“Powerhouse” (1937) is an instrumental musical composition by Raymond Scott, perhaps best known today as the iconic “assembly line” music in animated cartoons released by Warner Bros. Structurally, “Powerhouse” consists of two distinct – and seemingly unrelated – musical themes, played at different tempos. Both have been used in numerous cartoons. The first theme, sometimes referred to as “Powerhouse A,” is a frantic passage typically employed in chase and high-speed vehicle scenes to imply whirlwind velocity. The slower theme, “Powerhouse B,” is the “assembly line” music, which sometimes accompanies scenes of repetitive, machine-like activity. “Powerhouse” in its entirety places “B” in the center while “A” opens and closes the work in the sequence A-B-A” – Wikipedia.
