Composer, Cellist, Pianist. McCargar was a Los Angeles-based musician who wrote popular songs ("Play That Aloha Rag", 1911) and salon pieces, several of which were published in the collection "Elegie" (1914). In 1912 he allegedly became the silent cinema's first studio musician when director D.W. Griffith hired him for his film "Judith of Bethulia". His job was to provide appropriate music to help the actors emote better during filming. Other stars soon demanded mood music for their productions and by the 1920s musicians could be heard on virtually every movie set and location in Hollywood, ranging from the standard violin-piano duo to full bands. McCargar formed a quartet and was kept gainfully employed throughout it all. He died of a brain tumor at 37, some three years before talkies put an end to the practice he helped start.
Composer, Cellist, Pianist. McCargar was a Los Angeles-based musician who wrote popular songs ("Play That Aloha Rag", 1911) and salon pieces, several of which were published in the collection "Elegie" (1914). In 1912 he allegedly became the silent cinema's first studio musician when director D.W. Griffith hired him for his film "Judith of Bethulia". His job was to provide appropriate music to help the actors emote better during filming. Other stars soon demanded mood music for their productions and by the 1920s musicians could be heard on virtually every movie set and location in Hollywood, ranging from the standard violin-piano duo to full bands. McCargar formed a quartet and was kept gainfully employed throughout it all. He died of a brain tumor at 37, some three years before talkies put an end to the practice he helped start.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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