Sparky's Magic Piano
Encyclopedia
Sparky's Magic Piano is the second in a series of children’s audio stories featuring Sparky, an original character created for Capitol Records
in 1947. (Sparky also appeared in comic books as a sidekick to Capitol’s other famous creation, Bozo The Clown
.) Sparky is a little boy with an overactive imagination. His adventures involve objects which magically come to life and talk to him.
. The series was produced by Alan Livingston with orchestration by Billy May
. The piano pieces on Sparky's Magic Piano were performed by Ray Turner
. The voice of the piano was generated by Sonovox, an early version of the talk box
. The series also featured many voices familiar to fans of Disney
and Warner Bros.
cartoons, as well as notable Capitol
music artists, such as Stan Kenton
.
Sparky albums were originally released on standard shellac 10-inch 78 RPM records, usually with three discs in each album and sold in the book-like covers, whence the term “album” originates. These six-sided record albums had a total playing time of about 20 minutes. In later years, the series was reissued on vinyl 78, 45, LP, and CD.
Sparky’s Magic Piano was the most popular album in the series. It is one of the few children’s albums of the period to remain available. Therefore the original 78s have a relatively low collectors' value. However it is not easy to acquire a complete set of the original wax records. The wax records are distinguishable by their black Capitol labels. Vinyl 78 versions are more common, with purple Capitol labels and sometimes a “Bozo Approved” logo in the corner of the album cover.
The unusual popularity of Sparky’s Magic Piano can be attributed to the fact that the album is not only an excellent work of children’s fantasy; it also has a useful moral that was inspirational to any child practising a musical instrument or studying classical music. Thus the album is a practical teaching tool as well as entertainment.
Because of the success of Sparky’s Magic Piano, two of the subsequent Sparky albums (Sparky's Music Mix-up and Sparky's Magic Baton) also involved talking musical instruments giving lessons for music students. Therefore the series seems to have taken a different direction to that which may have been originally intended. (The first album about talking trains was not musical, and was more dramatic than educational.)
, Coral Browne
, Tony Curtis
, Cloris Leachman
, Josh Rodine, and William Schallert
, with orchestration by Lalo Schifrin
and piano music by Leonard Pennario
.
An offensive spoof overdub appeared on TV Offal
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVOra2tEqAA
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1947. (Sparky also appeared in comic books as a sidekick to Capitol’s other famous creation, Bozo The Clown
Bozo the Clown
Bozo the Clown is a clown character very popular in the United States, peaking in the 1960s as a result of widespread franchising in early television.Originally created by Alan W...
.) Sparky is a little boy with an overactive imagination. His adventures involve objects which magically come to life and talk to him.
List of recordings featuring Sparky
- Sparky And The Talking Train (1947) was Sparky's first adventure on Capitol Records. It was a fantasy story, without the musical or educational element which marked three of the following stories.
- Sparky's Magic Piano (recorded in Hollywood, October 1947; released 1948) became the best-known of all the Sparky stories.
- Sparky's Music Mix-up (1949) was the last Sparky record to be voiced by Henry Blair, and featured Stan KentonStan KentonStanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
and his orchestra.
- Sparky's Magic Echo (1952) featured a new voice for Sparky (Lee LeDoux), and tells how Sparky lost his echo in mountains, and goes in search of it.
- "Do you believe in Santa Claus?" / "I don't want a lot for Christmas" (1952) (Christmas single with Billy MayBilly MayWilliam E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
)
- Sparky's Magic Baton (1954) returns to the musical vein, and tells how Sparky finds a conductor's baton in the street, and meets all the instruments of the orchestra. Sparky was voiced here by June ForayJune ForayJune Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
(although Lee LeDoux's name incorrectly appears on the label).
General information
Sparky was portrayed in the first three episodes in the series by Henry Blair, but was later voiced by Lee LeDoux and June ForayJune Foray
June Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
. The series was produced by Alan Livingston with orchestration by Billy May
Billy May
William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
. The piano pieces on Sparky's Magic Piano were performed by Ray Turner
Ray Turner
Professor Raymond Turner is an English logician and theoretical computer scientist based at the University of Essex. He is best known for his work on logic in computer science and for his pioneering work in the philosophy of computer science...
. The voice of the piano was generated by Sonovox, an early version of the talk box
Talk box
A talk box is an effects unit that allows a musician to modify the sound of a musical instrument. The musician controls the modification by lip syncing, or by changing the shape of the mouth...
. The series also featured many voices familiar to fans of Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoons, as well as notable Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
music artists, such as Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
.
