Music in Disney Comics--
Gottfredson, Barks, Don Rosa

A couple of examples-- some with musical instruments / a few notes / references to music, and others where music is a key element (key: eh eh; get it?; never mind...).

Carl Barks

"Silent Night" ('45, censored, album 51):
"See-yi-lunt Nee-yight!"

WDC&S 52 ("Thievery Afoot", Jan '45, album 5):
Donald mistakenly plays "The Pied Piper of Hamelin"

WDC&S 82 ("Magical Misery", July '47, album 11):
Donald plays four "Ta" notes on a long trumpet before making his entrance

"Ghost of the Grotto" (DD FC 159, Aug '47):
"Heave ho!
And a merry yo ho!
Fifteen barnacles on the captains's chest!"

WDC&S 84 ("The Waltz King", Sept '47, album 11):
Donald confuses waltz with boogie-woogie and dances himself dizzy; then he is beaten by three women whose dates he frightened away; then he keeps hearing music.
"Downbeat Joe", "Who Put That Slug in the Jukebox", "It's Xylo on the Phone", Eight-Day Clocks in your Bobbie Socks"

WDC&S 85 ("Atonal Terror", Oct ' 47, album 11):
According to "Music and What it Does to You", "Music makes people cultured and more refined", "It soothes the savage heart and brings peace to tired nerves", "Nothing can compare in beauty to the sweet strains of a string trio"; therefore, "Children should be taught to play musical instruments at an early age", as "The musical child is more likely to succeed in life"
Naturally, nerves are more strung than soothed in the story

WDC&S 89 (Feb '48, "Watching the Watchman", album 12):
When he can't sleep, Donald listens to some music ("Bloop! Pow! Blam Brazz) and sings ("Don't let the Coyoteeeees howl over my grave!"
The the boys have to play several instruments (fife & drum, trombone) to try and keep him awake on the beat (eh eh, got it?)

WDC&S 90 ("Wired", March '48, album 12):
J. Morganbilt Giltwhiskers's most elegant & most funny firing singing telegram:
"I'm so glad, Donald, that you were hired!
We need your type fo friskers--
But I'm gladder to tell you you're *fired*!
J. Morganbilt Giltwhiskers!"
The story ends on the recurring "Taxi!"; the running gag works as a chorus, then a coda

WDC&S 92 (May '48, "Spoil the Rod", album 13):
Band leaders make money-- but instruments for "Dewey Goodman, Huey James, and Louie Herman" cost a lot of money

WDC&S 99 (Dec '48, "the Crazy Quiz Show", album 14):
Putting musical instruments to practical use-- running across on the trombone player & hitting a gong to interrupt contestants

DD FC 223 ("Lost in the Andes", DDA 25, April '49):
Identity through music.
"Oh, Ah wish Ah was in Dixie! Hooray! Hooray!
In Dixieland Ah'll take mah stand to whoop it up in Dixie!"
"Carry me back to old Virginny--"
"Chickery Chick! Cha La! Cha La!"

DD FC 223 bc ("Sleepy Sitters", DDA 25, April '49):
A one-pager in which Donald lulls everyone to sleep

WDC&S 104 ("The Sunken Yacht", May '49; album 15):
"Yo ho! And a bottle of rhubarb juice!"
"Yo, ho! And a bottle of ping-pong balls!"

CP 1 (Dec '49, "No Noise is good Noise", DDA 11):
A one-pager; the nephews make noise playing

WDC&S 112 ("Rip Van Donald", Jan' 50, album 17):
The nephews sing "In the good old wintertime! In the good old wintertime!"
in the opening & closing panels (" ol' " in the latter)

DD FC 263 ("Land of the Totem Poles", Feb '50, DDA 13):
Selling steam calliopes to Indians; playing the "William Tell" overture on the calliope opens a way through the "mountain" (it triggers off a rockslide, just like donald's song sets off avalanches) and frightens the indians, using their own totems for organ pipes (Donald had already tried to use them to escape)

WDC&S 117 ("Wild About Flowers", June '50, album 17):
"When the daisies bloom in Oshkosh, I'll be there!"

"No Such Varmint" (DD FC 318, March '51) (album 17):
Master snake-charmer Donald solves a mystery!

DD FC 328 ("Old California", May '51, album 19):
"Yi-yi-yiyi
yi-yi-yiyiy-yi!"

Donald teaches Rolando new romantic songs:
"You'd be a pip on my radar-----
A wow on the video!-----
We could sing bebop in a helicop'-----
On our way to a movie show!"

DD FC 367 ("A Christmas for Shacktown", Jan '52, DDA 19):
Donald & Daisy go "Jingle all the way!"

WDC&S 137 ("The Screaming Cowboy", Feb '52, album 20):
What a hit!

WDC&S 140 ("Gladstone's Terrible Secret", May '52, album 51):
Gladstone's (favorite?) song:
"When it's four-leaf clover time in Horseshoe Valley!"

