Hi-Yo, Silver, Away!

How did a 19th-century Italian composer become inextricably intertwined with a 1930s radio cowboy? Economics.

When The Lone Ranger premiered on January 30, 1933 on Detroit's WXYZ radio, the producers were working on a tight production budget. Instead of commissioning a composer to write a new theme, and incidental music for each episode, producers turned to classical music.  It was a cheap solution to their budgetary woes. There was no living composer to pay because all of the music was in the public domain--available to anyone to use for free. So, the radio show's music was "written" by great composers like Liszt, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Bizet. The main theme was adapted from the finale of the overture to Gioachino Rossini's opera William Tell.

Gioachino Rossini

Premiered on August 3, 1829, William Tell was the last of Rossini's 39 operas. Rossini based the opera on an early 14th-century Swiss legend about Tell, a folk hero who was deadly with a crossbow. Tell proved his expertise when he was arrested for failing to bow to the hat of a tyrannical Austrian ruler, which the ruler had placed on the top of a pole in the village square. Tell's punishment was to shoot an apple off of his son's head. If he refused, he would be executed. If he succeeded, he would be set free.

Tell removed two arrows from his quiver, successfully using one to split the apple. The ruler asked why he withdrew two. Tell replied that if he had killed his son, he would have used the other to kill the ruler. Tell was bound and put on a ship to be taken to the ruler's castle. Tell escaped during a storm, arrived at the castle by land, and shot the ruler. His action sparked a rebellion against Austria.

The opera is mostly remembered for the famous overture. In addition to The Lone Ranger, portions of it were used in the movie A Clockwork Orange. Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich quoted the overture in the first movement of his 15th symphony.

The overture is divided into four, continuous parts:

1) Prelude: A slow introduction, played by the cello section (divided into five parts), and the double basses. A solo cello plays the theme, which is reminiscent of I've Been Working on the Railroad.

2) Storm: A drammatic section, featuring forceful trombones.

3) Ranz des Vaches: (call to the dairy cows) - This is the second most famous portion of the overture, featuring solo English horn and flute. It is often used in cartoons to signify daybreak.

4) Finale: A cavalry charge, heralded by trumpets and horns. It is this section that was used as The Lone Ranger theme.

Re-live your childhood with the Lone Ranger opening sequence.

Listen to Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops play the finale to the overture. The first minute of the recording puts you in the mood for the overture with cow mooing, galloping horses, and cowboy "yipees"!