It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (soundtrack)

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released on March 21, 2025, in the U.S. by Lee Mendelson Film Productions. It is the soundtrack to the Easter-themed television special of the same name first broadcast on CBS on April 9, 1974.^[1][2][3]

Following the death of producer Lee Mendelson in December 2019, his family initiated a detailed review of the production archive in search of original music recordings from the Peanuts television specials. During the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, they uncovered a collection of analog session tapes recorded by Vince Guaraldi. These recordings, which had long been presumed lost, include Guaraldi's complete music cues along with arrangements by John Scott Trotter and multiple alternate takes.^[4]

Penguin Recordings later transferred the tapes from the original one-inch and two-inch multi-track analog masters to high-resolution digital files at 192 kHz/24-bit for preservation and reissue.^[4]

The score for It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown was recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco on January 30 and March 1, 1974. Guaraldi played acoustic piano, electric keyboards including the Fender Rhodes, harpsichord, and guitar. The supporting ensemble featured Seward McCain on electric bass, Robert Claire on flute, and drummers Glenn Cronkhite and Eliot Zigmund.^[5]

Guaraldi followed his usual approach by sketching themes in advance, then expanding them during recording. Cues were timed using click tracks or visual markers to align with the animation, but the musicians were allowed flexibility within the structure to support improvisation and expressive phrasing.^[6][7]

By this period, Guaraldi remained strongly associated with the Peanuts franchise, although his visibility in the broader jazz world had declined. He had not released a studio album since Alma-Ville in 1969, and his regular live engagements had diminished. In early 1974, he resumed performing with acoustic instruments and encouraged McCain to reacquire an upright bass, suggesting a preference for more intimate, improvisational settings over formal studio scoring.^[6]

A new track titled "Woodstock Medley" was recorded in 2021 following the rediscovery of the session tapes. Pianist David Benoit, a longtime interpreter of Guaraldi's music, led a session at Hyde Street Studios (the successor to Wally Heider Studios) in San Francisco. He was joined by bassist Seward McCain and drummer Mike Clark. This marked their first session together since the original Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special was recorded nearly fifty years earlier.^[4][7]

Benoit's medley includes themes from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, and Easter Beagle. His arrangement uses layered melodies, counterpoint, and gradual thematic development to form a unified musical structure. While it maintains Guaraldi's harmonic palette and melodic shape, the new performance adds contemporary phrasing and production. A later orchestral version of the medley was also arranged, highlighting the adaptability of Guaraldi's compositions.^[4][7]

The Easter Beagle score blends West Coast jazz with elements of European classical harmony and impressionistic color.

Guaraldi incorporated several classical quotations. Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major" is performed in a straightforward interpretation for Schroeder's scenes. In contrast, the second movement of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7" is arranged in a Latin jazz style, featuring syncopated rhythms and reimagined harmonies while preserving its melodic content. Later in the special, the first movement of the symphony is presented in traditional form, highlighting Guaraldi's dual commitment to classical structure and stylistic experimentation.^[6][7] In one cue, used during a shopping mall scene with Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Snoopy, Guaraldi reinterprets Johann Sebastian Bach's "Minuet in G Major" with a music-box quality. The use of high piano registers, quiet dynamics, and slow pacing creates a whimsical, dreamlike effect that contrasts with other themes in the special.^[6]

Among Guaraldi's original pieces, "Easter Theme" is a highlight. Written for jazz trio with flute obbligato, it integrates classical phrasing and harmonic structure with jazz improvisation. Claire's flute contributes a chamber-like texture, consistent with Guaraldi's blend of jazz and classical sensibilities in his later soundtracks.^[6][7]

Guaraldi also revisited several earlier Peanuts themes. In this special, "Linus and Lucy" is broken into multiple cues rather than played as a complete version. The A-section appears in a swing arrangement with brushed drums. The bridge is presented in a Latin variation with hand percussion. A third cue recasts the piece as a gentle ballad using modal harmony and suspended chords. These reinterpretations suggest an approach similar to classical variation, in which a central theme is explored through changing rhythm and harmony.^[6][7]

Guaraldi had grown more confident as a guitarist by 1974 and used the instrument more actively in his scoring. In "Snoopy and Woodstock," which reworks the earlier "Mystery Theme" from It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown, Guaraldi employs a more assertive guitar tone with tighter rhythmic phrasing. The result is a funk-influenced cue that retains its melodic identity. A short reprise of this cue, played during the scene where Snoopy presents Woodstock with a birdhouse, is not included on the album.^[6][7]