"Trick or Treat" (DD 26, nov '52, album 21):
The song from the cartoon I think:
"Trick or Treat! Trick or Treat! Trick or Treat for Halloween!
When the pumpkin shells cast evil spells--
And your little white house turns green!
Every post is a ghost, if you've got a witch's brew!
Trick or Treat! Trick or Treat! Trick or Treat for Halloween!
When ghosts and goblins by the score
Ring the bell on your front door!"

And I guess witch Hazel's recipe could be sung:
"Double, double, toil and trouble!
Fire burn and cauldron bubble!
Eye of needle! Tongue of shoe!
Hand of clock that points to two!
Neck of bottle! Tail of coat!
And whiskers from ye *billy goat*!"

"Back to the Klondike" (U$ 456 / 2, March '53, album 2):
"She was singing 'After the Ball' in a voice as pretty
as the crackle of new bills!"

"Tralla La" (U$ 6, June '54, album 6):
The name itself.

WDC&S 165 ("The Price of Fame", June '54, album 26):
The boys wish Donald was as great an artist as
"Lizardace, The *great pianist"
"Oh, the villain onward stole...
While a wicked smile he smole!"
"Oh, the hero's words they stang
As he is challenge boldly flang!"
Perry Cougar
"By the bonnie banks o' Bracken Brae--"
"Bet your money on the bob-tailed horse!"
"Home, home on the range!"
"Who threw the overshoes in Missus Leary's hashs?"
"The old oaken bucket
The moss covered bucket!"
"Then the ghastly crew drank witches' brew
As they -squawk- sank the Jolly Roger!"

U$ 8 ("A Campaing of Note", bc, Dec '54, album 8):
A rich tune makes Scrooge a star!

WDC&S 178 ("Donald's Raucous Role", July '55, album 28):
A noisy war! Featuring"the fortissimo crescendo from Bompopoff's 'Eruption of Vesuvius'!", klaxons, drums,
and one heck of an Alpenhorn.

WDC&S 181 ("The Chickadee Challenge", Oct '55, album 29):
JW trumpet.

U$ 15 bc ("Pound for Sound", Sept '56):
Donald & Scrooge attend a concert for cheap

U$ 10 ("The Mines of King Solomon", Sept '57, album 19):
The JW whistle

"City of Golden Roofs" (U$ 20, Dec '57; album 20):
"Odd static! When does the music start?"
"Shoeless Pashly!"
Great take on modern "bongolious music" (p 12)
"He may have been away to school and acquired some *culture*!"

WDC&S 209 ("The Persistent Postman", Feb '58, album 34)
"Through rain or snow or howling gail
The mailman totes the precious mail!
He can't be stopped by storm or river
While he's a letter to deliver!
Bills- And *joy* to lonely lives!
And mail-order hats to rustic wives!
No matter how deep or thick the goo,
The United States' mail must *always* go through!"

WDC&S 225 ("Donald Duck, Volunteer Fireman", June '59, album 38):
"Hook and ladder rock", "When Goat's Away Cats Will Play",
the sockfoot kick, "The Bonfire Rock"

"The Phantom of Notre-Duck" (U$ 59, Sept '65; album 50):
"My Bonnie lies over the ocean!"
The Phantom traps the ducks in the organ's giant pipes

"The Gab Muffer" (GG 1047, Nov '59, album 3):
Gyro pupts an end to the boys' noise

"Milktime Melodies" (GG 1047, Nov '59, album 3):
Gyro's music box makes the farm happy

"The Christmas Cha Cha" (CP 26, Dec '59, DDA 23):
A Cha Cha contest is held at the Christmas ball

"Terrible Tourist" (WDC&S248, May '61, album 42):
Donald serenades señoritas:
"You tore my heart right off my sleeve,
and tore my sleeve off, too!"
"You've got me bellerin', baby!
You've got me chewing the rug!
My heart shrieks with pain, baby!
Train whistles blowing in my brain, baby!"
"Juanita, Chiquita,
My heart goes twee-tweeta!
You're the one I have chosa
To toss me a rosa! [...]
"Her we go gathering nuts in May, nuts in May, nuts in May!"

"Monkey Business" (WDC&S 297, June '65, album 51):
Donald is a master fine-tuner-- from cash registers to mechanical monkeys; the royal nightingales can warble again; but the gong strikes the wrong note

Keno Don Rosa

L&T 7, "Dreamtime Duck of the Never-Never":
Jonflip Zooza Playing the didgeridoo

L&T8, "King of the Klondike":
"Moosecalls are like the call of the loverlorn emu--
maybe a bit more *nasal*"

"Treasury of Croesus" (D 94012 / WDC&S 601-3):
"Lydia, oh Lydia,
Say have you met Lydia?
Lydia the taaatoooed lady!" (how I would like to know the tune!)

Floyd Gottfredson

(in the making...)