Sparky albums were originally released on standard shellac 10-inch 78 RPM records, usually with three discs in each album and sold in the book-like covers, whence the term “album” originates. These six-sided record albums had a total playing time of about 20 minutes. In later years, the series was reissued on vinyl 78, 45, LP, and CD.
Sparky’s Magic Piano was the most popular album in the series. It is one of the few children’s albums of the period to remain available. Therefore the original 78s have a relatively low collectors' value. However it is not easy to acquire a complete set of the original wax records. The wax records are distinguishable by their black Capitol labels. Vinyl 78 versions are more common, with purple Capitol labels and sometimes a “Bozo Approved” logo in the corner of the album cover.
The unusual popularity of Sparky’s Magic Piano can be attributed to the fact that the album is not only an excellent work of children’s fantasy; it also has a useful moral that was inspirational to any child practising a musical instrument or studying classical music. Thus the album is a practical teaching tool as well as entertainment.
Because of the success of Sparky’s Magic Piano, two of the subsequent Sparky albums (Sparky's Music Mix-up and Sparky's Magic Baton) also involved talking musical instruments giving lessons for music students. Therefore the series seems to have taken a different direction to that which may have been originally intended. (The first album about talking trains was not musical, and was more dramatic than educational.)
Sparky's Magic Piano plot summary
Sparky is a young child who hates practising the piano. One day, when he expresses his dislike for practising, the piano talks to him, and tells him that he will show him what it is like to play the piano well, and that all Sparky has to do is run his fingers over the keys, and the piano will play whatever Sparky chooses. Sparky then amazes his mother with his playing, and she calls his piano teacher. The two adults decide to book concerts across the country, with Sparky as a solo pianist. Sparky insists that he must take his own piano with him to all his concerts, and his mother agrees. But the piano will play for Sparky only for a limited time, and this time runs out during a concert. Sparky begs the piano to play, but it does not respond, and Sparky is reduced to banging helplessly on the keys. He hears his mother calling him, and he awakens and finds himself at home. It then becomes apparent to the listener, and to Sparky, that the entire experience was a dream. But it has given Sparky a new appreciation of the piano, and he vows to keep practising until he can play as well as he did in his dream.List of music in Sparky's Magic Piano
The following are the piano works which appear in Sparky's Magic Piano in the order in which they appear in the story.- (composer unknown) - The Secret
- Chopin - Waltz in E minor, Opus posth.
- Chopin - Etude in C minor ("Revolutionary"), Opus 10 number 12
- Rimsky-Korsakov (adapted from the arrangement by J. Strimer) - The Flight of the Bumblebee (electronically played at double speed)
- Chopin - Etude in C sharp minor, Opus 10 number 4
- Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2, in C sharp minor (excerpt from the end of the piece, arranged for piano and orchestra)
- Beethoven - Piano Sonata number 14 ("Moonlight") in C sharp minor, Opus 27 number 2 (excerpt from the 1st mvt, arranged for piano and orchestra)
- Chopin - Waltz in C sharp minor, Opus 64 number 2 (excerpt)
- Rachmaninov - Prelude in C sharp minor, Opus 3 number 2 (truncated, and arranged for piano and orchestra)
- Mendelssohn - "The Spinning Song" (from Song Without Words), Opus 67 number 4 (announced by Sparky, but the piano refuses to play it, so the music is not heard)
Sparky's Magic Piano animated version
In 1987, “Sparky’s Magic Piano” was animated for television, and was later released on video, but is now out of print. The animated version features an expanded story running 51 minutes. The pace of the story is greatly slowed: Sparky is portrayed with less innocence; he has acquired a dog named Rags; his father is given a much bigger role; and a bumbling music critic has been added to the cast who is out to prove Sparky is a fraud. The voice cast includes Vincent PriceVincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, Coral Browne
Coral Browne
Coral Browne was an Australian-American stage and screen actress.-Career:Coral Edith Brown was the only daughter of a restaurant-owner. She and her two brothers were raised in Footscray, a suburb of Melbourne, where she studied at the National Gallery Art School...
, Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
, Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...
, Josh Rodine, and William Schallert
William Schallert
William Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get...
, with orchestration by Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
and piano music by Leonard Pennario
Leonard Pennario
Leonard Pennario was an American classical pianist and composer.He was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in Los Angeles, attending Los Angeles High School remaining in L.A. for his entire career. He first came to notice when he performed Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto at age 12, with the...
.
An offensive spoof overdub appeared on TV Offal
TV Offal
TV Offal was a British television comedy sketch/archive series that ran on Channel 4, from October 1997 to June 1998. It was written and narrated by comedian and writer Victor Lewis-Smith, who shared writing duties with Paul Sparks...
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVOra2tEqAA