"Woodstock's Dream," a recurring motif, is built around subtonic and subdominant harmonies. Its balanced and simple structure demonstrates Guaraldi's ability to develop functional and adaptable thematic material. This piece originated in an improvisational segment from Sing Unto the Lord a New Song, a chamber work by composer Lynn Shurtleff. Guaraldi and Shurtleff had previously collaborated on The Charlie Brown Suite (1969).^[6]

Several other cues showcase Guaraldi's stylistic range. In the scenes set in Peppermint Patty's kitchen, he uses a stripped-down arrangement of her theme, a relaxed twelve-bar blues, and a jazz waltz in ³
₄ with rhythmic displacement. These stylistic changes align with the emotional tone of each scene and reflect Guaraldi's versatility.^[6][7]

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording – Peanuts 75th Anniversary Edition was released on March 21, 2025, in CD, vinyl, and digital formats as part of the Peanuts 75th anniversary.^[8][3] A Record Store Day exclusive, titled Selections from the Original Soundtrack: It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, was released on April 12, 2025. This 10-inch die-cut Easter egg-shaped vinyl was foil-stamped, hand-numbered, and featured eight selected tracks across five randomly distributed color variants.^[9]

To reduce environmental impact, the 12-inch 45 rpm edition was manufactured using BioVinyl, a process that replaces petroleum-based components in S-PVC with recycled cooking oil or industrial waste. This method eliminates direct carbon dioxide emissions while preserving audio and visual fidelity.^[3] The 10-inch edition employed a bio-attributed manufacturing approach that resulted in a reported 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions compared to traditional vinyl production.^[9]

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording – Peanuts 75th Anniversary Edition received favorable reviews from jazz publications and audiophile outlets. Critics praised the album's historical significance, production clarity, and stylistic breadth.

All About Jazz called the release "a well-curated and lovingly restored Peanuts gem," and highlighted "Woodstock's Pad" as an "electric harpsichord-driven soul groove" reminiscent of 1970s funk scores. "Snoopy and Woodstock" was noted for its fuzz guitar tone, while the "Woodstock Medley" was described as "a tasteful, heartfelt tribute."^[10] Audiophile Audition emphasized the sonic quality of the restored recordings, citing precise stereo imaging and well-balanced mixing. Reviewer Robbie Gerson referred to the album as "a compelling mix of jazz, pop, and classical motifs," and singled out "Peppermint Patty" as a strong opener.^[11]

Secrets of Home Theatre and High Fidelity described the release as "a joyful, smartly assembled entry in the expanding Guaraldi/Peanuts discography," with praise for Guaraldi's jazz adaptations of classical works. The publication also praised the creative presentation of the 10-inch Record Store Day vinyl edition as a collector's item that balanced nostalgia and novelty.^[12]

Sandbox World noted the importance of the release as the first full presentation of this soundtrack, and praised the meticulous restoration and inclusion of previously unreleased material. The review stated that "fans will appreciate the attention to detail and the opportunity to experience Guaraldi's compositions in their full glory."^[14]

Jazzwise highlighted Guaraldi's melodic craftsmanship and the recording's sound quality, though it also noted that several cues were brief or incomplete when divorced from their original animated context.^[13]

All tracks written by Vince Guaraldi, except where noted.

Notes

• ^{^[a]} audio sourced from television soundtrack

Vince Guaraldi Quartet

• Vince Guaraldi – acoustic piano, electric keyboards, harpsichord, guitars
• Seward McCain – bass guitar
• Robert Claire – flute
• Glenn Cronkhite, Eliot Zigmund – drums

Additional

• John Scott Trotter – music supervisor

"Woodstock Medley" (track 20), recorded at Hyde Street Studios, November 16, 2021

• David Benoit – acoustic piano
• Seward McCain – electric bass, flute
• Mike Clark – drums

• Sean Mendelson – producer, liner notes
• Jason Mendelson – producer, liner notes
• Vinson Hudson – restoration and mastering
• Clark Germain – mixing engineer
• Eric Glauser – mixing engineer (20)
• Megan Rible – layout art
• Derrick Bang – liner notes
• John Strother (Penguin Recording) – tape archiving