The Simpsons Producers Say Fired Composer Will Still Have An 'Ongoing Role'

Although longtime composer Alf Clausen lost his job as the music composer on The Simpsons, it sounds like he'll still contribute to the show.

The producers of The Simpsons released a statement to Deadline in reaction to the news that Clausen, the show's sole composer since 1990, had been let go earlier this week.

"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. 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."

Clausen scored more than 560 episodes of the series beginning early in the 1990 season. It's believed that he's the most-nominated musician in Emmy history with 30 nominations, 21 of which came for The Simpsons. He won two in 1997 and 1998. 

He used a 35-piece orchestra to create the score for each episode, which is something that Simpsons creator Matt Groening insisted upon from the beginning. But that can be expensive: with the cost of musicians, recording studios, and orchestration, the music could cost millions of dollars each year. 

Clausen's last complete score for the series was the season 28 finale, which aired for May. The season 29 premiere is scheduled for Oct. 1, but it's not clear who will score that episode or what Clausen's new role will be.

Until we hear more, take a look back at the untold truth of The Simpsons.