(CBS Sunday afternoons, 1952 - 1956; ABC Sunday afternoons, 1956 - 1957; NBC Sunday afternoons, 1957 - 1959) [later revived as infrequent specials on NBC 1960 - 61; and then a revival was attempted on ABC in 1980.]
["Cinderella" by Prokofiev was verified as a THEME in the TV Guide article "What's The Name of That Theme Song?" Feb. 19, 1954 on p.21; The THEME was taken from a pastoral woodwind passage featuring English Horn and string background; Many thanks to contributor Steve Bell for identifying from which section of the ballet it was taken. He writes, "It is from the end of Act I of 'Cinderella.' It's the last few bars of a short solo variation ... (one of four seasonal variations danced in the ballet by four fairies attending Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, before they send Cinderella off to the ball)..."] Composer: Sergei Prokofiev (predates ASCAP & BMI) Original Publisher: V.A.A.P. [in the Soviet Union], and G. Schirmer, Inc. (ASCAP) [in the U.S.] 1998 Publisher: G. Schirmer, Inc. (ASCAP) Composition Date: 1941 U.S. Copyright Date: U.S. Renewal Date: Recording: LP:
[verified via TV aircheck of first Omnibus show, at The Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills. Although this tune is more or less "bridge" music between the end of program segments and commercials, it was used frequently enough so that it became associated as a regular THEME for the CBS series over the four years 1952 - 56.] Composer: Robert Farnon (British PRS/ASCAP) Original 1950 Publisher: Chappell & Co., Ltd., London (British PRS) 1978 Publisher: Chappell & Co. Inc. (ASCAP) 1998 Publisher: Jim Long Companies, Inc., Music Div. (ASCAP) of Carrollton, TX U.S. Copyright Date: Feb. 7, 1950; EFO 1880. Recording: LP: "Gateway to the West" Robert Farnon and his orchestra MGM E/SE-3804 (1961) LP RE-ISSUED AS: "Portrait of the West" Robert Farnon and his orchestra Polydor 2310 232 SUPER (1963) CD: "British Light Music/Robert Farnon" Czecho-Slovak Radio Orchestra, cond. by Adrian Leaper Marco Polo 8 223401 (1991)
[aka: "Symphony No. 2, Pt. 2 - Epilogue"; A piece called "Epilogue" by "Vaughn Williams" was listed as an Omnibus THEME in the TV Guide article "What's The Name of That Theme Song?", Feb. 19, 1954 on p.21; But the composer cited was incorrect. Ralph Vaughan-Williams did often used that title in Symphonies, but a fruitless search listening to his "Epilogues" yielded nothing that sounded like the piece used on this series. Contributor Steve Bell was kind enough to solve the long-standing mystery by verify that the "Omnibus" End Credits music was from Bernstein's programmatic Symphony No. 2, sub-titled "The Age of Anxiety" after a W. H. Auden poem -- which includes a piano with the orchestra. "The Epilogue" is the final section of "Part Two" of Bernstein's two-part Symphony, which was composed between conducting assignments in New York and Israel in 1948 and 1949] Composer: Leonard Bernstein (ASCAP) 1978 Publishers: Amberson Enterprises, Inc. (ASCAP) and G. Schirmer, Inc. (ASCAP) 2003 Publisher: The Leonard Bernstein Music Company, LLC (ASCAP) c/o Universal Music Publishing Group div. of Universal Studios, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA Composition Date: 1948 - 1949 Published Copyright Date: Apr. 28, 1960; EP 140 387. Published Renewal Date: Feb. 11, 1988; RE-376-108. Recording: LP: Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" (1950) New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein
[aka: "The Lyrical Reel"...which was the composer's name for this melody; The original THEME piece was commissioned by The Ford Foundation in 1954 for use on the CBS Omnibus, and was recorded under the baton of conductor Lehman Engel; Wm. Lichtenwanger writes in his book "The Music of Henry Cowell" that the composer also re-used the same melody in his Guatemalan fantasy "Chiaroscuro" (no. 892) in 1961] Composer: Henry Cowell (ASCAP/BMI) Original Publisher: [unknown] 1998 Publisher: [may be G.F. Peters or Associated Music Publishers/G. Schirmer -- currently under investigation] Publisher (of "Chiaroscuro", 1961): Associated Music Publishers/ G. Schirmer, Inc. (ASCAP) of New York, NY Composition Date: December, 1954 [according to reference above] Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recording: LP:
[I might be mistaken, but I seem to remember this was a solo piece for Bach trumpet, reminiscent of Reiche's Fanfare "Albason" which is the THEME used on "CBS Sunday Morning".] Composer: Hershy Kay (ASCAP) 1978 Publisher: [listed without Publisher] 1998 Publisher: [listed without Publisher] Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recording:
Composers: Tamara L. Kline (ASCAP), and Richard ("Dick") Lavsky (ASCAP) 1978 Publishers: [not listed] 2000 Publishers: American Broadcasting Music, INC. (ASCAP), of New York, NY; and Music House Publishing Co. (ASCAP), of New York, NY Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recording:
[identified in the wire service article "Song Familiar? It May Be a TV Theme", published in several newspapers including The Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, MT on December 5, 1958.] Composer: Philip E. J. Lang (ASCAP) Original Publishers: Lawson-Gould Music Publishers, Inc. (ASCAP) 2018 Publishers: Lawson-Gould Music Publishers, Inc. (BMI) c/o Warner Brothers Music of Los Angeles, CA Copyright Date: July 11, 1958; EU 532 656. Renewal Date: Jan. 21, 1986; RE 287 547. Recording:
Composer: Marvin Hamlisch (ASCAP) 1980 Publishers: Chappell & Company, Inc. (ASCAP), Welbeck Music Corporation, and Red Bullet Music. 1998 Publishers: Chappell & Co. Inc. (ASCAP), Famous Music Corporation (ASCAP), and EMI/April Music, Inc. (ASCAP) Copyright Date: June 9, 1980; PAu-205-838. Renewal Date: Recording: