Leroy Anderson had a predilection for writing for strings, as many of his scores originally appeared in strings-only versions, including Fiddle-Faddle, Jazz Pizzicato, Jazz Legato, and this work, Plink, Plank, Plunk! This last one of the four mentioned was never adapted for full orchestra, probably because the composer decided its sonorities so naturally adapt to the pizzicato sound of strings that another treatment would degrade its character. Like Jazz Pizzicato, Plink, Plank, Plunk! features pizzicato writing for the strings. Actually, in the middle section and at the end of the work, there are a few sul ponticello effects on the strings that are technically not played pizzicato. The main theme is jaunty and joyous, but quite demure in its mostly subdued dynamics. It features several key accented notes, like the (introductory) first three, which apparently represent Plink, Plank, and Plunk. Near the end, the music sounds as though it is fading away, but the prankish Anderson closes with a colorful yelp -- or is it a hiccup? This piece was used as the theme music for the popular primetime television game show I've Got a Secret, which ran from 1952 to 1967, though different music was used after 1961. ~ Robert Cummings, All Music Guide
