When the 29th season of "The Simpsons" premieres in the fall, it will, for the first time in decades, be doing so without its longtime musical contributor, Alf Clausen.
Clausen, who composed the Fox animated show's incidental music, was told that the show was looking for "a different kind of music" moving forward, according to Variety.
Clausen confirmed his firing via Twitter.
The composer's orchestral scores supported the family's foibles since the show's primitively drawn early days. And although "The Simpsons" theme song was penned by Danny Elfman, the sonic feel of the series has been defined by Clausen's grandiose, often epic productions.
He's responsible for scoring Mr. Burns' breakout "See My Vest" moment and crafted the tunes for the Springfield musical theater company's "A Streetcar Named Desire" adaptation. Ditto "The Planet of the Apes" musical.
In short, nearly every classic music moment of "The Simpsons" has featured Clausen's fingerprints.
On Twitter, fans thanked Clausen for his work while expressing outrage at the circumstances surrounding his departure. "Fired over the phone, yet," wrote one user.
Clausen quickly corrected him with a one-word reply: "Email ... "
On Thursday, producers for "The Simpsons" issued a statement to Variety. It stressed that Clausen will continue to contribute to the series:
"We tremendously value Alf Clausen's contributions to 'The Simpsons' and he will continue to have an ongoing role in the show. We remain committed to the finest in music for 'The Simpsons,' absolutely including orchestral."
The statement concluded: "This is the part where we would make a joke but neither Alf's work nor the music of 'The Simpsons' is treated as anything but seriously by us."
