Clausen’s music nominated for Emmy

Winner of two Emmy Awards for his music on the “The Simpsons,” Alf Clausen has again been nominated — this time for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score).

Clausen, a 1959 Jamestown High School graduate, has been the composer and arranger for the cartoon series for 19 years. He said during those years, he’s been nominated 21 times for an Emmy. This 22nd nomination is for the episode “Gone Maggie Gone.”

Writing for “The Simpsons” means completing 30 to 35 pieces of music in a week. Clausen composes as he watches the episode and the music has to be timed to fit within a hundredth of a second.

Then he writes it for orchestration. It’s recorded, added to the episode and aired within the three-week period. Clausen does this for 22 episodes a year. And during his off-weeks he writes original music for the show. Part of the challenge after 19 years, he said, is keeping the music fresh and original. As this latest Emmy nomination indicates, he continues to do that.

In all, “The Simpsons” television series has received five Emmy nominations this year.

Tags: local news, news, clausen, emmy