Rabbit of Seville

Music: Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture

 

11. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Music: Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

 

12. What’s Opera, Doc?

Music: Wagner’s Ring Cycle

Recommended Resource

YouTube in Music Education by Thomas Rudolph and James Frankel

An insight into the ways that educators can use the huge number of videos on Youtube.  The book also includes a chapter on what to do if your school blocks Youtube.