# ID this classic spooky/sneaky little melody **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-classic-spooky-sneaky-little-melody/453715 "2008-06-21T20:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-classic-spooky-sneaky-little-melody/453715/1 "2008-06-21T20:05:52Z")
This is a standard piece of music that’s used _constantly_ in cartoons and on silent film soundtracks – usually when a villain is slowly sneaking up to the hero/heroine, or basically doing something slyly nefarious – but for the life of me I can’t remember if it’s from a ‘real’ orchestral piece or not. Let’s say we’re in C minor, in 4/4. The first four notes are a rising arpeggio of quarter notes, the Ab is a “sting” that lasts two beats, and then the last four notes are eighths (usually pizzicato strings, I think). C Eb G C^ Ab G F Eb D (repeat) Sorry for the crappy description. But if you can hum this you’ll probably know it immediately! FYI, I’m wondering about this because I’m watching a bio of Ub Iwerks (animator/co-creator of Mickey Mouse) and the theme is used it in one of the _Silly Symphonies_ shorts. It’s an omnipresent little riff and I feel like I should know its source! Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-classic-spooky-sneaky-little-melody/453715/2 "2008-06-21T20:13:00Z")
Check this out: [Music question, origin of spooky 2 measure phrase in novelty songs](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=437054) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-classic-spooky-sneaky-little-melody/453715/3 "2008-06-21T20:13:10Z")
[QUOTE=choie] This is a standard piece of music that’s used _constantly_ in cartoons and on silent film soundtracks – usually when a villain is slowly sneaking up to the hero/heroine, or basically doing something slyly nefarious – but for the life of me I can’t remember if it’s from a ‘real’ orchestral piece or not. Let’s say we’re in C minor, in 4/4. The first four notes are a rising arpeggio of quarter notes, the Ab is a “sting” that lasts two beats, and then the last four notes are eighths (usually pizzicato strings, I think). C Eb G C^ Ab G F Eb D (repeat) Sorry for the crappy description. But if you can hum this you’ll probably know it immediately! FYI, I’m wondering about this because I’m watching a bio of Ub Iwerks (animator/co-creator of Mickey Mouse) and the theme is used it in one of the _Silly Symphonies_ shorts. It’s an omnipresent little riff and I feel like I should know its source! Anyone? [/QUOTE] I recognize it from your description, played it on guitar to be sure. Don’t know the name, composer, etc. however. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-classic-spooky-sneaky-little-melody/453715/4 "2008-06-21T20:48:27Z")
Good grief, just from a thread back in September yet! How did I miss this? I usually peruse _all_ these “ID this music” threads, too! So looking at the links in that thread, it appears to have be “Mysterioso Pizzicato,” part of a compilation of silent movie compositions called _Remick Folio of Moving Picture Music_, published and _possibly_ composed by J. Bodewalt Lampe in 1914. I say “possibly” because from looking at the rest of the items in this book, many of the pieces included are actually rearrangements of pieces (famous or otherwise) by _other_ composers. There’s a fascinating article about it written at [Perfessor Bill’s Silent Movie Compositions](http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi17.shtml) site. OTOH, it may date as far back as [P.D.Q. Bach](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003D0F/qid%3D999322191/002-8669442-4973625) and his Chorale Prelude, ‘Da Kommt Ja Der Schurke’! Now that’s impressive. 🙂 Thank you muchly, **Gfactor**. I was crazy not to have guessed that this would’ve been asked before. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-classic-spooky-sneaky-little-melody/453715/5 "2008-06-21T21:16:55Z")
Carl Stalling, who wrote the music for the first Disney shorts (and also came up with the idea for Silly Symphonies), started out as a silent film organist, so it’s not surprising he would mix silent organ cues alongside popular songs, classical music, and original bits, as he did both at Disney and Warners.