The Music-meister is the main antagonist in the Animal Quartet and the Sour Notes are his henchmen.
Background[]
Bremen used to be a happy musical town until the Music-meister came along with his army of Sour Notes to keep the town without any music, just the way he likes it. No one knows the reason why this tuneless tyrant hates music, but he won't have it bringing everyone together in peace and harmony. The Sour Notes will do whatever their boss says to put an end to all music, but the Animal Quartet can take on these bad guys as long as they work together.
The Music-meister is a rich, fat, bald man with a unibrow who wears a white shirt with gold buttons, light blue pants, light brown shoes, and a no-music ascot. He carries a gold-tipped cane. His Sour Notes are short men wearing navy blue ninja suits, purple ski goggles, as well as light blue gloves and boots. When one them is attacked, they reveal to have red hair.
Appearances[]
In the movie, having dominated the town of Bremen and banned music, the Music-meister continues to keep music out of the town since he installed a security system, set up traps, closed down all music stores, studios, and theaters, reminds the Mayor of Bremen that he is now in charge, and keeps sending his Notes to do his dirty work while unaware at first of Stevenson, Bruce, Elizabeth, and Miles who had just come to the town after being informed by Vladimir T. Owl.
Once the Animal Quartet begins performing for the audience in town square, impressing them (especially the mayor), one of the spying Sour Notes informs his boss at a mansion about what is happening. The Music-meister, knowing that the animals might bring Bremen back to normal, informs his Notes to set a trap for the quartet without killing them. When Stevenson, Bruce, Elizabeth, and Miles are imprisoned with many other prisoner who tried to bring music back, the Music-meister faces the animals for the first time, refusing to release anyone or undo his wicked deed. He informs the band that escaping is no use, then leaves to announce to everyone that the quartet had abandoned them and scolds the mayor who tries to object.
But thanks to Vlad and General Mouse, the prisoners escape, including the quartet. When the Music-meister finds his captives missing and hears about his security system being disabled (though he doesn't know how it happened), he sends all his Sour Notes to recapture the prisoners since he still doesn't want the Animal Quartet to stop him. Thanks to the quartet's advice, most of the Sour Notes get captured by the citizens working together and are arrested by the police.
At his mansion, the fat music hater, who learns about his minions being caught, he calls for reinforcements; but four remaining Notes tell him that there aren't any more. Yet, their boss plans to find more recruits when one of the Notes looks out the window to see Miles, Elizabeth, Bruce, and Stevenson standing on each other's backs from biggest to smallest while making their loudest animal sounds.
The villains are scared when the donkey breaks open the window for him and his friends to enter the mansion. The Music-meister orders his elite Notes to attack, but they're too scared and scatter as Miles pecks one with his bill, Elizabeth scratches a second one with her claws, Bruce bites a third one with his teeth, and Stevenson kicks all four of them out the window with his hooves.
When only the Music-meister is left, refusing to give up, he tries to attack with his cane; unfortunately, he is unprepared as Miles, Elizabeth, and Bruce attack him while Stevenson takes away his cane. As soon as the fat man is woozy, the donkey kicks him out the window along with his elite Notes, thus ending the anti-music law and restoring Bremen its former musical glory.
Before the Music-meister and his Sour Notes are taken to jail, the fat man vows that there will be others just like him; but the animals vow that they will be ready as long as there is music and happiness in the world.
In the end, the Music-meister and his henchmen are in jail watching the Animal Quartet's concert on live television, though still angry at being defeated.
Video Game[]
The Music-meister and the Sour Notes appear in the Animal Quartet video game as non-playable characters as well as enemies and the final boss to defeat. The Sour Notes appear in every level and can be defeated all the members of the quartet while the Music-meister appears in the final level at his mansion where he must be defeated by all the members of the quartet. Once defeated, they end up unconscious with stars spinning around their heads. Just like in the movie, they get arrested in the end.
Trivia[]
- The Music-meister is similar to Kingpin from the Marvel comics and is named after the villain of the same name from the DC comics.
- The reason why the Music-meister hates music is unknown.
- The Sour Notes could possibly be similar to the Willie Brothers from Home on the Range while the Music-meister could be similar to Alameda Slim.